Illegal Immigration

Today I got a forward from a relative of mine. I believe this relative was well meaning, but there was such malice and fear behind the forward, I could not help but to respond. The forward read something like this:

You think the war in Iraq is to blame for our budget problems (and hence our economic problems)? No, it's the fault of illegal immigrants. We're spending billions of tax payer dollars on them. Here's a list of 14 items proving it. Contact your legislators so we can kick them out!

Now, I agree that there are a lot of problems with illegal immigration in this country, but my relative's forward did nothing but vilify the immigrants. So I responded with a list of my own. Here it is:

1. Calling people "illegal immigrants" hides their humanity. You forget they are also human beings, people like you and me. I am going to refer to them as people, not illegal immigrants.
   
2. We did have a push for immigration reform a few years back. Unfortunately many (but not all) Republicans blocked its passing.
3. A lot of people are leaving the horrible economic conditions in their home communities with the hope and promise that there are jobs here in America.
4. Many (not all) of these horrible economic conditions are caused by political instability and policies of globalization. It is now widely understood that much of the political instability in developing nations during the past century came from US government backing dictators and coups. (Read "Confessions of an Economic Hitman" or "Shock Doctrine" if you don't believe me)
   
5. These people would not have jobs here in America in the first place if legal Americans didn't hire them.
6. Legal Americans are hiring them because, as employers, they don't have to pay taxes on them (hence the tax burden gets shifted onto the rest of us - ie, the cause of some of those figures the forward lists).
7. To not vilify only the employers, I'd like to point out that many legal Americans would not WANT these jobs, working incredibly (and possibly illegally) long hours at pesticide laden fields, multinational big box warehouses, or in meat processing facilities.
8. Horrible, unsanitary and dangerous jobs like these would not exist at all if consumers cared about more than buying the cheapest item on the shelf. Think about that next time you bite into a beautiful, store-bought strawberry. Try to imagine who picked it.
   
9. Finally, as much as it sucks that our government spends a lot of money on illegal immigration, I would rather have my government spending money within the country to try and fix our internal problems, than spending it halfway across to world to kill people.

We are all connected in this globalized world. Think about the consequences of your actions and the consequences of your spending choices. And in the worlds on one wise man, "Cast not the first stone."

Tax Exempt

I've heard a lot of talk about how the Mormon Church, upon pumping millions of dollars into Proposition 8 should have its tax exempt status revoked. Personally, I don't see why ANY church should be tax-exempt. I can understand not getting taxed based on your income from tithes. These are essentially donations, and I think donations should be tax exempt. But people, churches don't have to pay taxes for ANYTHING. My big beef with this is with regard to cities. (Of course it is.)

Cities have a dwindling tax base. Yes, this is largely due to population loss from white flight. However, the number of tax-exempt buildings within most cities is ASTOUNDING. Here's a list off the top of my head of tax-exempt institutions:

• Universities
  
• Government Buildings
• Hospitals
• Churches

And you guessed it, a lot of these institutions are predominantly found in cities. Their concentration is especially high in older cities. And even higher in cities with poverty.

Now, universities are good things to have. Assuming there isn't a walled campus, universities have help cities out tremendously. They bring in young, creative people. They foster new ideas. They give a city a sense of place. Some people even seem to get excited about their athletic programs. Though their grounds are tax-exempt there is a lot of spin off value that is generated.

Government buildings are good to have in cities too. Being located in the urban core means more people have access to the building. Given that governments are technically about all people (not just the rich) this should be a deciding factor. However, it is tough on a city when the municipality hosts not just city hall, but also the county seat, various federal buildings and branches of state offices. Those buildings add up, however they create a stable base of employment which supports various weekday spin-off activities (like lunch spots).

Hospitals. These are definitely important to have in a highly accessible (ie, urban) environment. It doesn't help anyone if by the time they get to the hospital, they are dead. Also, like government buildings and universities, hospitals and generate spin-off income for cities. Bed and breakfasts for families staying near a loved one in the hospital. Restaurants for families. Near-by medical offices.

Now churches. What do churches provide? What do they generate for the civic good? (Note: I am not questioning their spiritual efficacy, but am keeping this to the material body) A single preacher / pastor does not generate much spin off income. One does not see businesses appearing around churches. In fact, in many urban communities, churches spring up everywhere. I know of some parts of my city where there are multiple churches on a block. Keep in mind this is a de-populating rust belt city. Do the few remaining residents really need that many churches? And what happens when the church closes?

In short, get those church off the tax extempt status. Make them pay property tax like any other corporate business. Oh wait.... corporate businesses don't pay taxes either.

Ugh, I'll have to save that for another post....