Citizens across North Carolina are increasingly concerned about the impact of illegal immigrants and the drain they cause on our financial resources. There is no doubt that the cost of services provided to illegal immigrants by our state and local governments outweighs tax revenues that illegal immigrants generate.
Health care is among the largest expenses. Hospitals provide services to thousands of uninsured illegal immigrants. They absorb some of the cost but pass much of it along to their paying customers and taxpayers.
Businesses are the biggest beneficiary of illegal immigration and are the reason unauthorized foreigners are here in the first place. Some employers say they have difficulty verifying immigrants' legal status.
So far, however, the federal government has chosen to look the other way, and many businesses are glad it has.
In states that have passed tough new laws to penalize employers of, and deny public benefits to, illegal immigrants, the illegal immigrants have begun to move out of those states, often before the new laws are even implemented.
We now have the technology to provide businesses the tools they need to help determine an applicant's legal status.
The E-Verify program provides an inexpensive, quick and accurate way to verify employee eligibility. E-Verify is an Internet-based system that allows employers to confirm the legal status of new hires within seconds.
If any businesses bypass the E-Verify program and continue to hire illegal immigrants, they could and should have their business licenses suspended or revoked.
The Science Channel on television says that "95 percent of the universe was formed in three days."
What I want to know is ... who was there to measure?
— Janet B. Christie
Buster
Illegal invaders : Monday, July 14, 2008 8:49 AM
Illegal immigration has nothing to do with race, color or ethnicity. The issure here is respecting U.S. law/legality regarding our immigration policy. The pro-illegal crowd would rather spin the issue into "racism" simply because they have no other rational and legitimate argument. They simply scream threats of "racism" and hope you give into their demands. Deport illegals and punish those who hire/harbor the. Eliminate the incentive for them to come here. What part of illegal do you not understand?
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Anti Scab
I've thought : Sunday, July 13, 2008 6:06 AM
I've thought about a lot of it. That's why I used the name Anti-Scab. You apparently don't know what it is to be a scab. You should research it. My problem is with companies hiring people and paying insufficient wages. Which in the turn causes more government support and thus more taxes. If the immigrant is legally here, then the wages would increase to a decent level.
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Anti Scab
To; Pro Immigration : Saturday, July 12, 2008 7:46 AM
It all comes down to you proving your opinion with surveys, and studies. An opinion isn't a fact! There will always be someone who disagrees with you. That won't make them right, but it won't make them wrong either. I don't want them here illegally taking a job that would pay more to a legal citizen. You won't change my opinion of that no matter how much screaming, fussing or DEGRADING you try to do. You have a good day. ;-)
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Why is this so hard? : Friday, July 11, 2008 9:12 PM
They are here illegally, period. Let's remember a few local examples of illegal immigrants in Rowan County. The young lady, Ms Newman, who was killed during a head on crash, by a vehicle operated by an illegal, while running from police. Then we have the crew of filthy immigrants that decide to use a local eating establishment's kitchen to slaughter a goat, resulting in food poisoning. The the court dockets are overloaded with illegal immigrants that violate our laws. Most of the time they do not show up for court, causing the system to issue fail to appear warrants. Signs have to be printed in Spanish (this is the United States) let 'em learn english. They come from pretty much a lawless society, and if we don't take action, we will be destitute as well. Deport em all, and let them enter legally if they wish to come. And legally, must include understanding and respecting our laws and our language. Take a look at the FBI's 10 most wanted list, the majority of our trouble comes from outside the US.
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: Friday, July 11, 2008 3:36 PM
pack them up and send them back
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pro-immigration
scab & missing the point : Friday, July 11, 2008 6:33 AM
I haven't missed the point at all. And I know this situation and comprehend it better than most of you. They may be breaking the law, but before Bush started screaming about getting them out when Mexico didn't back him in the war...nobody cared! The way the government goes about deportation tearing families apart is disgracefull to me and says little for our nation as a whole. N.C. does NOT have the highest concentration of illegals, I don't know where you get that from. Texas, Arizona, and California come in way ahead of N.C. on this one. You can't even get that one right. Thats what happens when you spout off about something that you have no clue on except for what little you have read in the Salisbury Post. What are they doing here? They are doing exactly what every other immigrant is doing that came before them...trying to make a better life for themselves and their families. They get paid to do a job just like you do or have in the past. I have done the math many times over and I come up with the same thing every time. Deporting illegals are bad for the economy both in loss of tax revenue, loss of input to S.S, loss of a culture that if you took time to get to know these people you might just find something you like and loss of tax money trying to find them and deport them. Have you thought about how much the government spends out housing these illegals in jail for months before actually being deported? I doubt you have thought about that or you would be griping about that too! The only other thing they get is bad lip service from people like you! Your commennts show me how little you know about the situation and that you aren't able to think outside of your "small picture". When you can come up with something better than "what are they doing here" and "they are breaking the law by being here", get back with me. I'll be glad to take on comments that have more merrit than this!
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Anti Scab
pro-immigration : Thursday, July 10, 2008 7:30 PM
If they received nothing in return they wouldn't be here. You do the math!
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Missing the point : Thursday, July 10, 2008 1:30 PM
I think that most of the people writing comments miss the point. They are call ILLEGAL ALIENS, which means they are breaking the law by being here. If I break the law, I pay the cost. Why is it that you choose to stand up for law breakers. Money is not the issue, the law is. I agree that employers who hire illegals should be fined and fined heavily. If they couldn't get work, they wouldn't be here and NC has one of the highest rates of illegals in the country. But employers are simple wanting more money. It is a real shame what greed has done to our country.
