Thread: Study makes case for illegal workers

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://money.aol.com/news/articles/jobs ... 3209990001
Study Makes Case for Illegal Workers
By SUZANNE GAMBOA,AP
Posted: 2008-04-24 20:43:50
WASHINGTON (April 24) - The government's plan to crack down on illegal workers could cost employers more than $1 billion a year and legal workers billions in lost wages, a study commissioned by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce says.
Those costs are enough to trigger a federal law that would require the Homeland Security Department to analyze more thoroughly the effect of its proposal, said Richard Belzer, a consultant hired by the chamber to do the study. It was made available to The Associated Press on Thursday.

The department's proposed "no match" rule would require employers to fire workers who can't resolve mismatches between their name and Social Security number. The chamber opposes the proposal.

Belzer's study will be among public comments submitted to the Homeland Security Department on the proposal. The department could adopt the proposal after reviewing the comments. The deadline for comments is Friday.

Social Security sends no-match letters to employers. They often occur because someone is working illegally, but a mismatch can also take place because of typos, misspellings and name changes, among other reasons.

The Homeland Security Department issued average costs for employers based on how many employees they have and what percent might be unauthorized workers. It determined there would not be a heavy cost to employers.

Belzer, a former economist with the Office of Management and Budget, looked at overall costs and multiplied the average costs by the number of employers in each category. He also used the Homeland Security's estimates that 2 percent of legal workers a year would lose their jobs because they can't resolve the Social Security mismatch.

That adds up to between 37,000 to 137,000 unable to get work. Belzer estimated their lost wages would be from $8 billion to $37 billion.

His cost estimates are based on the department's now -suspended plan to enforce the no-match rule after the government sent 140,000 employers no-match letters, each with about 10 or more names. A U.S. district judge blocked the plan last October after groups opposed to it sued. The department is appealing.

A law in place since 1981 requires agencies to do a comprehensive study of proposed regulations if the cost exceeds $100 million, said Belzer, an independent consultant.

"This is 10 times that," Belzer said. "They haven't done the level of analysis that for almost 30 years would be commonplace."

Russ Knocke, the department's spokesman, said while the he is "not shy to talk about the virtues of no-match, it's difficult to talk about something I have not seen."

OH PUHLEEAASE!!!!!! LEGAL WORKERS CAN ALL PROVE THEY ARE LEGAL. NO LEGAL WORKERS WILL LOSE THEIR JOBS.

Poll Results 1

How do you feel about employing illegal workers?

They shouldn't be employed 63% 7,525
They do jobs most Americans won't do anyway 24% 2,825
I have no problem with it 13% 1,615

Note on Poll Results
Total Votes: 11,965


Poll Results 2

Would you knowingly patronize a business that employed illegal workers?
No 61% 7,433
Yes 29% 3,506
I don't know 10% 1,154

Note on Poll Results
Total Votes: 12,093

Study Makes Case for Illegal Workers - AOL Money & Finance

The story is over on aol along with a poll asking should illegals work, and would you do business with a place that hired them.

Poll Results
How do you feel about employing illegal workers?
They shouldn't be employed 65% 9,931
They do jobs most Americans won't do anyway 23% 3,487
I have no problem with it 12% 1,942

Note on Poll Results
Total Votes: 15,360

63% would NOT do business with a company that hires illegals.

That adds up to between 37,000 to 137,000 unable to get work. Belzer estimated their lost wages would be from $8 billion to $37 billion.

Ya know, I don't care how much businesses who hire illegals would lose, they've made huge profits off the backs of American citizens and illegals for years, they can well afford it.

I suck at math, but how much money would each of 37,000 people make if the total was 8 million? That seems like an awful lot of money to me.

Either way, these costs pale in comparison to having to support the anchor babies of the illegal aliens, so I'm still in favor of deportation and no amnesty.