Another Motive for the Hype

In keeping with Credo Number 19, I offer up this little gem from the Associated Press:

Database at Center of Immigration Reform

Let's see - a national database of anyone with a social security number or work permit, that is accessable to anyone who is an employer and is run by the federal government. And not just any department, but the Department of Homeland Security.

Ooohh Boy.....

Alright, there's been enough bashing of DHS that I'm not going to take the obvious bait of pointing out how well they've managed communication and information so far. But I do want to disect this a little bit:

"A voluntary version of the Internet-based system has been up and running on an experimental basis since 1996"

Experimental since 1996? 10 years and we don't know if it works yet? Google would have had that up and running in less than 10 weeks! Okay... we'll just file that under concern number one.

"The system is linked to companies' records so employers cannot add employees to the payroll - be they janitors or CEOs - until the check is completed."

So, if they have any errors, such as misspelling your name, you can't be hired until someone in a government office corrects it? In addition to slowing down the pace of American business, we'll quickly have a major issue of people made homeless! Of course that won't effect the economic numbers since they won't technically be unemployed. That's the scariest thing I've heard!

"Department of Homeland Security employees conduct manual searches for applicants who are not automatically given the OK. Those still not cleared can contact the government to sort out the problem."

AHHH! I take it back - that is the scariest thing I've ever heard!

"The idea of such a program has long been tossed around. But businesses and civil rights groups argued that it would be too cumbersome for employers and would violate the privacy of American citizens and legal immigrants."

This is the key to the matter. While I find it hard to believe that anyone would see this violation of privacy as a good thing. The government sees that changing as people get more used to banking and shopping online.

Not mentioned is the hype about immigration that feeds the frenzy for such a notion as well. The article quotes the HR person at one company describing a decrease in applications:

"Brown said the use of the program - which requires the company to post a sign alerting applicants it may run their names through Homeland Security databases - has been accompanied by a slight decrease in applications.

"Once they see that you're about to put that through the program, they will say, `Just stop' or that they want to withdraw their application," Brown said."

The implication is that it is because they are illegal or undocumented - but there isn't anything to indicate that. But that's one way that DHS can sell a program that is otherwise untenable. Stay tuned for more innuendo I'm sure.

So, this program which has been included in several of the immigration bills that are out there - including those by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., must at least make fiscal sense. Well, lets do the numbers -

It's outsourced to Computer Sciences Corp. at 52 cents a head. 5 government staffers do manual follow up checks - let's say at $45k a year (low, but what the heck). 40 others are available for over flow - okay let's call that equivalent to another 3 staffers.

"In the past six months, the program ran 662,000 inquiries, with about 21,000 requiring a second manual check, said Gerry Ratliff, who heads Homeland Security's status verification office."

So 662,000 times 52 cents = $344,240.00 Plus the 8 staffers at $45k, gives us a grand total of $704,240.00. That's $1.4 million per year for the current 5000 companies.

What happens when we reach the 57 million new hires estimated? Among other things that's $29.6 million in revenue for Computer Science Corp.

(Note to self - buy stock)

DHS estimates they'll only need another 34 staffers for verifications - a minor $1.5 million or so.

Total cost: Well over $30 million, compared to the $1.4 they're spending now. Right?

"President Bush's budget request calls for adding $115 million to the program's current budget of $20 million to make it mandatory across the country."

What? My numbers must be off. Wait - I didn't use my government budget calculator to get the numbers. Apparently $1.4 million = $20 million. So, when the numbers increase 20 times, you'll get ($20 million time 20) $400 million. Okay wait - the budget says $115 million.

Alright now I know why I don't work in the governement budget office.

Regardless, the idea isn't palatable. Rights to privacy alone should be enough to shut this down. Factor in the cost to the taxpayer and the huge logistical problems, and it's no longer feasable. Add in the potential damage to our economy and it's downright frightening.

Don't let all of the hype about immigration and illegal workers make us do something stupid. We could seriously damage ourselves and everything we stand for with this.

Please, stop this now.

Peace,


Matt




Tags: database, homeland security, Kennedy, McCain, immigration, illegal workers, economy, liberty, privacy, credo, hype, Bush, liberty, politics, Diverse and Contradictory, taxpayer, budget