[Nitngale]

Originally Posted by spacenurse

Slavery was illegal in Mexico when Americans owned slaves in Mexican Texas. Mexico wasn't able to enforce their own laws.

Columbus didn't discover America.
People were already here.

Truth is this is a very complicated problem.

My grandparents brought their two sons to Chicago from Canada in 1926. They got jobs and never thought about waiting lists or legalization papers. When my Dad and his brother joung the Air Force for WWII the family became citizens.

Mexico has never really been an autonomous country. Even their presidents today are educated in America (Yale or Harvard) and then sent back as little puppets. That is why Mexico could never enforce their own laws or fight to keep their lands. That is also why an Austrian was able to be put in a ruling position. And it was America that they turned to, to get rid of him, after the American Civil war. The Indians and Spanish, whom later became Mexicans, were not in the same position educationally or monetarially as the founding fathers of the US. My boss, who is Mexican, told me that there is no 'free' education in Mexico. If you can't afford it, your children don't go to school. I find this deplorable since Mexico not only has natural resources but 20 billion dollars being sent back every year by their illegal (and legal) relatives that are up here.
My grandparents too came from Canada in the 1930's and they had to wait before being granted entrance and get paperwork. I think the difference between Canada and Mexico is that most Canadians speak English, regardless of their race and they share a similar economic background, ie you don't get millions of Canadians down here working for minimum wage or less.

PS No one has ever 'discovered' land. America was a discovery to Europeans---that's all that means.

[msw2rn]

Ok, This thread is driving me bonkers! And not about the actual topic. It's the misinformation regarding eligibility for federal benefits IE Social Security and Medicare. I can't speak to individual states' "welfare benefits" and medicaid as the requirements differ from state to state.

However, I used to work at Social Security and illegal aliens are NOT eligible for retirement or disability benefits. You are eligible for those programs based on the amount of taxes you pay by working, FICA and SSA. You earn credits based on a certain amount earned each year and you have to have so many earned credits to be eligible. It is an insurance. So essentially you have to pay the premiums to qualify. People confuse it with SSI which is entirely different. SSI is a welfare program for those age 65, blind, disabled and have NOT paid enough taxes but are extremely poor. They also can't get SSI if they are illegal. That is a myth. Trust me I had plenty of clients I wanted on these programs to cover their medications but they weren't eligible. And they were HIV + which is another complicated situation.

I am posting information from the SSA website. PLEASE go to source material and research eligibility requirements before assuming anything. Regarding individual cases, unless you are there and see the paperwork submitted and see their award letter, you don't know what someone else is getting and why. It drove me nuts when patients "compared benefits" with other patients and wondered why they weren't eligible for X. Sorry for the rant, just a pet peeve of mine.(smile)

Here is the information and you can go to www.ssa.gov for more.
The Social Security Administration is responsible for two major programs that provide benefits based on disability: Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), which is based on prior work under Social Security, and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Under SSI, payments are made on the basis of financial need.
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is financed with Social Security taxes paid by workers, employers, and self-employed persons. To be eligible for a Social Security benefit, the worker must earn sufficient credits based on taxable work to be "insured" for Social Security purposes. Disability benefits are payable to blind or disabled workers, widow(er)s, or adults disabled since childhood, who are otherwise eligible. The amount of the monthly disability benefit is based on the Social Security earnings record of the insured worker.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a program financed through general revenues. SSI disability benefits are payable to adults or children who are disabled or blind, have limited income and resources, meet the living arrangement requirements, and are otherwise eligible. The monthly payment varies up to the maximum federal benefit rate, which may be supplemented by the State or decreased by countable income and resources. See http://www.socialsecurity.gov/notice...efits-ussi.htm for an explanation of SSI benefit payment rates.

How long does a person need to work to become eligible for retirement benefits? Answer

