Immigration Politics versus Reality
A bit ironic that Twin Cities media had, on April 30th, two disparate articles about immigrants.
One was about the growing opportunity/problem (depending on who you ask) of homeowners hiring day-labor immigrant workers. The article emphasizes the satisfaction enjoyed both by those hiring workers to move furniture and other one-time tasks, and by the workers themselves. Although many of those money-for-work exchanges may be illegal, they really represent near-ideal financial transactions, in which both sides benefit dramatically.
It's so simple... some people need work (not jobs - work) and some other people have work to be done that they either can't do, or can't do alone, or don't want to do. Once they have found each other, the transaction is simple... an offer is made, accepted, and the work gets done quickly. No contracts, no union restrictions, no regulations or licensing to be concerned with... and no taxes involved. From a libertarian viewpoint, it's a perfect economic transaction, with all involved parties happy as pigs in mud. No force, no fraud, no government (yes, that's redundant). Government doesn't like it; aside from not receiving taxes on the income received, the workers may well be illegal immigrants.
The other article is quite different, and much more typical of Minnesota... about the Grand Opening of the new monumental Neighborhood House (renamed the Paul and Sheila Wellstone Center for Community Building). Without belaboring the point... in Minnesota, you could rename a toxic dump for the Wellstones and contributions would flow from starstruck liberals and corporations who won't want to seem anti-Wellstone.
The grand new building houses services to help immigrants, and undoubtedly does some good work. I checked their charity rating, which has "3 stars" (5 being excellent). While Neighborhood House gets 72.1% of its money into programs rather than administrative expenses, 7 out of 10 charities manage to get 75% into programs. That makes Neighborhood House well below average.
The new 93,000 square-foot building, at a total cost of $25,470,000, came together with $5.47 million from the city, $5 million from the state, and a $10 million federal grant. A quick calculation reveals that 80% of the funding for this splendid new building came from taxpayers. All Americans paid some, Minnesotans paid more, and St. Paulites paid still more. Nobody asked us, or even informed us... they just took the money and gave it to someone else. That's not charity, it's theft. Some of those whose money went to this new "Taj Mahal" in miniature as described by St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman, are people who are opposed to immigration and would never voluntarily consent to the expenditure. Personally, I want open borders, but it was theft from me too... it wasn't voluntary support... they all did it behind our backs.
We should ALL be angry about the expenditure of our taxpayer dollars without our consent, but I want each of us to consider who the loss of those dollars will hurt most. The poorest of American citizens are those impacted most by taxes. Although they may not pay much in income taxes, the price of every product the poor purchase is increased by the multitude of taxes our government take and then give away. It is not unfair to state that every single government expenditure drives SOMEONE into bankruptsy or makes SOMEONE homeless. Every expenditure makes life a little harder for some individuals.
Programs such as those at the Paul and Sheila Wellstone Center for Community claim to help the poor, particularly immigrants. One might justifiably wonder how many of those people need such help simply because of the high taxes that make living poor so difficult. As a wise man said, "Government is great at breaking your leg and then handing you a crutch"... and expecting you to be thankful.
The $20,470,000 of taxpayer money that ended up going into the new "Taj Mahal" wasn't always $20 million. Government is notorious for wasteful, expensive administration. It's very likely that twice that amount, $40 million, got whittled down to the $20 million that got into the building fund for the center. Additionally, the $20 million received by the center was reduced by the 28% administrative expense the non-profit bears. That's another $5.5 million lost in administration.
Contrast the illegal transactions between homeowners and immigrant day-laborers: Absolutely no waste... no administration expense, no overhead, and no building. Every dollar paid by the buyer goes directly to the worker. Both are happy, because they got full value for what they gave to the transaction. Each is appreciative of the other, not because either of them got something for nothing, but because they BOTH got what they wanted and needed. They part, if not friends, at least friendlier than before they met. They have an increased appreciation for each other.
In the center, immigrants will receive services for which they give nothing in exchange. They receive something for nothing... nice for them, ugly for everyone else. They'll may thank the employees of the center, who are already being paid for their work. Government will get some credit, and the politicians involved will glady accept the undeserved praise. The millions of Americans whose unwilling taxes made it possible will be unrepresented... forcibly sacrificed in the name of helping immigrants.
Government-assisted programs for immigrants result in polarization between unwilling contributors and undeserving recipients. Such extravagant projects as the Paul and Sheila Wellstone Center for Community create and intensify conflict between working Americans and immigrants. People who could gain respect for each other through individual contact, voluntarily trading as equals, instead become resentful of each other. THAT is what government does best... divide and polarize.
