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Good analysis of the ILLEGAL ALIEN
problem - WRONG SOLUTION, Newt!!! I
DON'T WANT TO PAY THE BILL FOR
ILLEGAL ALIENS (even if it is the
Feds spending it).
Opinion
Congress Should Pay for Immigrants'
Healthcare
Friday, May 6, 2005
by Newt Gingrich and David Merritt
The federal government's
unwillingness to stem the tide of
illegal immigrants has created
billions in healthcare expenses. Yet
it is state and local governments
that bear the cost. Not only is this
profoundly unfair; it partly
explains Washington's failure to
fully address the problem. To allow
states to recoup what they have lost
and to force Washington to move on
border control, states should insist
that the federal government pay for
its failure to secure the borders.
According to the Pew Hispanic
Center, illegal immigration grew 23
percent over the past four years.
This increase came despite of the
creation of the Department of
Homeland Security and increased
funding for border control.
Totaling nearly 11 million, illegal
immigrants often seek healthcare
services in the one place where
Congress has mandated that no one
can be denied care: the hospital
emergency room.
As Americans, we accept that we have
a moral obligation to provide
emergency care to anyone who needs
it, regardless of their citizenship.
However, designed for acute and
traumatic care, the emergency room
is the most expensive place to
receive care. Yet under the law, ERs
must accept and treat patients
without regard to the severity of a
patient's condition.
Hospitals go uncompensated for
providing much of this care, and the
cost for providing care to illegal
aliens is large and growing.
. In Los Angeles County, where the
department of health is running a
deficit of $1.2 billion, nearly two
million illegal immigrants crowd its
emergency rooms, creating long waits
for patients, forcing closure of
many facilities.
. The Florida Hospital Association
reported that its members provide
more than $40 million a year to care
for illegal aliens.
. The U.S.-Mexico Border Counties
Coalition reported that in just 24
counties on the southern border the
cost of uncompensated care for
illegal aliens totals more than $200
million every year.
. While the General Accountability
Office recently said that it could
not quantify the national total
spent on care for illegal aliens,
the Institute of Medicine noted that
uncompensated care in general
exceeds $35 billion a year.
Medicaid offers some resources for
various reasons; the Balanced Budget
Act of 1997 provided funds to 12
states for uncompensated care, as
did the Medicare Reform Act of 2003.
But these efforts to assist the
states in their plight fall far
short. While implicitly admitting
through these appropriations that
the federal government bears some --
we would argue all
-- of the responsibility for medical
care for illegal aliens, the
Medicare legislation sends only $1
billion over four years to the
states for this care.
If the federal government continues
to abdicate its responsibility to
secure our borders, then it should
pay for the costs of its failure. By
not compensating the states, the
federal government is forcing
Sacramento, Tallahassee and other
state capitals to pay for
Washington's failure.
Why should taxpayers in the states
most affected by the federal
government's negligence -- Florida,
California, Texas, New York,
Arizona, Illinois, New Jersey and
North Carolina -- pay billions every
year for the federal government's
failure? Legislatures in the
affected states should pass
resolutions calling on their members
of Congress to pass legislation to
allow them to be fully compensated
for documented medical care for
illegal aliens. Their House
delegations would have enough votes
and influence to dramatically change
the debate about federal
responsibility for the borders.
If the Congress had to face up to
the costs of healthcare (and
education and prisons could easily
be added to this list) for illegal
aliens the pressure to control the
borders would increase
substantially.
The purpose of these resolutions
would be not only to recoup what has
already been spent by the states but
to force the federal government to
move forcefully on border control.
If Washington continues to shirk its
responsibility at the border, state
officials who represent the
taxpayers footing the bill should
force Washington to meet its
responsibility at the Treasury.
Newt Gingrich, a former speaker of
the U.S. House of Representatives,
founded the Center for Health
Transformation. David Merritt is a
project director at the CHT.
----------------------------------
RIGHT SOLUTION, FAIRus.org
Fight the Amnesty/Guestworker
Juggernaut
Urge your Elected Officials to
Oppose H.R. 2330/S.1033
It is now time to begin mobilizing
to defeat a nightmarish
amnesty/guestworker bill designed to
legalize virtually all 12 million
plus resident illegal aliens and
create a new open-ended
"guestworker" program that lets
"guests" stay permanently.
This bill, backed by cheap labor
interests and the open-borders
lobby, seeks to let big business
dictate immigration policy, while
hanging a "for sale"
sign on visas, green cards, and U.S.
citizenship. It has been introduced
in both bodies of Congress and has
significant support in the Senate.
If enacted, this would drive down
American wages and working
conditions, place an enormous strain
on our health care and educational
systems, and make immigration levels
completely unmanageable. Cheap labor
interests would win a free flow of
foreign indentured servants and
American taxpayers would be forced
to foot the bill.
ACTION NEEDED
1. FAX your Legislators. Click here
http://capwiz.com/fair/utr/1/OCFAESRFLY/DXXOESRGDP/
then type your zip code in the take
action box to send free,
pre-written, cosponsor-based
editable faxes and emails opposing
H.R. 2330/S.1033.
