Amnesty not a solution | NewsOK.com.

POINT OF VIEW: Social Security, Medicare funding woes

Immigration — legal and illegal — works against repairing Social Security and Medicare.

Following the playbook of Rahm Emanuel, President Obama’s chief of staff, proponents of amnesty for illegal aliens are not letting any serious crisis go to waste.

Medicare and Social Security trustees recently announced the trust funds will be insolvent sooner than previously reported — by 2017 and 2037, respectively. In response, several proponents for illegal alien amnesty began beating the drum that amnesty was the solution for insolvency. In fact, amnesty would ultimately compound the problems.

Social Security and Medicare are structured like giant Ponzi schemes where today’s workers support today’s retirees.

In 1950, there were 16 workers paying taxes into the Social Security and Medicare systems for every retiree; in 2005, there were only three workers for every retiree. Instead of correcting the pyramid scheme nature of these programs, advocates of illegal immigrants as a cure are hoping we will just “kick the can” down the road. Ultimately this approach will fail for the same reason all pyramid schemes collapse. It is mathematically impossible for enough workers to enter the system to support retirees.

In truth, the only way to permanently fix Social Security and Medicare is to emphasize programs that would reduce U.S. population and encourage higher skill levels of U.S. citizens. In turn, through the dynamics of supply and demand, higher incomes would be generated. Programs could then be put in place to encourage additional savings to supplement lower payments under Social Security.

Alan Greenspan, a co-creator of the housing, asset and credit bubbles, indicated in 2009 that increasing immigration “would lower wage premiums of skilled over lesser skilled” workers. In other words, increasing immigration would decrease the income of a large part of the working class — Americans Greenspan calls the “privileged elite whose incomes are being supported at noncompetitively high rates by immigration quotas.”

An immigration advocate, Greenspan seems to believe the Social Security and Medicare funding problems can be repaired by lowering the average worker’s compensation.

A Heritage Foundation report concluded that taxpayers would be on the hook for more than $2.6 trillion for net retirement costs if amnesty were granted to 10 million adult illegal immigrants. (The actual number under an amnesty might be closer to 20 million per studies by Californians for Population Stabilization.)

With about 16 percent of American citizens either unemployed or working part time but looking for full-time positions, legalizing illegal aliens would put substantial additional burden on the various agencies and programs that are attempting to provide benefits to unemployed Americans.

Amnesty for illegal aliens and increased legal immigration would not solve Social Security and Medicare funding problems, but instead would result in lower wages, and strained agencies and programs that are attempting to provide for unemployed American workers. As well, Social Security and Medicare would have significant unfunded liabilities potentially greater than $2.6 trillion dollars.

Legalizing illegal aliens and increasing legal immigration clearly are ill-conceived ideas.

Fotopoulos is a senior writing fellow with Californians for Population Stabilization (capsweb.org).

Amnesty for illegal aliens and increased legal immigration would not solve Social Security and Medicare funding problems, but instead would result in lower wages.

Illegal Immigration from Mexico Hits Lowest Level in Decade – WSJ.com.

The recession in the US has impacted the flow of Mexican illegal immigration into the United States over the past year, but there is no evidence to suggest that the rate of return to Mexico by illegals living in the US has increased.

The current Mexican immigrant population in the United States is about 11.5 million, down from an estimated recent high of 12 million.

The trend should not be constrained to Mexican immigration alone.  Immigration flows across the globe have been affected by the global economic downturn.

Annual immigration to the US has ebbed and flowed through the years, with the most recent drop (by one third) occurring after the September 11th terrorist attacks.

Foreign investors love U.S. real estate – BusinessWeek.

With the weak US dollar, plummeting real estate prices, and continued investor confidence in the overall stability of the American property ownserhip system, foreign investors are flocking to buy cheap investments in the United States.  Recent news reports that the US is ranked #1 among countries with the “most stable and secure” real estate investment environments.