Everyone born in 1929 or later needs 40 Social Security credits to be eligible for retirement benefits. You can earn up to four credits per year, so you will need at least 10 years to become eligible for retirement benefits.
During your working years, earnings covered by social security are posted to your Social Security record, and you earn credits based on those earnings.
Each year the amount of earnings needed for a credit rises as average earnings levels rise. In 2005, you receive one credit for each $920 of earnings, up to the maximum of four credits per year. For 2006, you receive one credit for each $970 of earnings.
If you become disabled or die before age 62, the number of credits needed depends on your age at the time you die or become disabled. A minimum of 6 credits is required regardless of your age. You can file for retirement benefits online at http://www.socialsecurity.gov/applyforbenefits.
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Your retirement benefits
How do you qualify for retirement benefits?
When you work and pay Social Security taxes, you earn “credits” toward Social Security benefits.
The number of credits you need to get retirement benefits depends on when you were born. If you were born in 1929 or later, you need 40 credits (10 years of work).
If you stop working before you have enough credits to qualify for benefits, the credits will remain on your Social Security record. If you return to work later on, you can add more credits so that you qualify. No retirement benefits can be paid until you have the required number of credits.
How much will your retirement benefit be?
Your benefit payment is based on how much you earned during your working career. Higher lifetime earnings result in higher benefits. If there were some years when you did not work or had low earnings, your benefit amount may be lower than if you had worked steadily.
Your benefit payment also is affected by the age at which you decide to retire. If you retire at age 62 (the earliest possible retirement age for Social Security), your benefit will be lower than if you wait until later to retire. This is explained in more detail below.
NOTE: Each year, about three months before your birthday, you receive a Social Security Statement. It can be a valuable tool to help you plan a secure financial future. It provides you with a record of your earnings and gives estimates of what your Social Security benefits would be at different retirement ages. It also gives an estimate of the disability benefits you could receive if you become severely disabled before retirement, as well as estimates of the survivors benefits Social Security would provide your spouse and eligible family members when you die.
Early retirement
You can get Social Security retirement benefits as early as age 62, but if you retire before your full retirement age, your benefits will be permanently reduced, based on your age. For example, if you retire at age 62, your benefit would be about 20 percent lower than what it would be if you waited until you reach full retirement age.
Full retirement age
The “full retirement age” is 65 for people who were born before 1938. But because of longer life expectancies, the Social Security law was changed to gradually increase the full retirement age until it reaches age 67. This change affects people born in 1938 and later. Check the following table to find your full retirement age.
When you apply for benefits, you will need the following information:
· your Social Security number;
· your birth certificate;
· your W-2 forms or self-employment tax return for last year;
· your military discharge papers if you had military service;
· your spouse's birth certificate and Social Security number if he or she is applying for benefits;
· children's birth certificates and Social Security numbers, if applying for children's benefits;
· proof of U.S. citizenship or lawful alien status if you (or a spouse or child is applying for benefits) were not born in the U.S.; and
· the name of your bank and your account number so your benefits can be directly deposited into your account.

[shawnrj]

I myself disagreed with the statement that illegals receive Social Security benefits, even SSI. However, I can tell you for a fact that in California, illegals do and can receive welfare benefits (they cannot ask if a person is documented), State disability benefits and workers' comp benefits. California is wacked in this regard. It seems here in Cali that illegals can get better and more benefits than legal residents and legal citizens. I can also tell you for a fact that our secty's mother is receiving SSI and she has never worked in the U.S. and is not disabled in any manner at all. She is perfectly healthy and never asked for it, but she receives it.

[pickledpepperRN]

I know of physicians parents being on SSI. I believe they are here legally but haven't worked in this country and cannot speak English.

[brax881]

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[brax881]

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[surgpa]

Originally Posted by zias

To me, it is not OK to allow healthcare to people who are not citizens of the United States unless we also give this benefit to all the hard working Americans who are uninsured and underinsured. Too many fall in the gap where they make too much for state aid, but not enough to afford their health insurance. That's shameful. It's kind of like letting people who crash a wedding sit down and eat the expensive catered dinner for free, while telling the legitimate, invited guests with an invitation, that they need to pay for their dinner.

My question is this: do YOU get FREE healthcare, in your native tongue when you LEGALLY visit their (fill in the nationality of choice) country? Of course not. Then why are we bound to do the same for ILLEGAL invaders? I'm fine if they show up for treatment, but you have to pay your bill, not leave it to the American taxpayer (aka: sucker) to foot YOUR bill.

Just my 2 cents.

Mike

[brax881]

Originally Posted by HM2Viking

I am just asking people to remember that the parents may be here illegally but that if we cut off public food stamps or WIC to families with children that are born in the US that we are harming children who are our own citizens.

I think the real challenge will end up being how are we going to temper justice with mercy for those families with children? If these families have been leading otherwise law abiding lives paying taxes, being good neighbors, staying out of trouble can't we as a society find a way to help them find a legal status that doesn't harm their children?

Why do their children become citizens just because they are born here? This is not right, it puts a burden on our society. Their parents didn’t put into the fund, why should they be eligible? These children should not be the US’s responsibility, but the county in which their parents are citizens. We should not feel guilty because we can’t take care of everyone’s child. The ones who should feel guilty are the parents, shame on them for having children they can’t afford. What I do think we should offer to them is free birth control, so it doesn’t become an issue. That way if they choose to have child, it will have been their choice. In order for things to get better, the US will need to get tougher, as long as we are giving out freebies, there are going to be takers.

The best place to find a helping hand is at the end of your own arm.
Unknown Source

[pickledpepperRN]

My mother had an MI when she and my Dad were vacationing in Europe.
She was taken many miles by ambulance to a major city hospital on a monitor, my Dad rode with her.
My Dad told me the nurses and doctors were wonderful to him as well as her. Sad as I was (and am) at the loss of my Mommy, I am proud of our tradition of kindness and education. And so very very thankful for those nurses who were with my parents when I was too far away.

They made an attempt to assign English speaking nurses and translators. Someone contacted the American Embassy.
After three days she died. A Priest was present with my Catholic Mom. A member of the hospital staff went with my Dad to the embassy to do the paperwork, get a death certificate, and fly her body to Oklahoma. He was impressed and surprised at their kindness.
There was never any question about ability to pay. The hospital and Embassy had my Dads address and phone numbers. He offerred to pay.
There was never a bill.