Illegal Immigrants Appear to Be Helping the Economy

Originally posted by normbenign
What data, collected where? Illegals are illegal. They are also undocumented. Who are these illegals that are counted in survey data?

I guess the ones who are now eligible for earned income tax credits and child tax credits as well as all the other social welfare programs.

Originally posted by normbenign
If they consume goods, they are a part of the economy, but so would be the Americans who could hold those jobs, reducing unemployment to a possible zero.

And zero unemployment would be good?

Originally posted by Eladar
I guess the ones who are now eligible for earned income tax credits and child tax credits as well as all the other social welfare programs.

Gee, I wonder who pays for that ? 😠

Originally posted by sh76
Being an American in the US or anyone else legally in the US entitles you to pay dictated by the free market under whatever labor protections are applied by applicable law. That illegal immigrants work off the books for less than minimum wage and don't pay taxes is hardly a boon to the economy. I don't blame the individual illegal immigrant. He's just trying to ...[text shortened]... work on the books if he could, but illegal immigrants are hardly a net positive to the country.

"That illegal immigrants work off the books for less than minimum wage and don't pay taxes is hardly a boon to the economy"

the links i provided say otherwise. they do pay taxes. they get less for their taxes in return.

as far as minimum wage is concerned, do you have a statistic on that? how many illegals work for less than minimum wage? how many of those work illegally.

there is data on illegals paying income tax, paying the taxes on the rent, do you think all of them survive on less than your already poor minimum wage?


"He's just trying to make a better life and would no doubt work on the books if he could"
that's just it: he does work on the books. read the link. they contribute immensely to social services through the taxes on their wages, but since they are illegal they can't get anything back.



perhaps this is why there are so many illegals. making them legal would be less profitable. it's fun to have lots of people paying taxes for free.

Originally posted by sh76
Unauthorized immigrants may pay some taxes like sales, but by and large, they don't pay federal income tax. they get paid in cash and both they and their employers are ripping off the government. It's far better for the country as a whole if everyone in the country is here legally and working on the books.

"but by and large, they don't pay federal income tax"
don't know if this is different than normal income tax. the sources i quoted say that 50% of them, in the worst case pay income tax. some sources are more optimistic and report that percentage at 75%.


mexicans in real life aren't all like the ones in the movies, waiting in a parking lot by the dozens for dudes in pickup trucks to offer them a one day job. the reality seems to point that most have regular, on the books jobs.

Originally posted by normbenign
How is all that data gathered regarding undocumented (illegal) workers? If we can find them to survey their earnings, taxation, etc., why can't we find them in order to deport them?

If they consume goods, they are a part of the economy, but so would be the Americans who could hold those jobs, reducing unemployment to a possible zero.

"why can't we find them in order to deport them?"
because you don't want that. the united states benefits from their taxes.


"If they consume goods, they are a part of the economy, but so would be the Americans who could hold those jobs"
i thought you were a fan of laissez faire economy. they are willing to work for less than an american. they pay taxes. the employer benefits.

you are also an opponent of minimum wage laws. it is ok for the employer to set the wages as low as they can, but you complain that there are people willing to fill those jobs? do you think an employer would have hired a mexican if an american was willing to work for less?


"reducing unemployment to a possible zero."
that's a myth.

Originally posted by kquinn909
And where I live they are most all collecting snap , subsidized housing, elec, gas, medical, disability and on and on. Most driving hummers , bmw, mercedes stc. parking in the handicapped parking spaces. Only time the men show up is on the w/e after working under the table at prevailing wage sometimes.

Living off wellfare, yet driving gas guzzlers? Your wellfare must be astronomical, many times higher than over here in the PinkoCommie Netherlands. Because if you're on wellfare here, you most certainly don't drive a large car, and probably can't afford to drive one at all.
Or maybe Mercedes love the USA soooo much that they give away their merchandise for free with every application.
Or maybe... maybe you're just seeing things that aren't there.

Originally posted by Zahlanzi
perhaps this is why there are so many illegals. making them legal would be less profitable. it's fun to have lots of people paying taxes for free.

That's almost certainly the case. See also: Puerto Rico, the USA's prime wage-slave colony.

Originally posted by wolfgang59
And zero unemployment would be good?

Yes.

Originally posted by caissad4
Gee, I wonder who pays for that ? 😠

Me. The government steals from ME to pay for it. 😏

Originally posted by Zahlanzi
"That illegal immigrants work off the books for less than minimum wage and don't pay taxes is hardly a boon to the economy"

the links i provided say otherwise. they do pay taxes. they get less for their taxes in return.

as far as minimum wage is concerned, do you have a statistic on that? how many illegals work for less than minimum wage? how many ...[text shortened]... king them legal would be less profitable. it's fun to have lots of people paying taxes for free.

Those links must be from lying liberal Democrats. 😏

Originally posted by wolfgang59
And zero unemployment would be good?

Zero unemployment would be a natural thing in a purely free market without any government price fixing.

Originally posted by Zahlanzi
"why can't we find them in order to deport them?"
because you don't want that. the united states benefits from their taxes.


"If they consume goods, they are a part of the economy, but so would be the Americans who could hold those jobs"
i thought you were a fan of laissez faire economy. they are willing to work for less than an american. they pay ta ...[text shortened]... n was willing to work for less?


"reducing unemployment to a possible zero."
that's a myth.

Your arguments fail at consistency. Yes, I favor free markets. Yes, I consistently oppose government price fixing (of labor, or anything else).

If these immigrants were legal, I have no problem with their contribution to the American economy. The problem is that their involvement is pure speculation, because they would not answer questions aimed at them by gringo government employees, or news services. The numbers are all imaginary.

The claims that illegal immigrants help the economy can only be bogus, as there is no method of verifying the numbers. Everything you've cited are wet dreams of activists, not solid economic evidence.

And I passed on the opportunity to "Pop" the two burglarizing my neighbors home,, Now I wish they HAD grabbed her 20 gauge, and came outside with it,, bang bang you're gone...

Originally posted by normbenign
Zero unemployment would be a natural thing in a purely free market without any government price fixing.

just the opposite.

zero unemployment is impossible to achieve in a free market economy.