From John Paff:
Today, June 22nd, the Maryland Board of Elections certified the first phase of signatures collected in support of a referendum on “In-State Tuition for Illegal Immigrants”. Out of the 57,505 signatures collected, 47,288 were validated. Leaving 8,448 signatures to be collected during the second phase which ends June 30th.
I am proud to report that during Phase II, we have already collected tens of thousands of signatures. However, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is preparing legal action to silence the voice of Maryland voters. Also, Casa de Maryland has informed the Board of Elections that they will be reviewing and challenging ballots they deem questionable.
For these two reasons, from now until June 28th there will be a statewide “Last Chance to Sign” event to collect signatures for the referendum. By collecting thousands of signatures above the required 55,736, we will send a very clear message to Casa de Maryland, the ACLU and the elected officials who have ignored the people of Maryland.
Saturday June 25th, there will be petitioners at every MVA location across the state of Maryland. In Harford County there will be several opportunities to sign the petition over the next week.
Here are some of the scheduled locations:
Friday June 24,2011
Lowes Cruise Night
Abingdon Lowes
414 Constant Friendship Blvd.
Abingdon, MD 21009
6:30pm-8:30pm
Saturday June 25, 2011
Motor Vehicles Administration (MVA)
501 West MacPhail Road
Bel Air, MD 21014
8am-12pm
Route 1 and Route 924
Near the County Office Building
11am-3pm
Bel Air Farmers Market
2 S. Bond St.
Bel Air, MD 21014
8am-11am
Route 40
Across from Aberdeen Walmart
11am-3pm
Monday June 27, 2011
Hatem Bridge Toll hearing
Havre de Grace Activity Center
351 Lewis ln.
Havre de Grace, MD 21078
5pm-???
Harford County has collected the third most signatures in Maryland! I owe our volunteers a great deal of gratitude for their weeks of tireless work. As the finish line quickly approaches, can you help us finish strong? Stop by one of our events to sign the petition or visit MDPetitions.com. If you have any questions or petitions that need to be collected please contact us at harfordpetitions@gmail.com
John Paff
Harford County Coordinator
MDPetitions.com
Additional talking points provided by the office of Del. Pat McDonough:
– Election Board certifies huge Phase I victory for In-State Tuition Petition Campaign
– 18,000 signatures were needed. 47,288 signatures were validated by the board.
– Board confirms at least 8,448 additional valid signatures are needed no later than June 30th, 2011. Tens of thousands of signatures have already been collected for Phase II.
– Delegate McDonough and Del. Parrott, leaders of the petition campaign, maintained that the passion of the voters against Senate Bill 167 has been the driving force.
– Pat McDonough and Neil Parrott also credit the three prong strategy of using the internet, grassroots volunteers, and the non-internet access for signatures program using telephone banks and direct mail.
– Petition campaign may be the most successful in Maryland’s history.
– General non-partisan support from Democrats, Republicans, and Independents indicates broad-based voter turnout in the 2012 General Election favoring the defeat of the so-called “Dream Act.”
– Delegate McDonough stated, “This is a great victory for the people against the liberal political machine that supports illegal immigrants in Maryland. This successful effort provides confidence to the people and will require politicians to think twice when they pass unpopular and extreme legislation.”
This petition is treating a symptom and not the root cause.
If the children are illegal, why are their parents permitted to pay state taxes and social security and keep on working!?
Why are the parents not deported!?
Why are their employers not arrested and fined and/or put in jail!?
When you started putting people in jail who hire illegals, this would quickly stop the problem.
Too much money and time is wasted on the symptoms of this problem. This will always be a problem until the root cause is eliminated.
It appears to me our elected officials are not bright enough to figure this out!!!
I
If illegal aliens will be living in our community, I would prefer they be as educated as possible. I believe that education is the saving grace of a country. It contributes to our health as a nation; it creates a better sense of community and shared vision, it acclimates and acculturates. I wouldn’t be one to deny our schools to anyone who would value them, I believe it would come back to benefit us all.
Linda-your comment is obviously from the heart and made without attacking anyone. Respectfully, here is why I disagree with you. There are many college age citizens of this country who can not afford tuition to college. If we offer discounted tuition for illegal aliens it does no one any good. The tuition in that instance is subsidized by taxpayers. The subsidy will be used to educate non citizens of this country. Once educated those illegal aliens can never lawfully work in this country as they can never obtain a social security number. Absent a social security number, they may never lawfully work in this country. The illegals that obtain a subsidized education at the expense of lawful taxpayers would always be subject to immediate deportation. We would have educated them just to send them back to their homeland. Their parents knew this when they crossed our borders. A Vietnamese physician with children, here on a green card and trying to obtain citizenship lawfully for his family (which is a long and drawn out process) would be better off lying and saying he was an illegal, just to get discounted tuition for his children. I agree with you, education is a wonderful thing. But why should lawful citizens have to work to educate someone who snuck in to this country?
Mr. Norman, Respectfully I ask why we do not arrest and jail and fine the employeers who illegally employ them?
In-state tuition is for illegals is wrong. Employers that that knowingly hire illegals should be fined and criminally charged.
CDEV when will you fight against illegal aliens?
After we start addressing the problem in a manner that doesn’t waste resources. Go after the incentive for coming, jobs, first by jailing the employers and forfieting buisness assests then you can effiectively round them up and deport them as they will not be coming back over and over. Otherwise it is like using an eye droper to put out a house fire!
After you take anal expander out if your passage you might answer the question.
