Corporate welfare
While our tax dollars support illegal immigrants in their health, education and welfare, let us not forget who benefits from these workers. The companies who hire illegal workers benefit.
Isn’t our tax support of aliens a form of “corporate welfare” then?
What policies would support these companies in the hiring of citizen workers instead?
Rowena Collins, Colorado Springs
When I have read articles about the new immigration policy, I see mention of new penalties for those who hire illegals, but have yet to see ANY article flesh that out as completely as the coverage of what will happen to the illegals. I want to remind everyone that the year the feds almost broke their arms patting themselves on the back for hitting WalMart with the largest fine ever for hiring illegals, which was $11 million, WalMart made $285 BILLION, which is less than .03% (3 HUNDREDTHS of 1%). To put that fine in perspective, exactly how much of a deterrent would a fine of 1 cent per mile over the posted speed limit (or even one dollar per mile over the limit) discourage speeding?
Unless the fines for hiring illegals - or doing business with subcontractors who hire them - hits a corporation's (or individual's) bottom line, the employers will continue to hire illegals at the expense of hiring legal immigrants and citizens. My suggestion is to fine at the rate of 5% of gross profit for the first offense, 10% of gross profit for the second, and 10% of gross profit + mandatory jail time for the CEO & board for additional offenses. In addition, those corporations who have been found guilty of hiring illegals should be banned from government contracts at any level (local, state or federal) for at least one year for the first offense, and lose any existing contracts as soon as a replacement can be found.
Unless it becomes cost INEFFECTIVE to hire illegals, corporation & inidividuals will hire them.
Posted by Mary on May 31, 2007 06:52 AMmary your reference to wal mart is so lame. the company that wal mart used for cleaning their stores had illigals but no money so they went after the deep pockets and also a compant that the dems hate becasue it is not unionized. What about target, k mart, all the construction companies?
talk to your dem friends about already saying the fines illigals would have to pay is a hardship on them and should be waved
Provide for the homeless and the homeless will come. This brings to mind Prez. Reagan who solved the immigration problem with amnesty; amnesty became the incentive for more to come; they come; they bring with them MDRTB (Peter Boyles this morning):
Medical Drug Resistant TB is rampant in Calif. brought by illegal immigrants mostly from Mexico and the Philippines. The 1984 Federal Law mandates no hospital shall turn away anyone within its borders.
It costs between $200,000 and 2$million to treat one afflicted with tuberculosis of the resistant strain. It is not the homeless, the incarcerated or those on drugs who are afflicted; it is the illegal immigrants who, as opposed to legal immigrants that must submit to a TB test and other medical, that are afflicted. Amnesty is extended to the illegal immigrant without the medical testing required of legal immigrants.
Bush, because of the rat in his pocket, says: "It is hard work; we can do it," and his audience of die-hards applaud even though they don't claim to be part of Bush's "we."
"Bring 'em on," says Bush, to the illegal immigrants and the trucks convey soon to invade America from Mexico called a "rolling torpedo" by a democrat.
"The worst of the worst:" That is Bush 2.
Mary likes to talk about the fine that Wal*Mart received and how big that company is.
Here is the REAL story behind it. Wal*Mart had contracted a janitorial service that hired the illegal workers, not Wal*Mart corporate. For contracting with the janitorial service, Wal*Mart settled for $11M. This was not a criminal case, and Wal*Mart was not charged. Read the story for yourself: http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/retail/2005-03-18-wal-mart-immigrants_x.htm
Those contractors accounted for 245 illegals of which Wal*Mart paid $11M. That is basically a "fine" of $44,895.96 per illegal. That is a substantial fine, considering the Federal Fine for hiring an undocumented worker is $100.00
Just for full disclosure.
Posted by Dan2 on May 31, 2007 11:30 AMRoss for Less hires illegals and illegal janitorial Service. The can't help a customer as they can't speak ENGLISH.
Posted by A on June 2, 2007 09:07 PM