Ownership of real estate is just one of the many advantages of a life in the United States.  Foreign investors do not need to be legal permanent residents in the US in order to purchase land, homes, or other real estate, but for many who do want to enjoy their investments in person rather than from afar, they should consider the opportunity to obtain their legal permanent residence status through the annual Green Card Lottery program.

The United States of America, dubbed as the “Land of Opportunities,” is the dream destination for many people from all over the world. They come to America with the hope of finding a greener pasture, or to study, or to live a decent life. For this purpose, the U.S. State Department offers Lawful Permanent Residence (LPR), also known as the Green Card, to foreigners who wish to settle in America and become American Citizens.

In order to increase the diversity of immigrants entering the country, the Immigration Department organizes a Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, which is commonly known as the Green Card Lottery program. This Green Card Lottery Program is the U.S.A. government program through which foreign nationals are offered LPR if they win the Green Card Lottery. The State Department issues a maximum of 55,000 Green Card Lottery visas through this U.S.A. governmental program. More than 50,000 foreign nationals across six continents are selected randomly based on certain eligibility requirements and are offered a visa through the Green Card Lottery.

The winners of the Green Card Lottery are entitled to many Green Card Lottery benefits, which are almost equivalent to the benefits of an American citizen. The first among the various Green Card Lottery benefits is that the winner gets the legal right to stay in the United States of America. The next best thing about winning the Green Card Lottery is that the winner can file a petition for citizenship five years after getting the green card.

A Green Card holder can also bring his immediate family (his/her spouse and all unmarried children under the age of 21) into the country. The Green Card Lottery Program ensures that winners are given the right to work in any of the fifty states, and are not biased during the selection for a job. The only exception being, green card holders cannot apply for government or federal jobs, because they are open only to American citizens.

One of the most important Green Card Lottery benefits includes the right to ownership, which means a green card winner enjoys the right to own properties like housing, vehicles, etc. He/she also enjoys benefits with respect to education, that is, he/she can pursue his/her education in the United States of America just like any other American citizen. The most interesting of all Green Card Lottery benefits is that the winner gets to travel abroad and return to the country as a permanent resident of the United States.

In short, other than the right to vote and to apply for federal jobs, the Green Card Lottery winner can reap all the benefits that are almost the same as that of a U.S. citizen. These benefits make the Green Card Lottery Program very attractive among foreign nationals. Having said all that, winning the Green Card Lottery is not child’s play and has many complications. Every year many petitions get rejected, because of discrepancies in the application form and the information provided.

It is highly essential that your application forms are free from errors and all the documents are provided correctly. Even then, there are chances that you might miss out on some information, which might lead to the rejection of your petition. This is why you might want to consider seeking expert help, and USA Green Card is available to help you with your Green Card Lottery application. USA Green Card offers professional guidance to the applicants of the Green Card Lottery Program. Its staff ensures that your petition meets all the requirements of the U.S. Government, thus increasing your probability of winning the Green Card Lottery.

The Changing Face of Immigration to America – Yahoo! News.

New American Media recently conducted an investiagation to understand better who are the immigrants in America today.  U.S. Census data indicates that over 50% of immigrants to the U.S. are women and other surveys find that most immigrants live in families with children.

What some might find surprising is the power of American culture and its influence on the newcomer women. For example, 73 percent of immigrant women consider themselves more assertive in America than they had been in their home countries, and 33 percent of women immigrants consider themselves the head of their household, up from 18 percent in their home countries. Fifty-seven percent of these women also report that many of their responsibilities in the United States are handled by men in their home countries: 82 percent indicated that they share family financial decisions with their husbands or handle them by themselves, and 91 percent indicated a similarly proactive role in family planning.

This suggests that American culture is transforming female immigrants.  Over 90% of them say they wish to become U.S. citizens in order to secure the future of their families.

As legislators and politicians debate and wrangle on immigration reform–very likely later in 2009–they should keep in mind that immigrant women may, in fact, be some of their strongest allies.  They are motivated by their love of family to make America their home.

