Social Security Insanity - or, Robbing Paul To Pay Pedro

Un-freaking-believable. Can observers really have any doubt over how out of sync is the Senate when it comes to immigration reform?

I'm still waiting for people to start talking about the huge costs we're going to have to assume to fund the actual work which will be required to support this amnesty program, not to mention the drain of manpower it will present on Homeland Security. Funny, I wasn't against amnesty when all this started, the further it goes, the worse I feel.

Not only will we be granting illegals a break by not making them return home to get in the back of the real line for legal immigration, we're going to have to open up our checkbooks to boot. Meanwhile, what about the corporations which profited from their labor in some cases? Looks like we will be subsidizing them, too, to some extent. How is it they say law abiding citizens are supposed to win from all this? Watch your wallet, but don't hold your breath.

But here's the substance of the debate-- Should ILLEGAL immigrants, once made legal by the McCain legislation, be entitled to receive the Social Security benefits they have paid into the system while ILLEGALLY using FRAUDULENT Social Security numbers STOLEN from actual, legal citizens of the United States of America.

The fact that this is even up for debate is just beyond insane. Everyone knows we will never have enough Social Security funds to serve, you know, actual citizens.

Every single one of those senators knows that, and they're debating whether we should extend such non-existent, unsustainable, budget-busting, generation-saddling benefits to millions of people who fraudulently entered the system by stealing the identities (and sometimes ruining the credit) of legal Americans?!?

Sen. Ensign, God bless him, offered an amendment suggesting illegals should not be eligible for Social Security benefits accrued while illegal.

The U.S. Senate voted to kill that amendment, 50-49.

Meanwhile, what have we been being told about Social Security? Oh yeah, it's going broke.

Taxes would have to be raised immediately by 3.5 percentage points, or benefits reduced immediately by 22 percent, to make the system whole on a permanent basis.

The Social Security report show that Social Security cash flows peak in 2008 and turn negative in 2017, one year earlier than previously projected.  The trust fund itself will be exhausted in 2041, also one year earlier than previously projected. The unfunded obligation, that is, the difference between the present values of Social Security inflows and outflows (plus the trust fund), has increased to $11.1 trillion a permanent basis, and $4.0 trillion over the next 75 years.

See here for some of the Republican sell-outs, I mean, Senators. Nah, sell-outs about sums it up, they're selling out you and me, as opposed to themselves.

Comments

[annie]

You can't be all things to all men.

If you try to be, you will end up being nothing to nobody.

President Bush should forget giving amnesty, these people who have broken the law don't deserve it.

It is good to shore up the borders, but he should also have threatened the people who are employing these illegals not just with fines, but with imprisonment.

That would concentrate their minds!!

If the jobs weren't open for the illegals, why else would they come?

[kate]

glad to see at least my senators got it right. john cornyn and kay bailey hutchison voted nay.

[Sgt. York]

Everybody (even my hippie girlfriend) wants:

* Secure the border (with the Border Patrol)
* Crack down on employers

You want more immigrants? You want to increase the labor pool? Then streamline the current process for legal immigration. All this amnesty and guest-worker garbage is... garbage.

About the Border Patrol, they have 9,500 agents patroling the entire sothern border. For comparison, the New York City police department has 35,000 sworn officers. What a joke.

[Ben]

This problem can be properly solved by economic balance between the two countries. The US should use aid incentives to encourage Mexico to provide an environment wherebye American investment can improve commerce and hence job opportunities in Mexico.IMO.

[bamaboy]

OK... They are going to give these buzzards... oops,
I mean illegal immigrants, social security. But
wait, it is getting better, read on.......

If one of these illegals is driving a vehicle, with
no license, and no insurance, and hits your car,
Guess WHAT? You are so screwed. The cops will give
them a ticket for a court appearance (HA HA,) and
you will be out of pocket on your deductible. Of
course Pedro will never make it to court.

Send these illegals to prison, or send them the
H*LL back to their country of origin.

We, as law abiding citizens, can't afford the added
strain on ourselves, or our social security system.

just my 2 cents,

bamaboy

[Stella]

"the further it goes, the worse I feel."
"The U.S. Senate voted to kill that amendment, 50-49."

I have waited to say anything because I didn't want to scream out of pure emotion; now I have read, researched, looked at information and opinions from many sides and am ready to speak: WTF do these people think put them into office???????

[IMHERE]

Terms limits and pension caps.