Please review the following report on the FISCAL COST OF IMMIGRATION by economist Edwin Rubenstein released in April 2008:
http://www.esrresearch.com/Rubensteinreport.pdf

A partial summary of the report:

The impact on 15 Federal Departments surveyed was: $346 billion in fiscal related costs in FY 2007.

Each immigrant cost taxpayers more than $9,000 per year.

An immigrant household (2 adults, 2 children) cost taxpayers $36,000 per year.

Legal immigrants were not separated out from illegal immigrants for the fiscal impact study, but if they had been, the fiscal cost per ILLEGAL immigrant would be even more shocking than the figures quoted above.

The most extensive and authoritative study, prior to economist Edwin Rubenstein’s “The Fiscal Impact of Immigration” (April 200 , is the National Research Council (NRC)’s The New Americans: Economic, Demographic and Fiscal Effects of Immigration (1997).

The NRC staff analyzed federal, state, and local government expenditures on programs such as Medicaid, AFDC (now TANF), and SSI, as well as the cost of educating immigrants’ foreign- and native-born children.

NRC found that the average immigrant household receives $13,326 in federal annual expenditures and pays $10,664 in federal taxes—that is, they generate a fiscal deficit of $2,682 (1996 dollars)per household.

In 2007 dollars this is a deficit of $3,408 per immigrant household.

With 9 million households currently headed by immigrants, more than $30 billion ($3,408 x 9 million) of the federal deficit represents money transferred from native taxpayers to immigrants.

Our national immigration policies have to work for the United States. While improving the plight of the world’s poor is a laudable goal, the finite resources we have available to fulfill that goal would be swamped if there wasn’t some orderly and manageable system in place to limit entry into the United States to what this nation can actually support. The more illegal aliens that are permitted to subvert the immigration system, the fewer immigrants we can accommodate who might actually produce a positive benefit for our country.

The more we become a nation of illegal immigrants, the deeper we fall into anarchy.

Second, it seems far too easily forgotten that one must be an U.S. citizen in order to warrant the rights afforded to a citizen. That should be the end of discussion.

Third, legal immigrants working alongside native born citizens have made this country what it is. We have thrived on the contributions of immigrants and will usually need them, though to varying degrees, throughout most sectors of our economy. The problem is that we cannot afford to turn a blind eye to those who enter illegally, ignore our laws and seek to subvert our culture and national values. We welcome those who follow the rules, learn the English language, and respect our sovereignty. As illegal immigrants, it is not only offensive but also ridiculous to ask for rights, which they have not earned nor are entitled to.

Let’s secure our borders by building the fence so we have an effective and controlled immigration system at the same time as we enforce our currently existing immigration laws. During this interval we encourage illegals to depart (attrition through enforcement). Once our borders are secured and we have a grip on a functional system of immigration, we move against those illegals that have refused to leave. We should never ever grant amnesty.

We tried ‘comprehensive immigration reform’ in 1986. We gave amnesty to 3 million illegal aliens in exchange for the government promising to secure the borders, conduct workplace enforcement and enforce immigration law. It didn’t work because the government lied and did nothing other than process the amnesty paperwork. Due to that folly, we now have 20 Million or more illegal aliens here demanding amnesty.

Don’t you think it is far beyond time that we engage in Comprehensive Immigration ENFORCEMENT rather than Comprehensive Immigration Reform?

2 tons of explosives found amongst humanitarian aid en route to Gaza

Terror groups take advantage of Israeli permit allowing humanitarian goods into impoverished Gaza Strip, attempt to smuggle two tons of fertilizer in truck transporting aid in second such incident this week

Hanan Greenberg
Published: 01.14.08, 19:01 / Israel NewS
http://www.ynet.co.il/english/articles/0,7340,L-3494131,00.html

I had no idea how widespread obstetric fistula is in the developing world until recently when I started volunteering at an organization called One By One, (www.fightfistula.org) - In fact, I think they did the display at the Green Bean.

What I have learned there in the last few weeks almost seems unbelievable in this day and age. Not only the extent of the problem (over two million women worldwide) but also the underlying causes; lack of medical care, lack of education and status for women and girls, early marriage, etc.

One By One is working to end obstetric fistula in multiple ways. First, they provide direct financial support in the form of grants to several organizations that provide treatment for and help prevent fistula in the developing world. Second, they work to educate the public (people like me!) about the reality of fistula and its causes and, very importantly, provide ideas on simple ways that individuals can make a difference. And third, they work to advocate for changes in public policy that could help to bring about an end to fistula. If you are interested in learning more about this issue their website contains a lot of information and has links to a number of other organizations dealing both with fistula and related issues.

Also, if you are a registered voter in the United States, you might be interested in learning about a current piece of federal legislation that would provide funding for fistula treatment.

There is a bill before the House of Representatives that would take money that is already in the federal budget and earmark it for organizations that provide treatment to women suffering from fistula. The money is currently allocated to fund the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) but President Bush has refused to release it for multiple years now (the administration initially claimed that UNFPA funds forced abortions and sterilizations and even though their own investigators have found no evidence of such activity the funds have never been released – the hope with this bill is that the money can be allocated to an issue that everyone can agree on). The bill is being put forward by Representative Carolyn Maloney from NY. It is called the “Repairing Young Women’s Lives Around the World Act” (Introduced in House)[H.R.2114.IH] and you can learn more about it at Rep Maloney’s website: http://maloney.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1340&Itemid=61
or you can read the actual text of the act here:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:H.R.2114.IH:

If you want to write to your representative in support of this bill you can find your representatives contact information at:
http://www.house.gov/

Thanks again for taking an interest in and helping spread information about this issue.