By Tommy Acosta: Without passing judgment on the attributes or alleged Draconian effects of Arizona’s SB1070 Immigration Bill, let us take a look at one consequence of illegal immigration people are overlooking.
One cannot effectively argue undocumented aliens in Arizona are not taking advantage of the system.
Their children are attending our schools. They are on Food Stamps. They are taking jobs away from American workers and they are not paying taxes.
Further, those committing crimes that are caught are taking up space in our jails, creating overcrowding and adding costs to taxpayers.
Understanding that costs incurred providing services to illegal aliens and their families can be astronomical, let’s take a look at the flip side of this.
This may sound like a digression and raise questions on what the following has to do with illegal immigration or SB1070, but there is a connection that will help enlighten those who are passionate about the issue.
The current wars on terror in the Mid-East are costing billions upon billions of dollars to wage. These are our tax dollars and some complain spending so much cash on wars that probably can never be won.
We can lament all day about the expense and argue if it is worth it or not but money is being spent nonetheless.
Ah! But where are the bucks going? Right back here to America of course!
Bombs, tanks, uniforms, body bags, you name it, like it or not these billions are finding their way into our economy.
This war cash is helping businesses prosper. People have jobs and are being paid. Those with jobs spend money on items and food and because of this money our economy is being kept from plunging into an abyss.
War is business and corporations are being kept alive by these billions spent on waging it. The money is not wasted. The real cost is measured in lives.
Now let’s look at how our financial support of illegal immigrants creates a similar boon.
First, those on Food Stamps spend millions in supermarkets. That is good for the economy.
Second, those with children in the school system help support the school district because every child registered brings additional cash into the district.
Third, workers who do not pay taxes have more money to spend on durable goods, cars, computers, etc. which they buy and pay taxes on the merchandise.
Fourth, those incarcerated bring federal money into the jail system, which is privatized across America. More guards are hired, more jails are built which aids the construction industry and everyone gets a little piece of the pie.
Criminal illegals raise crime rates necessitating the hiring of more police.
Same with building fences on the border. The fence construction creates jobs. Jobs provide money. Money is spent to support the economy.
Our taxes are paying for every benefit illegal aliens are getting even though the money they spend helps the economy — A real Catch-22 situation.
Then again, our taxes are paying for the profits war-related corporations are making even though young Americans are being killed in action daily.
It is a cold way of looking at things but it is reality no matter what opinion we may have about immigration reform, SB1070 or the war on terror.
Editor’s Note: The numerous responses below are mostly attributed to an article written by the editor on Yahoo news.
Click here to read it. Or visit http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/20100802/pl_ynews/ynews_pl3310
you are an idiot – how your newspaper is still going is amaing – i read an article by you on yahoo and thought that was bad this one is even more pathetic – you are probably upset because no one is buying your rag of a magazine due to your stupidity and the people you support can’t read English
I disagree with Mr. Acosta. I totally respect Arizona for trying to prevent illegal immigration. The Feds should be ashamed of what they are NOT doing. Personally I will visit Arizona more than I usually do. I am sure I will be visiting beautiful Sedona, again, before the year is over. All of the US is hurting because of the horrible economy. Hang in there, with the new law and once the economy picks up again Arizona and Sedona will be thriving.
I have never read such a bull(expletive edited), fear mongering article in my life. Blaming declining revenue on SB 1070 ignores the fact that tourism is off ACROSS the COUNTRY due to the general reluctance of the American people to travel given the state of their finances and the economy of the country which has NOTHING to do with SB1070. You also FAIL TO MENTION that the majority of Arizonans are IN FAVOR of SB 1070 by a wide majority.
That’s what I love about you liberal, gov’t tit sucking, socialist do-gooders. YOU NEVER TELL THE WHOLE STORY, just the parts that match up with your liberal, socialist agenda. In case you haven’t noticed the American people are FED UP with this bull(expletive edited). Watch what happens during the national elections in November. The American people will be sending you liberals a strong message about all of your bull(expletive edited) that will be unmistakable for even a tone deaf liberal to understand.
recently my wife and I along with two of our grandchildren took a vacation to Arizona.
starting our vacation at Tombstone while the Wyatt Earp days was going on we enjoyed that part.
