Nearing the Edge

        Mike Scruggs

        The reason I frequently write on immigration issues is that just one more moderate amnesty could push the U.S. over the political edge to Permanent Democratic Party dominance. The amnesty itself could push the Federal Government and many state and local governments over a fiscal edge leading to serious currency devaluation and major long-term damage to the economy.

        If you want to know what immigration-driven fiscal disaster and increasing Democratic Party dominance look like in its first decades, just take a look at California, a state where Ronald Reagan was twice elected Governor. The once Golden State is already a fiscal basket case and headed toward being a Federal bailout burden. The state has 2.7 million illegal immigrants, 7.2 percent of the population, costing the taxpayers $21.8 billion per year, $2,438 per native household.  In February of this year, once prosperous California had the fourth highest unemployment rate in the nation, 8.0 percent. California Democratic legislators continue their radical path to calamity.

        President Obama, marching to the same radical beat, has already given 500,000 amnesties without consulting or being interfered with by Congress.

        One extremely important thing that voters, the media, and elected officials at every level should know is that if the U.S. gives another amnesty, it will almost certainly result in a powerful snowballing effect.

        The 1986 Amnesty was supposed to legalize about 1.0 million unlawful immigrants, and it turned out to be almost 3.0 million

        That was followed by six smaller amnesties giving a total of 3.0 million additional individual amnesties, for a grand total of 6.0 million.

        Amnesties always encourage more illegal immigration. The 1986 Amnesty is estimated to have attracted two to three additional illegal immigrants over the subsequent ten to twenty years for every unlawful immigrant originally legalized.  Giving 3.0 million amnesties in 1986 resulted in another 6.0 to 9.0 million illegal immigrants by 2006. The subsequent six smaller amnesties have undoubtedly helped to get us to the estimated 12.0 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. now. Some think the number may be as high as 20.0 million. Although internal enforcement of immigration laws has become negligible, not many illegal immigrants admit to being illegal on survey forms. However, the idea that they must “hide in the shadows” is laughable.

        Continued failure to enforce our immigration laws at the borders and especially at the employer level has pushed the U.S. to the edge of a political cliff, at the bottom of which lies fiscal, monetary, and economic disaster. Just as grievous will be the surrender of our national security and sovereignty and permanent loss of political control to an increasingly radical, socialist, and totalitarian Democratic Party.

        Amnesties beget more amnesties and more illegal immigrants in a powerful multiplier effect. This multiplier effect will be even more powerful with Barack Obama as President. He has already given 500,000 amnesties without much Congressional resistance. Any amnesty under Obama means that any enforcement provisions of such legislation will be ignored; just as current immigration enforcement laws have been ignored for years. Obama, however, has escalated the lawlessness of the Federal government to levels of breathtaking arrogance. Whatever criteria are set for any new amnesty in regard to age or circumstance are likely to be meaningless. From 25 to 30 percent of 1986 amnesties were granted on fraudulent documentation. Even now 75 percent of illegal immigrant workers are guilty of social security fraud or identity theft. The rest may work “off the books” suggesting other violations of U. S. law including tax evasion and tax fraud.

        Few who apply for any amnesty under Obama will be turned down. It is much more likely that amnesty applications will be encouraged and processed with the objective of maximizing political benefits to Obama, the Democratic Party, and cheap labor profits for those who have little concern about the consequences for American workers, taxpayers, traditional values, or Constitutional government.

        Reviewing the data from the Heritage Foundation’s recent study of illegal immigration and amnesty, we can see the combined damage of irresponsible welfare policies and corrupt and politicized immigration policies.

        Annual Taxes less Benefits Deficit per household

        All U.S. residents          $ 1,158 deficit

        U.S native born               $    310 deficit

        Lawful immigrants                         $  4,344 deficit

        Illegal immigrants                          $14,387 deficit

        Amnestied illegal immigrants      $18,980 deficit

        A large part of this problem is due to the low education level and low earning power of recent illegal immigrants. Legalizing unlawful immigrants increases per household costs due to more benefits and minimal tax rates and revenue at lower income levels.

        The bottom line here is that illegal immigration is terribly expensive and increases by about 32 percent with amnesty, further endangering the fiscal viability of U.S. Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare. Note also that legal entry of cheap unskilled labor is also a significant fiscal burden.

        The so-called “children’s amnesty” would not only be loosely policed, but the 1965 immigration law gives a priority to extended family. The newly legalized “children” would then have priority opportunities to legalize their illegal parents. It would therefore be a sufficient instrument for snowballing a politically decisive change in the electorate.

        There are 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives. There are 199 Democrats, 233 Republicans. and three vacancies. The Republican House leadership including Speaker Boehner, Majority Leader Cantor, Judicial Chairman Goodlatte, and Budget Chairman Paul Ryan want an amnesty deal with Democrat leader Pelosi, even though a substantial majority of House Republicans are against it. However, it would not take many Republicans aligning for amnesty to reach a 218 majority. There may be as many as 30 that can be persuaded to amnesty. As few as 19 could start the amnesty snowball rolling off the cliff to political, fiscal, monetary, and economic calamity and social chaos. We are nearing the edge of foolish national catastrophe.

        "What's the spring-breathing jasmine and rose?
        What's the summer with all its gay train,
        Or the splendour of autumn to those,
        Who've bartered their freedom for gain?"

--From A Scottish protest song, author unknown, circa 1707, protesting the betrayal of key members of the Scottish  Parliament in passing the Act of Union, uniting Scotland with England to become part of the United kingdom of Great Britain.