ALL HAT, NO CATTLE
This famed adage
from Texas represents the streamlined analysis that an old-school Texan
might use to describe a newcomer who was felt to be full of hot air. We all
know people like this, all talk and full of self-congratulatory remarks,
proclamations of old and new successes and conquests. Yet many times behind
the grandeur lies the limp truth which reveals an entirely different story.
All hat and no cattle is how I would describe a just released report by
Carole Strayhorn, a top financial officer and Comptroller for Texas. She is
a stray horn all right, as her "report" announces that illegal immigrants
are a "boon" to the Texas economy, to the tune of $17 billion dollars. Of
course the political timing of this report is no surprise, what is a
surprise is that it is billed as the first comprehensive analysis by any
state financial officer. More surprising still, that it announces a finding
completely contrary to all previous reports, that all of Texas' 1.4 million
illegal immigrants are actually helping the Texas economy. The report,
naturally, is being hailed by immigrants' rights groups, and at first glance
it appears pretty convincing.
Then, you find out that Strayhorn just lost her quest for governor as an
independent, losing to Republican Gov. Rick Perry. Her report, of course,
will make Perry look bad, as well as all the other immigration reform
believers. Her report maintains that the illegals added $17.7 billion to the
gross state product in 2005 and resulted in $1.58 billion in revenues by
paying taxes, fees, and of course, lottery ticket sales. Again, sounds good,
and yet I don't understand how that many people injected into the work
force, not paying income tax but simply taxes we all pay on gas, cigarettes,
etc., could be ultimately beneficial. The Federation for American
Immigration Reform takes a completely different view. They maintain that
illegal immigration costs Texas $3.7 billion per year. Hmmm...how could two
studies produce such divergent results? Let's take a closer look.
Jack Martin, director for the federation points out that Strayhorn's report
does not account for the fact that the jobs held by illegals now, would be
held by someone else if they weren't here. That someone else would be a
citizen, paying the proper taxes, not some of them, and still contributing
to the economy in place of the illegal. Makes sense. Further still, and this
is interesting, Strayhorn's report does not factor in the cost of educating
the children of undocumented (illegal) parents. Huh? So now, the report has
holes, and not just little ones. The cost of educating this army of children
has got to be off the charts. To not factor that into what is presented as a
legitimate and thoughtful analysis seems.....suspicious.
So why can't anyone submit a report? If there are no particular guidelines,
maybe I'll submit a report. The entire immigration fiasco seems so simple to
me. America welcomes immigrants, as it always has. There is paperwork to do
on the way in. We need to know who you are and where you're coming from. You
need to become a legal citizen to stay. My grandparents, like all of us,
immigrated to the United States. My maternal side from Sicily, and paternal
side from Germany. They all arrived here through Ellis Island and I have
copies of their immigration and naturalization papers. It was not easy.
There was no guarantee you were staying. Any of a long list of problems
could send you back to your homeland before ever leaving Ellis Island. If
the government today cannot find a way to organize and stabilize the rampant
immigration here, then we need to stop it cold until we can. Simple. The
idea of a free nation, struggling with internal security issues, allowing
year after year this influx of strangers is truly beyond me.
What bothers me most about illegal immigration though, is the undeniable
inequity of it. It is not just unfair, it is obscenely unfair. To all the
people who endured the cost and frustration of coming here legally and
participating in our society 100%..not 30 or 40%, it is an insult. To the
legions of our servicemen and women who have died in countless places all
over the world, defending our way of life and the freedom we enjoy here, it
is an insult. To employers, like me, who hire help and pay Workman's Comp.
and Social Security and F.I.C.A. taxes on payroll, trying to compete with
businesses that hire "under-the-table" of the street corner, it is an
insult. To the children of American citizens who are trying to learn in our
schools and receive medical care in our over-burdened schools and hospitals,
it is an insult.
Finally, the cherry on top of this report, is the statement within it
announcing "calculating the impact of illegal immigrants is, at best, an
educated guess." From Carole's lips to God's ears. Or maybe, it's not even a
guess, but nothing more than an opposing view point meant to stem the rising
tide of frustration with illegal immigration. After all, Strayhorn admits
herself that is a difficult cost to calculate. Given that, perhaps we should
fall back on common sense, an overview, and decide without science whether
or not the current system is helping America. If so, I'll be looking for a
rebate on my income taxes for the last 30 years. Boy, with that money I
could.....go to another country.