The U.S. military services sign up about 8,000 foreign nationals annually and about 29,000 non-citizens serve in the U.S. military today. Non-citizen service members normally possess a State Department-issued green card that authorizes them to live and work in the United States.

In December 2008, the United States Department of Defense launched a year-long program to recruit about 1,000 non-U.S. citizen health care workers and language and cultural specialists for service in America’s military. People sought for the program include doctors, nurses, other health care professionals and those proficient in certain foreign languages and associated cultures, according to a Department of Defense news release.

A spokesman for the Department of Defense noted that “there are tens of thousands of health professionals in the United States on a work visa who would be very interested in achieving green card status or, ultimately, citizenship.” The pilot program provides successful applicants with a way to accelerate achievement of U.S. citizenship if “they’re willing to serve in our time of need to fulfill a vital national interest.”

Applicants for the program must be legal aliens who have lived in the U.S. for at least two years and must undergo security screenings and satisfy the same high standards required for every other person entering the military today.

US-Cuba to talk about immigration | csmonitor.com.

The US and Cuba are scheduled to restart immigration talks for the first time since 2003.  President George W. Bush had suspended the previous talks.  The current Obama Administration hopes that Castro’s government  take further steps for political reform and respect for human rights before taking any further steps with the immigration issue and before possibly lifting the US economic embargo.

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New Curbs Set on Arrests of Illegal Immigrants – WSJ.com

On July 10 the Department of Homeland Security set new guidelines to reduce the ability of local law enforcement to arrest and screen suspected illegal immigrants.  The program, known as 287g, was meant to allow easier identification of aliens with criminal backgrounds, but its opponents insisted that it was being used for racial profiling instead.  In the past two years, over 120,000 suspected illegal immigrants were identified through 287g.

You have heard it so many times before: the United States is the country where people are free and dreams are fulfilled. You have further longed to be part of that world: a place where you can be independent, free, work, and pursue your desires. You seek happiness in a land that promises to allow you to achieve all you have ever dreamed. Now, you are considering Visa Lottery opportunities as a way to get through US immigration and into the states. And why not? Green Card Lottery opportunities, while certainly limited, are a legal and fast way to get into the United States and begin your life anew.

If you are looking to transform your dream about living in America into reality, you will need to know all the ins and outs of the US Visa Lottery process. You will also have to manage each part of the process carefully. Once you master the regulations, you will be able to work around the red tape that keeps your dreams of being in America at a distance. Further, knowledge is power: the more you know about the DV Lottery process, the better off you will be: you will be able to identify any issues that may disqualify you and hopefully find a resolution to such difficulties.

If you are planning to get in on the US Diversity Visa Lottery opportunities in the future, you will need to begin preparing yourself for the process. The number of applications is on the rise but there has been no rise in the number of Green Card Lottery applications that are being accepted. Currently, only 50,000 of all applications are accepted and processed every year; that’s a miniscule figure compared to the number of applications sent into US immigration.

Be prepared to fill out a detailed application. You will need to provide the US Department of Immigration with all the information that is requested, including your educational background, your work background, and your marital status. You will also have to supply an appropriate photograph with your Visa Lottery application.

The US Immigration Department has made the application process somewhat simpler by providing people with a way to fill out an application electronically. Nevertheless, if requirements are not met, filling out the application will be to no avail. Many, many applications are disregarded, simply because they have not been filled out appropriately. Don’t let this happen to you: if you meet regional eligibility requirements and you do not live in an area that restricts your participation, you can then move on to the difficult step of filling out your application. Professional assistance, like the assistance offered by USA Green Card is advised in this regard: to be disqualified simply because your application was inadequately handled can be a heartbreaking experience. Indeed, America is the land of great opportunities: the DV Lottery is one way of getting access to such opportunities. Still, if the applicant is not completely careful with their application and photo submission, a great opportunity may slip right through their fingers.

Are you ready to take the first step and realize your American dream? Register today!