There is some interesting dialogue here. Let me just add to it.
In respect to Social Security, if you hold a Green Card, work, contribute to social security, earn your 40 quarters, and then decide to leave the USA you will be entitled to receive social security benefits when eligible. The amount of your benefit will be determined by the number of quarters covered and income made during the covered period. For those interested this link will provide your information about tax and social security treaties the U.S. has with other countries: http://www.foreignborn.com/self-help/social_sec/8treaties.htm#table. Steph, Canada is one of the treaty countries.
Illegal aliens working in the U.S. must present a social security number at time of employment. Social Security deductions are made and paid to those accounts. If they are totally bogus accounts then it is a windfall (so to speak) for the government. If they use a valid SSN then the real owner of that number receives the relative social security credits.
Regarding the types of jobs illegal aliens take, I don’t totally buy the argument they take jobs Americans won’t work. This is only partially true. When I was a kid in high school farm labor was a big source, if not the primary source, of summer labor for my classmates. And dudes, I’m talking about thinning beets, hoeing cukes, pricking beans, etc, etc,. We worked in the same fields as entire families of workers from Mexico…I don’t know and won’t assume they were illegal aliens. If you were real lucky you landed a job in some kind of store or a bus boy. This was back before they had a grocery store every other block and several years before fast food joints populated the landscape. Today I am guessing that farm labor is performed almost exclusively by illegals. Why? American kids are working in the malls and Mickey D’s. You know, cool places. I don’t know how much longer that trend will continue, especially when many employers dick around with the number of hours they schedule people to work---just under the minimum to avoid paying them any benefits.
Two industries that attract more and more illegals are construction and meat packing. Seems to me it is more difficult to argue those types of jobs are not sought after by flag flying Americans.
I’m of the opinion that if living wages and benefits were paid there would be no shortage of legal workers. Don’t believe me? Take a look at sanitation workers, you know garbage men and sewer workers. My Gawd who would want to do that?!? A lot of those employees are laughing all the way to the bank.
Another important dimension to this issue, is what you, me, us are willing to pay for that bunch of grapes, flat of strawberries, pair of shoes, shirt, TV, T-Bone steak, etc. We want yesterday’s prices and are unwilling to pay workers today’s wages. No wonder so much production is moving off shore and some domestic industries are actively recruiting illegal aliens.
And just a note of caution regarding categorically categorizing all Hispanic illegals as Mexican. There is respectable flow of illegal immigrates from Central and South America. I also think the crime button is pushed way too often. Folks these people don’t want to attract attention to themselves. They want to remain invisible. Many of them just want to make their nut and go back HOME.
TomT, aliens have always been permitted to enlist in our armed forces. They have been restricted from being awarded any high level security clearances and only in recent years have been offered accelerated citizenship benefits in exchange for their service.
