Subsidies

The Heritage Foundation has claimed that the average annual benefits paid to Illegal-Alien Headed Families is $24,721. Wretchard asks the right question which is, "Isn't this a subsidy to employers who can hire for less because the govt pays more?"

It sure is.
It used to be the case that the Forsyth County Sheriff's Department paid such low wages that deputies were eligible for food stamps, Medicaid, and all sorts of other assistance from the state and Federal governments. The county commission argued that they were being good stewards of our tax dollars by getting a great deal on law enforcement paychecks.

In a way that was true: they had hit upon a successful scheme to push part of the cost of employing a deputy off onto taxpayers from outside the county (indeed, from across the entire nation). However, it was never clear to me why anyone in Oregon (say) should help pay the freight for local law enforcement from which they obtained no benefit whatsoever.
What's the benefit that we taxpayers obtain from high levels of illegal immigration? I know what benefit the corporations obtain, and what benefit the Democratic Party expects. But what's in it for us who are paying for it?

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

...What's the benefit that we taxpayers obtain from high levels of illegal immigration? I know what benefit the corporations obtain, and what benefit the Democratic Party expects. But what's in it for us who are paying for it?...

Grim, I don't see a benefit. Just another BOHICA gift from the "Cloud Party"
http://dad29.blogspot.com/2017/02/the-war-in-america-part-two.html

Taxes are too damn high anyway you look at it.
Screw em.

-Mississippi


Texan99 said...

It's an idea that won't die, but it depends on the assumption that the employer owes it to society to hire a worker so the government no longer has to support him.

Tom said...

That would be a good number for our previous discussion on the benefits of immigration. The studies cited gave the benefits, but not the costs. There you go.

Grim said...

I don't care if the employer employs anyone or not, and don't mean to imply a duty to do so. However, it is also true that if you're getting $24,000 in Federal benefits, you can afford to take a lot less.

So, if we're going to float people $24,000 a year in benefits so they can afford to work cheap -- well, why not our own people? What's the benefit to me as a taxpayer of paying welfare to the poor out of work guy, plus welfare to the illegal alien? If the answer is, "Democratic Presidents for ever and ever, amen," then I'm not sure I'm being well-served in this transaction.

Assistant Village Idiot said...

If I've got to cough up that dough, I would greatly prefer to do that for citizens.

douglas said...

Devil's advocate- I suppose their response would be lower prices on products and services. Now how they would try to convince us that it works out as a net benefit after considering costs, I have no idea. Perhaps by arguing that the Rich pay an vastly inordinate share of taxes so it hits the people who can 'afford' it most, and benefits them least (as they presumably could afford higher prices without much pain).

Grim said...

Doesn't that argument apply just as well to subsidizing Americans? Only then there's, say, half as many families to subsidize?

Ymar Sakar said...

The sole benefit to paying taxes is in obeying your earthly king and not being put into jail. That should be benefit enough for anyone, even democracies.