Home of Today's Common Sense

Published Brownsville Herald 12/7/2003
I recently looked at some of the new 401K investment reports and was happy to note that the values had returned to previous levels. That means for many of my age group (The Baby Boomers) that had been delaying retirement, will be able to retire soon. That also means that many employers will be looking for a lot of new people to fill those positions. That also means that the increased numbers of us “Seasoned Citizens” will be demanding more and different services and products as we enjoy our golden years.

In the area of replacing retiring workers the ranks of government workers, school systems, health facilities, and others where large numbers of the 50+ something folks are employed in large numbers will be especially needy as technology, engineering and other higher paying occupations are attracting the young today.
Where will the people come from to satisfy the needs? The traditional sources are from immigration and currently it doesn’t appear that there is a rational plan to protect our borders from the bad guys nor to allow for the importing of good folks to supply our needs. Everyone has some problem or other with every proposal on the table.
A big stumbling block is that those who try to obey the law do not want to see people rewarded for coming to the United States illegally. There is also the issue of immigrants legal or not draining public resources.
I would like to suggest that a temporary resident status be established that can be petitioned for whether the person is in the U.S. illegally or not and the information provided by the petitioner can not be used for deportation. All new immigrants would initially be temporary residents. The basis for approval will be suitability for employment by the sponsor (to include the absence of a serious criminal record and any national security concerns) and the continued employment of the applicant for 3 years. Sponsors would be responsible for reimbursement of any public expenditures in behalf of the temporary residents they employ and their accompanying dependants. The temporary resident would be able earn and qualify for benefits he contributes to, such as social security and unemployment insurance. (Historically, immigration law required that those who sponsor the immigration of an individual, guarantee that they would reimburse the government for public costs. That may still be the case but not enforced.) The petitioner could remain a temporary resident for as long as there is employment. After 3 years the temporary resident could apply for permanent residence, which would obligate the immigrant to prepare for and apply for U.S. citizenship within 5 years or be returned to temporary resident status. Permanent residents would also be eligible for any of the public benefits available in addition to social security benefits etc.
This would also result in a stronger social security system due to the continued increase of new contributors.
I think a plan like this would satisfy most objections I have heard.