The Unspoken Entitlement Program
Ask anyone to describe an entitlement program and you will most likely get an earful about people that don’t want to work, collecting benefits from programs paid for by the taxpayers. The term “entitlement” has a long held negative connotation and for good reason. The excessive abuse and expense of these programs are well documented, and we all know the disastrous impact of entitlements on the State budget.
When a person or business accepts benefits from the State at the expense of the tax payer, and generally without the tax payer’s consent, the long term results are always destructive. We Texans are entering an era where we will be forced to deal with the results of decades of socialized entitlement programs. Our state has become just like the rest. The number of entitlement recipients grows while the number of tax payers forced to pay for these entitlements shrinks.
It is clear that access to State funded entitlement programs has to be re-addressed and streamlined. This does not mean we should stop funding all of them altogether. I have never met a Texan that didn’t feel obligated to help those Texans that are truly needy, but I also have never met a Texan that wanted to provide welfare for any citizen capable of working. We all know life is not easy. Live long enough, and you will most likely experience hard times, but it is during those times we must rely on our families and friends to get through, not the tax payers. It is a disgrace to the great State of Texas to rely on programs designed for the weakest among us if you do not truly qualify.
But what about the unspoken entitlement program? The one that is generally not known to the tax payers or talked about publicly. You won't find it in the budget, yet is larger and more abused than all the state sponsored entitlement programs combined. I’m talking about the use of ILLEGAL aliens in the workforce by individuals and business owners at the expense of the citizens of Texas. This gigantic but never talked about program is filled with employers of all kinds. Participants can range from private individuals to owners of large corporations. What I want people to understand is this:
ANYONE HIRING ILLEGAL ALIENS IS PARTICIPATING IN THE DESTRUCTION OF TEXAS.
It has been my experience that people with no real experience in this area seem to think that hiring ILLEGAL aliens involves low pay and poor working conditions. Some even place it in the realm of slave labor. All I can say is that these perceptions are just not reality. What if I told you that in many cases, it is cheaper for an employer to hire an ILLEGAL alien for $20/Hr than it is to hire a legal citizen for $15? Yes, I said cheaper.
Generally the largest expense in business is payroll, and total payroll is almost all that is used by insurance companies to set premiums. The overall impact of general liability insurance, workers compensation insurance, social security, unemployment insurance, taxes, ect. adds approximately 55% of cost to the hourly rates paid to the employees.
Simply put, businesses or individuals can hire an ILLEGAL alien for $20/Hr in cash, and avoid paying a legal citizen $15/Hr, which in reality costs the business around $23.25/Hr. The added bonus to this arrangement is a significant reduction in overall insurance premiums due to the appearance of lower total payroll. You can probably guess that this is a sensitive subject to those that participate.
There are two common characteristics among the recipients of this “Employer Welfare”. They are: denial and hypocrisy. I have literally witnessed a worst case recipient leave their home with an ILLEGAL alien mowing the yard, stop by the local coffee shop, join in a discussion about the border and declare to those in attendance, “Something needs to be done about ILLEGAL immigration”, only to end up on a jobsite with a crew of ILLEGAL aliens shortly thereafter. Age, gender and race make no difference. Whether they are in a dress, blue jeans or a business suit; the participants are in every facet of the economy.
It is widely understood and accepted that the benefits of utilizing ILLEGAL aliens in the workforce are far outweighed by the overall cost to the tax payers. What does not seem to be understood is that the negative effect of ILLEGAL immigration is not always about money, it is also about the loss of the culture of Texas and the inability to perpetuate and protect our republican form of government. I have always felt there would come a day when the employers could no longer turn a blind eye to the problems they are creating. It would appear that day is upon us.
On more occasions than I care to remember, I have listened to men much older than me talk about their disgust over the government’s inability to stop ILLEGAL immigration, but when I asked if there should be serious legal consequences placed on those that hire them, most claim that it is the job of law enforcement, not theirs. When you remind them the number of people that hire ILLEGALS is many times larger than the number law enforcement officers, they have no answers. All will agree that something needs to be done, but most stop short of accepting their role in the problem.
That leads me to cover the main myth perpetrated by those that employ ILLEGAL aliens.
“They are only doing the jobs Americans won’t do.”
I completely understand the mentality. I happen to believe that the latest generation is largely lazier and feels even more entitled than the last. That said, I will still say that this myth is pure bovine dung. As I have gotten older I have changed my ideas on that statement significantly. Yes, I think our children are getting softer, but we are not helping future generations by continuing to undermine the rule of law and our economy. In fact, we are insuring the destruction of Texas and the ability of future generations to take care of this great State. It is because of this that I would like to see three things happen.
1. The Federal Government should DO ITS JOB AND SECURE THE BORDER.
When I say that, I mean shut it down - yesterday. We have over 60,000 members of the US Military in Germany that could be utilized on 12 hours shifts, just a few hundred feet apart, protecting Texas and America. They can do this all while spending their earnings here at home instead of abroad.
2. Restrict access to entitlements.
Texas needs to significantly raise requirements for access to State funded entitlements, and remove the reward system for people who are able to work but have chosen to be in the system instead. This would motivate many of these people to reenter the workforce.
3. Stop the “unspoken entitlement” for those that hire ILLEGAL aliens.
Employers must be held accountable for hiring ILLEGAL aliens. This practice is very destructive to Texas and employers must become proactive in the fight against ILLEGAL immigration or face severe punishment.
I firmly believe when entitlements are only accessible to those legal citizens that truly need it, and when individuals and businesses decide, either because of stiff legislation or personal choice, to stop hiring ILLEGAL aliens, the overall burden to the Texas tax payer in terms of education, healthcare and welfare will be reduced.
For over 30 years at one time or another, I have worked with, for, and employed ILLEGAL aliens. It is my opinion that the rich history and culture of Texas is being removed. I also believe we will follow the federal government into bankruptcy if those involved in this “unspoken entitlement” don't stop participating in the destruction of Texas and start helping to rebuild it.
This is just my opinion of course...
Posted on 11 Jun 2013, 14:32 - Category: ILLEGAL Immigration