Cato Institute says Immigration tax will solve our problems, higher wages
@revellanotvanella (4037)
United States
August 24, 2009 9:25pm CST
Cato Institute Discussion on Economic Benefits of Immigration Reform
Friday, August 14, 2009
A new study by the Cato Institute has concluded that legalizing more than eight million undocumented workers in the U.S. would result in more economic benefits. Additionally, enhanced border security and immigration laws would have the opposite effect. One of the authors of the report shared its findings at this hour-long event.
WATCH IT AT: http://www.c-span.org/Watch/Media/2009/08/14/HP/A/22237/Cato+Institute+Discussion+on+Economic+Benefits+of+Immigration+Reform.aspx
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I was watching this debate on CSPAN where I think the CATO Institute wants to tax those coming here for work from outside of the US. I guess basic idea is that this tax will go back to pay for needs of citizens ("double household incomes") and that if immigrants are given higher wages then low-income pool of jobs will open up for Americans 
??
Daniel Griswold, director, Center for Trade Policy Studies
As I've argued consistently in the past, immigration reform is not worth pursuing if it does not include expanding future flows of legal immigrants, both highly skilled and lower-skilled workers. If Congress confines itself to legalizing the 8 million or so workers already here illegally, with a vow to get tougher on enforcement, then we are just repeating the mistake of the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act. (below from Center for Trade website)
The overriding impact of immigrants is to strengthen and enrich American culture, increase the total output of the economy, and raise the standard of living of American citizens. Immigrants are advantageous to the United States for several reasons: (1) Since they are willing to take a chance in a new land, they are self-selected on the basis on motivation, risk taking, work ethic, and other attributes beneficial to a nation. (2) They tend to come to the United States during their prime working years (the average age is 28), and they contribute to the workforce and make huge net contributions to old-age entitlement programs, primarily Social Security. (3) Immigrants tend to fill niches in the labor market where demand is highest relative to supply, complementing rather than directly competing with American workers. (4) Many immigrants arrive with extremely high skill levels, and virtually all, regardless of skill level, bring a strong desire to work. (5) Their children tend to reach high levels of achievement in American schools and in society at large.
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WATCH IT AT: http://www.c-span.org/Watch/Media/2009/08/14/HP/A/22237/Cato+Institute+Discussion+on+Economic+Benefits+of+Immigration+Reform.aspx
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I was watching this debate on CSPAN where I think the CATO Institute wants to tax those coming here for work from outside of the US. I guess basic idea is that this tax will go back to pay for needs of citizens ("double household incomes") and that if immigrants are given higher wages then low-income pool of jobs will open up for Americans ??
Daniel Griswold, director, Center for Trade Policy Studies
As I've argued consistently in the past, immigration reform is not worth pursuing if it does not include expanding future flows of legal immigrants, both highly skilled and lower-skilled workers. If Congress confines itself to legalizing the 8 million or so workers already here illegally, with a vow to get tougher on enforcement, then we are just repeating the mistake of the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act. (below from Center for Trade website)
The overriding impact of immigrants is to strengthen and enrich American culture, increase the total output of the economy, and raise the standard of living of American citizens. Immigrants are advantageous to the United States for several reasons: (1) Since they are willing to take a chance in a new land, they are self-selected on the basis on motivation, risk taking, work ethic, and other attributes beneficial to a nation. (2) They tend to come to the United States during their prime working years (the average age is 28), and they contribute to the workforce and make huge net contributions to old-age entitlement programs, primarily Social Security. (3) Immigrants tend to fill niches in the labor market where demand is highest relative to supply, complementing rather than directly competing with American workers. (4) Many immigrants arrive with extremely high skill levels, and virtually all, regardless of skill level, bring a strong desire to work. (5) Their children tend to reach high levels of achievement in American schools and in society at large.
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3 responses
@mommyboo (13197)
• United States
25 Aug 09
Hi. I don't agree with this, as I do not believe it is fair to ANY immigrant who came here legally over the years to give any amnesty to ANY current illegal immigrant. I also disagree that immigrants *unless they come here LEGALLY on the up and up* are advantageous to American culture. I believe that if they come here, they NEED to gain citizenship and do it by a certain date or time after being here. I also believe they need to learn AND speak English and teach their children English. Willing to take a chance in a new land? WHAT are they even talking about? So many of the people who come here come here with the knowledge that they will be 'entitled' to receive things, and that is the attitude they teach their children! I do not feel there is any entitlement to anybody who is not a legal citizen, even if they are homeless and have nothing! Also, if they have made such HUGE contributions to social security, why oh why is social security failing and WHY will I not have any to draw on even though *I* paid into it for 10+ years? Hmmm? I would like to know.
Sorry but I believe that American citizens should get offered the jobs first. American citizens should be the ONLY ones who qualify for government benefit programs such as state run health care plans for people who are poverty level or cannot get insurance through their jobs. American citizens should be the ONLY ones who qualify for food stamps, welfare, cash aid, employment assistance, FAFSA - Pell, college and other education grants and money.
Yes, SOME immigrants are IDEAL examples of hard workers and great families, but those immigrants ALSO probably intend or are already becoming citizens. Either way, I do not want these people who do not deserve anything getting BENEFITS that cost US any MORE than they are already costing us! This irritates me. They just need to immigrate the way they are supposed to - come here, file for citizenship, learn English, prove they want to become a citizen, and then legally become one. Anybody who doesn't needs to be caught and deported and that should be the end of it. The borders should be shut except for people who are legally coming across.
@revellanotvanella (4037)
• United States
25 Aug 09
"Also, if they have made such HUGE contributions to social security, why oh why is social security failing and WHY will I not have any to draw on even though*I* paid into it for 10+ years? Hmmm? I would like to know."
yea, I guess if you have some lofty title such as CATO you can just say stuff that have no merit and full of hogwash but because the US has developed this reputation for being beneficial to illegal aliens I think it will be near impossible to change and now it looks like Obama is encouraging the whole globalization thing so it doesn't look like things are going to return to the original system of legalization--there is too many employers there to protect them because their cheap pay. I'm not totally against it but to the extent where these workers start REPLACING American labor, of course!
I think the Welfare system is the biggest culprit because every single program supports them, they don't have to be legal--they just file as migrant worker and get all the services they so desire.
Why do we HAVE to bring them here, so we can keep adopting them (we've already adopted their language)--why not create incentives for them to return HOME
@dragon54u (31637)
• United States
25 Aug 09
LEGAL immigrants do all those good things, illegal ones steal from us by using our services and sending their money home to other countries.
There is one school of thought that says granting everyone already here amnesty and getting them to pay taxes is more sensible and less costly than deporting them all. But what then? In another few years we give amnesty to the millions that poured in illegally after we gave amnesty to the first bunch?
We must enforce the laws we already have. We have no more borders, we are no longer allowed to preserve a language specific to our nation and are no longer allowed to demand respect for our culture. We've lost our sovereignty, our voices and now our economy.
@bobmnu (8160)
• United States
25 Aug 09
I would like to see the government secure the border and then control the new immigrants instead of giving the permits to the country and letting them hand them out. We should have people apply to the USA to come and work here. As to the 8 million that are already here they should be allowed to stay with an American Sponcer who will agree to take care of them if they become unemployed. We also need to make English the offical language.
