This guy needs some letters in reply. If you have time, here is the address:

Heard enough about illegal immigrant issue
Written by Charles Goodaker

Dear editor, Okay, I’ve heard enough about the illegal issue. I can’t believe the ignorance, naivety, and hypocrisy of so many people on this issue. Many people argue that the “illegals” are a burden, they don’t pay taxes, they are “criminals”, and many other slanderous and borderline racist comments. I want to take a few minutes of your time and ask you to think about a couple of things.

First, what if you or your family lived in a part of this world that was so poor that you could only eat rice and beans for your meals? What if your insect ridden home, if you had one, consisted of four dilapidated walls, a warped worn out floor, a leaky roof, and no HVAC? What if the water you drank was so contaminated that you had to endanger your life just to quench your thirst? What if, when you could actually find some work, you had to work 12 hours a day doing back-breaking manual labor and your pay was merely $10 per day? What if, when you or your children were sick, you had to “tough it out” because you could not afford medicine? What would you do??? What would you risk to have a better life?

Second, the issue about “illegals” coming to the United States so they can live tax free is just ludicrous. They are trying to survive, not get out of paying taxes. Furthermore, THEY DO PAY TAXES!! Let’s take for example a legal person who makes $8.60 per hour and about $330 per week. Out of her paycheck she pays $11 in federal income withholding, $12 to the state, and about $25 to Social Security and Medicare. This leaves her with about $282 dollars to buy food and pay bills. Most of what she spends will again be taxed via a sales tax. At the 2% to 6% tax rate, she’ll pay about $11 in sales taxes. This gives us a grand total of about $60 per week in taxes. However, because she is a citizen, makes very little money, and has a family, she’ll get most of her federal and state income taxes refunded. So let’s say in the end she actually contributes $3 to the feds, $3 to the state, $25 in SS/ MC, and $11 in sales taxes. Her new total is $42 per week.

Now let’s look at a typical illegal alien. They generally make less because they are often paid in cash. Let’s assume that person makes $7 per hour or $266 per week. They still have to have food, shelter and pay bills. That person first pays rent because they can’t own a home. And, although our other person may also pay rent, the illegal person pays rent in an otherwise empty space or undeveloped piece of property resulting in additional property tax revenue and heavily taxed rental income to the landlord. Let’s say that the rent generates $100 per month in taxable income to the landlord. This would result in tax revenue of about $30 per month ($7.50 per week). That same illegal alien also pays sales taxes on everything they buy. Using the $11 per week sales tax number, that person’s overall contribution to the tax revenue system is about $18.50 per week.

You might be tempted to say AH HA!! The illegal person pays $23.50 less than the citizen ($42-$18.50). But, the illegal person doesn’t pay into Social Security/ Medicare, and rightfully so, as they are not entitled to that money and wouldn’t be using it. So, if they aren’t entitled to the benefits of Social Security/ Medicare then it’s not correct to use that figure for comparison. This leaves a shocking truth. The illegal is paying at the minimum an equal share of taxes, but possibly more. Many illegal people use counterfeit Social Security cards and tax IDs just to get jobs (Criminal, yes, but again, it’s survival). This results in huge 100% profitable tax revenues to both the state and the federal government. Why, because they are paying into the Social Security/Medicare and income tax systems with a fake number. This means no Social Security/ Medicare withdrawals and no tax refunds because no tax return gets filed.

It goes on here…[really]