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pro-immigration
To anti-scabs : Thursday, July 10, 2008 12:16 PM
In your feeble attempt to attack me, you read into my statement what you wanted. Those with a green card, issued by the same government that issued your SS # pay taxes on their income. Illegals, like it or not pay into SS around $10 billion a year, while only costing the health care system 2.2 billion a year... you do the math if you can! They still receive nothing in return! The ones that work illegaly, they are picking your produce, cleaning your houses/hotels, serving/preparing your food and the list goes on. Go ahead and deport them all if you want to pay more for the things you enjoy doing, eating and places you visit for vacation. The statistics are in (obviously you missed them or refused to believe them) and the economy would be crushed for quite some time if they were all deported. Especially in the areas of high concentration of illegal immigrants. It would take several years to rebound (economically) from such an asinine decision. Would you be willing to relocate out west and work in the heat picking crops? I think not...you are too comfortable in your air-condition! Get your head out of your backside and get the facts...the real facts before you attack me. I am not a business man for the record, but I am a man that sees the forrest for the trees unlike a lot of people that have the same view on immigration as you. Even the two Presidential candidates (both parties) know that deporting immigrants is not the answer and have stated so! So...which candidate will you be voting for? The one who doesn't see things the way you do, or the other candidate that doesn't see things the way you do? Seems like you may be in a no win situation scab!
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DS
Anyone wanting to know the truth about immigration : Tuesday, July 08, 2008 3:05 PM
can go to the websites numbersusa.com or alipac.com. Alipac is based in North Carolina and has lots of protests and rallies and Numbers USA focuses on the pure statistics of how illegal immigrants is affecting our population. Let them come in legally and I will embrace them as brothers and sisters. Illegally and I will be working to send you back from whence you came!
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Pro Immigration / Anti-Scabs
To; pro-immigration : Sunday, July 06, 2008 3:28 PM
You say "the illegal people in this country that draw a legitimate paycheck pay taxes and into S.S. just like a legal citizen." You sound like a businessman. Who's SS # are they using. The one I used was assigned to me by the SSA. I welcome any immigrant who comes in legally. I don't welcome scabs who come and work for less than what should be paid by the businesses that hire them. And you sound like a businessman.
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TOI
Studies tell you what you want to hear. : Sunday, July 06, 2008 3:19 PM
The UNCCH study presented earlier in this area was conducted by;(Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise at UNC-Chapel Hill for the North Carolina Bankers Association (NCBA)). You get what you pay for. Many other studies and survey show the opposite. Common sense tells me, nothing is free.
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Luis A.
: Sunday, July 06, 2008 2:22 PM
Hey Larry after recovering the costs of illegal immigrants, will we also refund the federal government the taxes that we have received from illegal immigrants, including sales taxes, and up to 9 billion in social security taxes alone each year.
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Luis A.
Recovering Costs? : Sunday, July 06, 2008 2:19 PM
Well Larry, after recovering all of the costs of illegal immigrants, I don't know, either by charging the federal government or asking each indivual immigrant to pay, will we also refund the tax money that this state has received from illegal immigrants as well from , and other federal taxes, like up to 9 billion dollars in taxes paid for Social Security alone each year.
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pro-immigration
Businesses have no excuse for hiring illegals? : Saturday, July 05, 2008 11:50 AM
I would encourage anyone who might have the slightest belief in what Jeff Gerber has stated in his "opinion" to visit anti-bvbl.net. There you will find information that will baffle you about immigration and what is really going on with it. To insinuate that "illegals" are draining our financial resources is absurd! The illegal people in this country that draw a legitimate paycheck pay taxes and into S.S. just like a legal citizen. What do they get in return for paying into S.S.? Absolutly nothing! American citizens reap the benefits from their money. In a time where S.S. is in such a financial bind, I would assume that the government needs all the help it can get funding it. But, as right-wing, narrow-minded people as Jeff Gerber would like you to beleive, we are deporting a large source of income for S.S. and the US in general! Illegal immigrants may use our hospitals in an emergency, for the most part they go back to their country of origin for medical attention because they don't trust American doctors (who can blame them, a lot of Americans do not trust them either). They pay the same taxes on purchases that they make, the same interest rate on credit cards, the same property taxes, ect...that every natural born citizen of the US pays. Tell me how that is "draining" our finances! On top of it all, this deportation goes against the Constitution of the United States. Again, visit anti-bvbl to read the TRUE FACTS instead of beleiving people like this and spreading hate! All this is doing is diverting your attention away from bigger and more important issues that need to be addressed in the US and letting things slide under your nose that otherwise would cause the same concern if not more!
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: Saturday, July 05, 2008 8:52 AM
What a great article!
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Look for compassionate solutions to immigration : Saturday, July 05, 2008 7:30 AM
We need the Latino population. See: http://www.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/KI/reports/2006_HispanicStudy/
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Larry Wright
Well Said, Jeff. : Saturday, July 05, 2008 4:32 AM
It is high time we enforce our immigration laws and deal swiftly and effectively with both businesses that employ the illegal aliens and illegal aliens themselves. Jail sentences should be given to company officials that hire illegal aliens. That would stop it in a hurry. Large fines, say $10,000 per day for each illegal alien, may help as well. Suspending or revoking business licenses is an excellent idea. Illegal aliens cost us a lot of money as they quickly learn how to milk our welfare system. We should change our laws,if necessary, to avoid giving illegal aliens any aid other than emergency medical care prior to immediately deporting them. Second offenders should be put on a chain gang to work for us or help build a fence between us and Mexico. Illegal aliens have no right to a free education in our school system. When they are discovered, we should recover the cost of the education from them prior to deporting them. All state and local law enforcement officials and all other state and local government officials should all be required to turn in illegal aliens whenever they are identified as such. You are right on, Jeff. Are you running for public office? I would vote for you. Especially if you are also against the evil idea of forced annexation.
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Editorial: Novant is pushing on