One was about the growing opportunity/problem (depending on who you ask) of homeowners hiring day-labor immigrant workers. The article emphasizes the satisfaction enjoyed both by those hiring workers to move furniture and other one-time tasks, and by the workers themselves. Although many of those money-for-work exchanges may be illegal, they really represent near-ideal financial transactions, in which both sides benefit dramatically.
It's so simple... some people need work (not jobs - work) and some other people have work to be done that they either can't do, or can't do alone, or don't want to do. Once they have found each other, the transaction is simple... an offer is made, accepted, and the work gets done quickly. No contracts, no union restrictions, no regulations or licensing to be concerned with... and no taxes involved. From a libertarian viewpoint, it's a perfect economic transaction, with all involved parties happy as pigs in mud. No force, no fraud, no government (yes, that's redundant). Government doesn't like it; aside from not receiving taxes on the income received, the workers may well be illegal immigrants.
The other article is quite different, and much more typical of Minnesota... about the Grand Opening of the new monumental Neighborhood House (renamed the Paul and Sheila Wellstone Center for Community Building). Without belaboring the point... in Minnesota, you could rename a toxic dump for the Wellstones and contributions would flow from starstruck liberals and corporations who won't want to seem anti-Wellstone.
The grand new building houses services to help immigrants, and undoubtedly does some good work. I checked their charity rating, which has "3 stars" (5 being excellent). While Neighborhood House gets 72.1% of its money into programs rather than administrative expenses, 7 out of 10 charities manage to get 75% into programs. That makes Neighborhood House well below average.
The new 93,000 square-foot building, at a total cost of $25,470,000, came together with $5.47 million from the city, $5 million from the state, and a $10 million federal grant. A quick calculation reveals that 80% of the funding for this splendid new building came from taxpayers. All Americans paid some, Minnesotans paid more, and St. Paulites paid still more. Nobody asked us, or even informed us... they just took the money and gave it to someone else. That's not charity, it's theft. Some of those whose money went to this new "Taj Mahal" in miniature as described by St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman, are people who are opposed to immigration and would never voluntarily consent to the expenditure. Personally, I want open borders, but it was theft from me too... it wasn't voluntary support... they all did it behind our backs.
We should ALL be angry about the expenditure of our taxpayer dollars without our consent, but I want each of us to consider who the loss of those dollars will hurt most. The poorest of American citizens are those impacted most by taxes. Although they may not pay much in income taxes, the price of every product the poor purchase is increased by the multitude of taxes our government take and then give away. It is not unfair to state that every single government expenditure drives SOMEONE into bankruptsy or makes SOMEONE homeless. Every expenditure makes life a little harder for some individuals.
Programs such as those at the Paul and Sheila Wellstone Center for Community claim to help the poor, particularly immigrants. One might justifiably wonder how many of those people need such help simply because of the high taxes that make living poor so difficult. As a wise man said, "Government is great at breaking your leg and then handing you a crutch"... and expecting you to be thankful.
The $20,470,000 of taxpayer money that ended up going into the new "Taj Mahal" wasn't always $20 million. Government is notorious for wasteful, expensive administration. It's very likely that twice that amount, $40 million, got whittled down to the $20 million that got into the building fund for the center. Additionally, the $20 million received by the center was reduced by the 28% administrative expense the non-profit bears. That's another $5.5 million lost in administration.
Contrast the illegal transactions between homeowners and immigrant day-laborers: Absolutely no waste... no administration expense, no overhead, and no building. Every dollar paid by the buyer goes directly to the worker. Both are happy, because they got full value for what they gave to the transaction. Each is appreciative of the other, not because either of them got something for nothing, but because they BOTH got what they wanted and needed. They part, if not friends, at least friendlier than before they met. They have an increased appreciation for each other.
In the center, immigrants will receive services for which they give nothing in exchange. They receive something for nothing... nice for them, ugly for everyone else. They'll may thank the employees of the center, who are already being paid for their work. Government will get some credit, and the politicians involved will glady accept the undeserved praise. The millions of Americans whose unwilling taxes made it possible will be unrepresented... forcibly sacrificed in the name of helping immigrants.
Government-assisted programs for immigrants result in polarization between unwilling contributors and undeserving recipients. Such extravagant projects as the Paul and Sheila Wellstone Center for Community create and intensify conflict between working Americans and immigrants. People who could gain respect for each other through individual contact, voluntarily trading as equals, instead become resentful of each other. THAT is what government does best... divide and polarize.
posted by Robert Ronald Smith at 9:29 AM
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