Illegal Immigrants Benefit Social Security

Immigrant populations are drawn to urban areas like Trenton, but now we senior citizens may want to re-examine our thinking on the subject.

Last Thursday, March 10, Stephen Goss, Chief Actuary for the Social Security Administration, addressed the National Economics Club at the China Garden in Washington, DC. The audience of seasoned Washington insiders was surprised by Mr. Goss' case that illegal immigrants benefit our economy in general and Social Security in particular.

Everyone is concerned about Social Security. Whether you are one of the present beneficiaries,(with a benefit average of about a thousand dollars a month)or one of the baby boomers who will retire in the next decade(wondering if there will be enough left in the Social Security Trust Fund) everyone has a stake in the issue. Everyone except the working illegals. They pay in and account for almost ten percent of total payments each year, billions of the trillions that go in and out of the Treasury and Trust ledgers.

Mr. Goss pointed out that Social Security was a break even up to about 1983 when the birth rate of Americans dropped. From that point on, the number of persons working to support the per person benefit was no longer working. For the average $1000 monthly payment for a beneficiary it takes about 3 people to keep things even. There are fewer people in the work force now because the population is dropping, so there are only about 2 people to carry the load that was paid in by those three. This means that the trust makes up the difference.

The fact is that immigrants have more babies and are helping to bring the birth rate back up. They work and pay into the system and unless they become legal or report under legal names, their payments are straight income to the trust fund because they will not be able to claim benefits.

In those states where there are efforts to control or expel the immigrant population, it is perhaps short sided because they contribute to the economy in ways that have not been recognized. Not only are they producing income for the Social Security Trust Fund, not only are they unlikely to benefit from the system that helps retirees to survive in old age, they use and provide local services and products and enrich their communities.

There is a strong conservative push to tighten up immigration laws in this country. We lost a lot of our naivete after 9/11. The rest of the world does not automatically think we are the greatest thing since sliced bread. We must keep our borders secure in order to survive in this new age of terrorism and no one will dispute that.

That said however, we have to take a second look at the practical aspects of the contribution that these hard working determined people are making to our culture. Unless one is American Aborigine...one's ancestors came from another country.

Perhaps an amnesty compromise now would let us have our cake and eat it too.

People rock.

Trenton High School Rally

It should be interesting, especially if you have to go down Hamilton Avenue tomorrow morning and there is a good turnout for the "Repair the Roof Rally".

There is no question that the Trenton High School building is in need of repair. It is a fading reminder of the architects who designed for this capital city. Our city's legacy of late has not been able to honor and maintain edifices because city resources and residents have been depleted.

This brings us to tomorrow, when many concerned citizens are hoping to create a significant voice, to haul the Governor into line and come up with funding to save Trenton High.

I am of the opinion that this is not on his list of priorities. Save your breath. If funding to keep our firemen and police has been such a hassle and, is still not settled, we have to explore other options to get the job done.

Define the problem.

Is it the whole roof or only a part? Instead of going for the golden goose egg, how about breaking the problen into manageable parts? Instead of panhandling the governor, why not get together and, John Harmon, put your Chamber of Commerce on the job and get some volunteers!

Whoops. Silly me. Volunteer. Seems to be a foreign word. You know what I mean...not for pay, not for profit, just to get the job done.

In the Amish country, if a farmer's barn burns down, there is a barn raising and neighbors get together and build one in a day or weekend. The women feed and keep the workers fueled and they work til they can put a tree on the roof top for good luck.

Why don't you get some of Trenton's very independent and very qualified contractors together and just do this thing? If it works for Habitat for Humanity it should work for Trenton.

Trenton is worth it. Just maybe it could pull this community together.

Go John. Go Eric. Go everyone and lets get this g'dmn thing done.

Sticking your hand out for more funding is not going to fly with this bozo in the Statehouse.

Trenton rocks.