Went on up to Tombstone– didn’t enjoy that too much as everywhere we stopped it seemed as if Spanish was the language of choice. (restaurants gas stations and the malls). didn’t stay around too long as we felt unwelcome.
We went to Sedona (beautiful place) just loved it. got some red dirt shirts stayed at a nice motel ate at two of the restaurants. Was accosted by spanish speaking people because we were driving slow & enjoying the view.
( young men and women with hats on sideways looking like gangbangers)
Do to the above fact we will not be going back to Sedona again.
If this is the kind of people that your city welcomes you will lose more tourists, and your economy will suffer more. long live sj1070
Gary Schultz
Sir you are full of it. Instead of moaning about a 10 Percent drop in tourism ext…….why aren’t your BACKING this bill to SAVE arizona and getting out there and inviting PEOPLE to come to Sedona. Of course your last name may have something to do with your point of view.
ILLEGAL IS ILLEGAL. IT IS A FELONY. It is also a felong to aid and abet illegals……….isn’t that what you are doing?
GET ON TRACK HERE……….. Arizona deserves better than your sniveling, whining, complaining.
Mr. Acosta – read your article against that SB 1070…
so you are Hispanic, so what…were you born in America?? then you are American…
my parents are immigrants, but they took the legal way to come to America, they respected the law & did not jump the fence…they have nothing to be afraid of…
you also have nothing to be afraid of, you are American…this is your country…you need to protect & defend it…the law needs to be respected & followed, & illegal immigrants should not be exploited either…
that is the fact…
have a good day, DS
Tommy Acosta…I don’t support the war but I know the war still isn’t costing us as much as the illegals and what do you think will happen in the future when they have a majority vote. When this happens you won’t be able to remember what American once was like. A good example of wages is when Metro center was built in 1973 construction wages were $20 an hour. Today wages in construction are $10 for those same jobs. Whatever you were being paid in 1973 would you work today at the same job for 50% less. Another job americans won’t do because illegals have made it into a non living wage. When all the construction jobs were lost in the last few years Arizona’s employment rate didn’t change at that time at all. That meant almost all construction jobs were held by illegals. Look at the huge taxes that were lost to the state, especially if you consider all the jobs they have taken over.
Clyde Cobb
You know this type of news making is what has got the newspapers and big news television barely attracting an audience. Most people don’t beleive that racial profiling is a problem or that SB1070 wil encourage it. You have to use common sense though, if our border isn’t secured FIRST, then piling on more laws that aren’t enforced aren’t going to solve it. Why isn’t the government cracking down on sanctuary cities? Could that draw illegals? How about all of the healthcare/education that I have to pay for? The menial jobs thay get won’t pay for any of their needs but the gov will coming running.
You are, simply put, a simple minded idiot. Nothing you wrote makes sense…but then you don’t mind that do you…to you the end justifies the means.
Unfortunately, there are too many other idiots out there who buy into your nonsense.
By the way…what recourse does an american citizen (or a state) have against the federal government if the federal government refuses to enforce its obligation to protect the citizens and states from invasion from foreign peoples? Why isn’t this question asked by the news media?
None. The Feds are controlled by the banks. The banks import the cheap labor. It’s simple economics.
My family and I are from Colorado and we strongly support Arizona’s SB1070. Due to the unfounded liberal media backlash, the federal lawsuit and ineffective boycotts, we decided to “buycott” your great state and spend our vacation there. We had a wonderful time visiting the Grand Canyon and spent several days in beautiful Sedona. If you are loosing tourism, I don’t believe it is due to the new law but rather the failed economic policies of Congress and the Obama administration. We will come back again. Go Arizona!
Tommy Acosta,
is the income from illegal immigrants the ONLY source of revenue for Sedona ?
We compete with Europe, China, South Korea and Japan and you want a few million dollars from cultural aliens who are breaking the law ?
