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The Michigan Messenger going forward

By Staff Report | 11.16.11

I am writing today to announce the closure of the Michigan Messenger. After four years of operation in Michigan, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news into a single site, The American Independent at Americanindependent.com. This is part of a shift in strategy, towards new forms [...]

Colorado-based abstinence program provided false and misleading information to Michigan students

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By Todd A. Heywood | 11.16.11

An abstinence-only presentation provided to numerous school districts in Calhoun and Eaton Counties in October of this year provided false and misleading information to students about HIV, experts allege.

Class action lawsuit filed against MERS over unpaid taxes

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By Todd A. Heywood | 11.15.11

Two county registers of deeds filed a class action lawsuit Monday on behalf of Michigan’s 83 counties alleging that the Mortgage Electronic Registration Services owes millions of dollars in property title transfer taxes.

Schuette fights important mercury regulations

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By Eartha Jane Melzer | 11.14.11

Despite evidence of the impact of mercury on children and public health, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette last month joined with 24 other state attorneys general in filing a lawsuit to scuttle new EPA regulations that would reduce mercury emissions from power plants.

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Report: Arizona-style immigration reform would hurt Michigan economy

By Eartha Jane Melzer | 02.14.11 | 3:04 pm

A new report from the Michigan League for Human Services finds that immigrants, even undocumented immigrants, contribute much to the state economy.

Jackie Headapohl summarizes some of the findings for MLive.com:

Immigrants are responsible for 33 percent of all high-tech startups, making Michigan third among all states in producing new high-tech business opportunities.

Michigan immigrants started 2,276 new businesses from 1996-2007.

Michigan stands to lose over $3.8 billion in economic activity, $1.7 billion in gross state product, and approximately 20,000 jobs with the removal of all unauthorized workers from the labor force.

Unauthorized immigrants are subject to sales and property taxes and many pay into the Social Security system, but may not be able to collect the benefits.

The report points out that immigrants are a critical source of labor in this aging state.

Additionally, over half of Michigan immigrants, or 64.4 percent, are of working-age (18-54) compared with 50.8 percent of the nonimmigrant population in 2008. This is a critical factor as a large portion of the state is nearing retirement. By 2030, Michigan’s residents aged 65 and older will represent 20 percent of the population, and the number of individuals 85 and older is expected to double in size by 2050. Immigrants dominate the domestic worker industry, and as our population ages, more workers will be needed to care for the state’s elderly.

Michigan is among the 23 states that have introduced legislation that would require state police to enforce federal immigration law by requesting immigration documents from those they suspect are in the state illegally.

Because many immigrants enter the U.S. legally but become unauthorized due to technical problems with the immigration process, the report says, legislation of this type creates a hostile atmosphere for all foreign-born residents.

With the fourth-highest unemployment rate, and a $1.8 billion state budget deficit looming next fiscal year, Michigan needs to focus on policies that encourage inclusion and economic growth. If immigrants clearly contribute to our economy and do not drain our social services, our state could greatly benefit from welcoming immigrants rather than rolling up the welcome mat.

Comments

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_BW4Z76TREWXG4XRPQYJV3K5JHY Mike

    Do the American people ever get tired of being lied to about illegal immigration? Millions of people competing for scarce jobs will simply drive the wages lower. That is a fact of supply and demand. Forget the social damage they cause with their health care and incarceration costs. They hurt Americans, especially African Americans in the job market.

    Businesses love them because they can pay them dirt cheap wages and treat them like garbage.

  • Anonymous

    TAXPAYERS MUST FIGHT BACK

    States are frustrated with the federal government, for a failure to halt the unceasing movement of foreign nationals across the border or entering America through airline terminals. So States are taken it upon themselves, to halt this pandemic of cheap labor with their families, who think it a right that they can not only take jobs from lower income American workers, but also raid the social welfare safety net. The Great immigration War began in the hard hit border State of Arizona, who are already harassed by their own administration, but also the radical open border nuts. Except now the illegal immigrant problem is spreading and not confined to the Border States anymore. Each State resident are speaking out and demanding Legislative bills, to reduce the infestation. With Arizona, Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, Florida and others either enacting restraining immigration bills or mauling over ways to combat the invasion, the outward bound movement of illegal immigrants is beginning to highlight itself. NOT JUST LATINO’S , BUT EVERY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT WHO CAME FROM OTHER COUNTRIES!

    Unable to sustain the support of social services for foreign nationals anymore, laws have been introduced in State Capitols. This is causing uproar amongst Liberal progressives and the radical assemblies but losing in their agenda of “Political Correctness.” The great outcome is that interior State lawmakers are recognizing the powerful punch of E-Verify enforcement for Businesses that before could easily exploit foreign workers, but now are more than likely to be fined; with incurable offenders being sentenced to prison. The policing laws 287 G have been enable officers to question any person on the immigration status and a strong deterrent and gaining more acceptance. We have all heard from the Liberal parrots about the mass exodus from Arizona as illegal foreign nationals evacuating the Canyon state. But I see this as a nationwide forecast as hundreds of thousands more driven by fear of discovery, pack their vehicles and head for more comfortable less enforced locations environments such as the Sanctuary State of California, Nevada, Utah and more flexible states.

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