Juke, if you are really interested in the numbers. Amnesty will cost us over $6 trillion. That include taxes paid by the newly legal. It is a long and in depth report.
http://thf_media.s3.amazonaws.com/2013/pdf/sr133.pdf
Yeah, I saw an article talking about this yesterday.
Some interesting/disturbing items in there:
The governmental system is highly redistributive. Well-educated households tend to be net tax contributors: The taxes they pay exceed the direct and means tested benefits, education, and population-based services they receive. For example, in 2010, in the whole U.S. population, households with college-educated heads, on average, received $24,839 in government benefits while paying $54,089 in taxes. The average college-educated household thus generated a fiscal surplus of $29,250 that government used to finance benefits for other households.
Many conservatives believe that if an individual has a job and works hard, he will inevitably be a net tax contributor (paying more in taxes than he takes in benefits). In our society, this has not been true for a very long time. Similarly, many believe that unlawful immigrants work more than other groups. This is also not true. The employment rate for non-elderly adult unlawful immigrants is about the same as it is for the general population.
In 2010, there were 120.2 million households in the U.S.(This figure includes both multiperson families and single persons living alone.) The average cost of government spending thus amounted to $44,932 per household across the U.S.population.
The $5.4 trillion in government expenditure is not free; it must be paid for by taxing or borrowing economic resources from Americans or by borrowing from abroad. In FY 2010, federal taxes amounted to $2.12 trillion. State and local taxes and related revenues amounted to $1.98 trillion. Together, federal, state, and local taxes amounted to $4.11 trillion. Taxes and related revenues came to 75 percent of
the $5.4 trillion in expenditures. The gap between taxes and spending was financed by government
borrowing.
The portion about expenditures on direct benefits ($1.33 trillion in 2010), means tested benefits ($758 billion), population based services ($871 billion) and Interest and Other Financial Obligations Relating to Past Government Activities ($533 billion) was interesting.
Table 5 shows government benefits received and taxes paid by the average household in the whole
U.S. population. In FY 2010, the average household received a total of $31,584 in government direct benefits,means-tested benefits, education, and population-based services. The household paid $30,426 in federal, state, and local taxes. Since the benefits received exceeded taxes paid, the average household had a fiscal deficit of $1,158 that had to be financed by government borrowing.
So, that means that for all government spending (including benefits), the average household cost was $44,932. The benefits portion of that is $31,584 while the average household only paid $30,426 in federal, state, and local taxes. So, the government is running at a deficit of $14K per household. Interesting seeing that broken down by household.
If you break it down by household, the portion of that that is what is typically considered welfare (means tested - food stamps, public housing, WIC, Medicaid, etc) would be $6,944. The only benefits that are lower are educational benefits and interest and other spending due to past government services. Largest is, by far, direct benefits (Social Security and Medicare). The one that is scary is interest and other spending due to past government services since that is basically interest on what the government borrows and pensions to government employees.
Thanks, JBond. I haven't gotten all the way through it yet, but tons of good data. Definitely points towards amnesty not being a very feasible option (although I saw other economists came out and disputed the report). Eye opening how much of a deficit each household runs and how much of that is what we think of as "welfare". Really need to cut down SS and Medicare costs (among other things).
The generation retiring now better enjoy it. They'll get their retirement (pensions, SS, Medicare) while this generation pays for it and, in my opinion, is unlikely to ever see those types of benefits. Just seems unsustainable.