Vincent Lalo
“A Line in the Sand: Confronting the Threat at the Southwest Border” (U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security, Subcommittee on Investigations, November, 2006)
“During 2005, Border Patrol apprehended approximately 1.2 million illegal aliens; of those 165,000 were from countries other than Mexico. Of the non-Mexican aliens, approximately 650 were from special interest countries.”
“A significant portion of illegal activity at the border relates to illegal drug smuggling. Below is a summary of FY 2005 Federal drug seizures, which shows a total of 1,129, 275 pounds of cocaine and 6,866,465 million pounds of marijuana.”
“Federal law enforcement estimates that 10 percent to 30 percent of illegal aliens are actually apprehended and 10 percent to 20 percent of drugs are seized. 2 Therefore, in 2005, as many as 4 to 10 million illegal aliens crossed into the United States; and as much as 5.6 to 11.2 million pounds of cocaine and 34.3 to 68.6 million pounds of marijuana entered the United States.”
“The number of aliens other than Mexican (“OTMs”) illegally crossing the border has grown at an alarming rate over the past several years. Based on U.S. Border Patrol statistics there were 30,147 OTMs apprehended in FY2003, 44,614 in FY2004, 165,178 in FY2005, and 108,025 in FY2006. Most entered along the U.S. Southwest border.”
Article TITLE: Yahoo Article From Sedona Times Editor.
Dear Mr. Acosta: Here is my position. You spoke of crime in the Latino community. Would these be crimes commited by illegals by chance? And by the way, saving America is priceless. What kind of American are you?
If the bill is fully implemented, you will have to be ‘extra careful’ not to run red lights or violate other traffic laws??? I ask you Sir, what kind of citizen are you? I spent a week on vacation in Sedona back in May. If SB1070 isn’t fully implemented, I won’t return and I will discourage others from visiting. How will that impact your local economy? KJL
Hi JKL:
I am a “Born Again American.” That means I am awake to the real threat to our country and the world.
Please share that with the “Tea Hivers.” I know who the real enemy is. It is not the illegals. Nor liberals. America’s real enemy are those who pray upon the ignorence of those, who just like you, are being led to the edge of the cliff, bleating. Wake up from your stupor and stop being used by those who rape you.
Tommy
Mr Acosta….I live in Sedona and what I learned from your article is nothing
but BS.Our economy here is booming.The new immigration law did not affect in any negative way our city.There are a lot of tourists who are coming here,just because of this new law.Fact,a lot of local businesses relay on Latinos labor,but you forgot to mention,that most of them are LEGAL immigrants.
Illegals are illegal and they should go back where they came from.
I am also glad to read that you as Latino, now choose to obey traffic law.
It would be safer for me to travel in Sedona.Way to go Sir.
If you choose to take your next vacation in Mexico,please leave your
american passport at home and see how many of your “latino” friends will come to your defence.
Important Points to Remember
Hispanic” does not refer to race; it defines a region of origin, not a person’s race.
The U.S. Census Bureau also concurs that Hispanic refers to region, not race, and uses the term to describe any person, regardless of race, creed, or color, whose origins are Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central or South American, or of some other Hispanic origin. In fact, areas conquered by the Spaniards were considered part of a region originally called Hispania.
The difference between Latino and Hispanic:
•Latino generally refers to countries (or cultures) that were once under Roman rule. This includes Italy, France, Spain, etc. Brazilians are considered to be Latino, but are not considered to be Hispanic.
•Hispanic describes cultures or countries that were once under Spanish rule (Mexico, Central America, and most South America where Spanish is the primary language).
In American-English, Latino has come to be equated with Hispanic and are often used interchangeably without offense. However:
•Latino: When referring to gender neutral, identifying both men and women, use Latino.
•Latina: When specifically referring to women, use Latina.
Phew, why all the anger and hostility? Are the editor’s comments a reflection of his own opinion or that of the Sedona Times? “She (he) doth protests too much” for what reason? How smart is it to use any publication for personal agendas if, in fact, that’s the case here? Sedona already has been enduring a similar annoyance for years from another local source. Don’t we deserve better? Apparently the Sedona Times doesn’t think so. This subject is a national issue which will be decided in Federal courts. Hasn’t this dispute in this small town surpassed the point of ad naseum?