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Editorial See other Editorial Articles Title: Illegals get tax credits; Americans pay the bill The United States is going broke every second of the day, with the national debt now hitting $16.2 trillion annually and no real government plan in place to stop the runaway train. That's right. Despite all the huffing and puffing about the deficit, there is no long-term plan to cut the deficit. Congress' Super Deficit Reduction Committee failed in its task in November to arrive at a consensus, forcing a string of automatic cuts to go into motion, including major reductions to military spending during the next decade. It was stupid. Yes, billions of dollars in military spending is on the chopping block yet no one knows where the cuts will be made and what impact they will have on national security. Is this any way to run a first-rate country? Now comes another character test of America's political clan in Washington. What to do about the tens of thousands of illegal immigrants who receive annual child tax credits that average $1,800 per family. Republicans, and a growing number of Democrats, want to shut off the illegal spigot to "save" an estimated $10 billion during the next decade. Now faced with these choices -- keeping existing benefits in place for military retirees and returning soldiers from the Afghanistan and Iraq wars or cutting those programs, or giving illegal handouts to illegal immigrants who don't even pay income taxes -- what would you do as a member of Congress? It should be a no-brainer, right? Wipe out the shenanigans and give U.S. But liberal groups that favor Democrats are turning up the pressure. They are demonizing Republicans as meanspirited and threatening Democrats with a primary fight if they don't buckle under. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says the GOP-sponsored proposal unfairly targets the children of poor Hispanic workers. Most of the children, says Reid, were born here and are U.S. citizens. Did Reid ever suspect that's why the parents came here in the first place? To violate our immigration laws, have a child on U.S. soil, and live in limbo while getting every federal benefit they can get their hands on. Stopping the federal gravy train in its tracks is long overdue, especially when Reid's leadership represents a failure to cut the deficit and is leading to economic hardships for U.S. citizens. What's truly galling, however, is that although the law prohibits illegal aliens from receiving most federal benefits, an ever-increasing number are brazenly filing tax returns and receiving child credits and refunds. The federal government is obliging them in this illegal practice more than ever under President Barack Obama, because they know they can get away with it. In fact, in the 2010 filing year, illegal immigrants bilked the U.S. government of $4.2 billion in tax benefits, according to testimony revealed during the House debate on the payroll tax-cut measure in December. The Treasury Department reported that more than $4 billion child tax credits went to 2.3 million who filed tax returns but didn't have Social Security tax numbers. That figure represented a four-fold increase over five years. Do you think it's time to fix the problem? Why not call U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas, D-Lowell, and U.S. Rep. John Tierney, D-Salem, and ask them where they plan to vote on this issue? Then call U.S. Sens. John F. Kerry and Scott Brown and ask them. We hope we are wrong but you're likely to get a straight answer from only one of them -- Brown -- who is as disgusted as we are with this continuing scam. The manner in which the federal lawmakers respond will tell you a lot about where they stand in making smart choices about America's future ability to control spending and to take care of its own citizens first -- rather than last. If they stand for making $10 billion in illegal payments to illegal immigrants, their moral sense and character have been corrupted. They should be removed from office. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread
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