2. CALL your Legislators. Reiterate
your opposition and ask them to
comment on their position regarding
the bill. Call the Capitol
Switchboard
(Senate: 202-224-3121, House:
202-225-3121) or get direct numbers
from the elected officials
http://capwiz.com/fair/utr/1/OCFAESRFLY/GWXYESRGDQ/
section of our web site. See below
for some suggested arguments against
the bill.
***Tips on Being Effective -
Interested in learning more about
how to be effective when contacting
Congress? Check out the Capitol Hill
Basic
http://capwiz.com/fair/utr/1/OCFAESRFLY/LOORESRGDR/
section of our legislative action
center for advice on making phone
calls, sending letters, and
information on the legislative
process.
BILL DETAILS
This legislation is deceivingly
titled the Secure America and
Orderly Immigration Act. The Senate
version, S. 1033, was introduced on
May 12 by Sens. John McCain (R-AZ)
and Edward Kennedy (D-MA). Reps. Jim
Kolbe (R-AZ), Jeff Flake (R-AZ), and
Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) introduced the
House companion, H.R. 2330.
It would vastly liberalize our
immigration system by creating two
new guestworker visa categories: one
for currently resident illegal
aliens, another for future legal
participants. After a period of
indentured servitude, these
so-called "guestworkers" could buy
green cards and inevitably U.S.
citizenship.
H-5A Visas for New "Guestworkers:"
* A new H-5A visa program would be
established to provide 3 year work
visas to all foreign nationals
wishing to work in the U.S. for a
minimal fee of $500, provided they
find initial employment in the U.S.
in occupations other than those
considered agricultural or highly
skilled. These visas could be
renewed for an additional three
years, during which point the
applicant could apply for a green
card.
* H-5A visa holders would be
eligible for adjustment of status to
legal permanent resident immediately
through employer-based petitions,
or, after they have accumulated four
years of work within the United
States, through self-petition.
* The initial annual cap on this
category is set at 400,000 but is
designed to automatically increase
if that number is reached before the
end of the fiscal year. There is no
limit on how high the cap may be
raised over time.
H-5B Visas for Currently Resident
Illegal Aliens:
* A new H-5B visa program would be
established for nearly all 12
million plus currently resident
illegal aliens. Illegal aliens
working in the U.S. and their
spouses and children could buy a
three year visa for $1000, which
could be renewed for an additional
three years.
* After six years of work under the
H-5B program they could buy a
green card for an additional $1,000,
and eventually gain U.S.
citizenship.
* There is no cap on this visa
category, nor is there a cap on the
number of individuals that could
apply for legal permanent resident
status.
TALKING POINTS
Amnesty is Not the Solution:
* Amnesty (in any form) is not a
solution to the illegal immigration
problem. It certainly didn't work
when last tried in 1986. It sets a
dangerous precedent, encourages more
illegal immigration, and is a slap
in the face to people who wait in
line to come here legally.
* Even talking about amnesty
intensifies the problem by
encouraging
more illegal immigration, as
demonstrated by increased border
apprehensions immediately following
the president's announcement of his
amnesty/guestworker proposal.
* Not only is this an amnesty for
illegal aliens, it's an amnesty for
employers who illegally hire them.
It shield employers from civil or
criminal penalties related to
unlawfully employing illegal aliens.
Nothing in the bill prevents
employers from continuing to hire
illegal aliens.
There are No Jobs Americans Won't
Do:
* There are no jobs Americans won't
do, only wages and working
conditions that are below livable
standards.
* Flooding the labor market with
cheap foreign labor will further
depress wages and working conditions
not only in lower-skilled
occupations but, under this proposal
in occupations throughout our
economy.
* We have the most generous
immigration policy in the world,
taking in
nearly a million legal immigrants
each year. It's inconceivable to
argue that there aren't enough
workers here to fill labor needs.
American Taxpayers Pay the Price for
Cheap Labor:
* This is a win for cheap labor
interests and a loss for American
taxpayers forced to fund health
care, education, and other public
service costs incurred by illegal
aliens who would qualify for this
amnesty and "guestworkers" who never
have to go home.
The Real Solution:
* The real solution to the illegal
immigration problem is to remove
the job magnet by requiring
employers nationwide to participate
in the employment eligibility
verification system and enforcing
laws against employers who hire
illegal aliens.
* Please forward this message to
friends and email lists.
* Not on our action alert list?
Click here
http://capwiz.com/fair/utr/1/OCFAESRFLY/LTOSESRGDS/
to subscribe.
* For breaking immigration news,
visit the Stein Report
http://capwiz.com/fair/utr/1/OCFAESRFLY/JTTSESRGDT/
.
* Fax your legislators for free from
FAIR's Legislative Action Center
http://capwiz.com/fair/utr/1/OCFAESRFLY/HRRTESRGDU/
.
* Support our work
http://capwiz.com/fair/utr/1/OCFAESRFLY/BMQYESRGDV/
!
We depend on contributions from
people like you.
http://www.fairus.org/
http://capwiz.com/fair/utr/1/OCFAESRFLY/EWUEESRGDW/
(202) 328-7004
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mailing list)
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ILLEGAL Aliens, Borders, and MinuteMan Project