I did answer the question but to put it more clearly I will join the fight when we go after the people who illegally prfit from the illegal labor!
@Cdev – Fighting against illegal immigration and aliens shouldn’t be conditional. You are a coward.
It is not conditional. You asked when I told you when. Until the government is serious about attacking the problem from BOTH sides it is a waste of my effort. Do you refuse to byuy from places who employ illegals? Do you report the employer?
Note that the petition doesn’t deny any education to anyone. It just calls for a referendum on a law that provides discounted college tuition to illegal residents.
One thing in all of this that I find quite amazing is that groups of people actually mobilize to hinder and stop the petition effort for a referendum. A petition for a referendum is probably the purest most direct form of democracy available to us as constituents. This petition doesn’t decide anything, it simply calls for all of the people of the State to decide for themselves what the law is going to be.
Where is the harm in that? If this is a good law, then defend the law and get people to vote for it.
Don’t try to stop the petition process. The effort is itself inherently anti-democratic.
Can a military family temporarly based in MD send their kids to college w/ instate tuition? I would much rather see my tax dollars go to educating MD citizens or the military than to criminals. And like it or not illegals are criminals (thus the term “illegal”). Sorry Gov. O’malley I meant “New Americans”. I agree that the petition doesn’t solve the problem. To solve the problem we must get rid of the morons who voted to pass this bill in the first place.
Also interesting to note that the cost of the citizenship process is a FRACTION of the cost of college tuition (in or our of State).
We’re talking hundreds of dollars, as opposed to tens of thousands.
This referendum provides the citizens to exercise their right to get the measure on the ballot, and let the majority of the people, rather than a select few, decide important issues. Note that this does not restrict illegal aliens from going to school here, it just asks that they pay the full share, not subsidized by the taxpaying people. The government has no money of its own, they only spend the taxpayers’ money. this should be done in a way that the majority of the people see fit.
Why is tax payer’s money in Maryland being used to give free tutition to anyone over 65?
These people are “short timers” who will not be able to us their free education to benefit society. Illegal children will continue to live here and find jobs.
Like their parents they will pay taxes and social security. Illegals help social security because they pay it but are unable to collect it.
This is a complex problem with no easy solutions except arrest people who hire illegals.
Taxpayers’ money is used to give subsidies to people over 65 because it is seen as a benefit to those are on limited income, can be a resource or mentor to the community, and as a small way to pay back for their 45+ years of taxpaying service.
But – this is not the point. Stay on the topic at hand. Do not cloud the issue with comments that get off the subject. A well thought out argument is your best defense.
Illegals who work 100% under the table do not pay any FICA/Medicare, MD State income tax or federal income tax. Their income is completely unreported.
Sam you are thinking like the officers I found when I was a private in the military. By the way we lost in Korea, Viet Man, Iraq and now in Afghanistan. It was the generals who lost the wars not us privates.
It cost millions to give free tuition to seniors in Maryland. It is the purpose of Maryland colleges to educate the future workers. Not this senior expectancy. We should cut free tuition before cutting Social Security and Medicare. We need to educate illegal children who live here and attended public schools because they will stay here.
Floyd you have a reading comprehension problem. The law states their parents must have paid taxes. I know employers who have “questionable” employees who take out taxes and social security. He is some information from the following website. Illegals help the Social Security fund!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_impact_of_illegal_immigrants_in_the_United_States
Undocumented Taxpayers
Most arguments against illegal immigration begin with the premise that the undocumented don’t pay income taxes, and that they therefore take more in services than they contribute. However, IRS estimates that about 6 million unauthorized immigrants file individual income tax returns each year.[12] Research reviewed by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office indicates that between 50 percent and 75 percent of unauthorized immigrants pay federal, state, and local taxes.[12] Illegal immigrants are estimated to pay in about $7 billion per year into Social Security.[13]
The Internal Revenue Service issues an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) regardless of immigration status because both resident and nonresident aliens may have Federal tax return and payment responsibilities under the Internal Revenue Code. Federal tax law prohibits the IRS from sharing data with other government agencies including the INS. In 2006 1.4 million people used ITIN when filing taxes, of which more than half were illegal immigrants.[14]
Undocumented Workers Subsidize Social Security
Illegal immigrants pay social security payroll taxes but are not eligible for benefits. During 2006, Standard & Poor’s analysts wrote: “Each year, for example, the U.S. Social Security Administration maintains roughly $6 billion to $7 billion of Social Security contributions in an “earnings suspense file” — an account for W-2 tax forms that cannot be matched to the correct Social Security number. The vast majority of these numbers are attributable to undocumented workers who will never claim their benefits.”[10]
The Social Security Administration has stated that it believes unauthorized work by non-citizens is a major cause of wage items being posted as erroneous wage reports instead of on an individual’s earnings record.[15] When Social Security numbers are already in use; names do not match the numbers or the numbers are fake, or the person of record is too old, young, dead etc., the earnings reported to the Social Security Agency are put in an Earnings Suspense file [ESF]. The Social Security spends about $100 million a year and corrects all but about 2% of these. From Tax Years (TY) 1937 through 2003 the ESF had accumulated about 255 million mismatched wage reports, representing $520 billion in wages and about $75 billion in employment taxes paid into the over $1.5 trillion in the Social Security Trust funds. As of October 2005, approximately 8.8 million wage reports, representing $57.8 billion in wages remained unresolved in the suspense file for TY 2003.[15]
@Fogdog, nice job cutting and pasting a crap article
Almost any college professor would tell you that using Wikipedia as a reference source pretty much discredits your entire argument.
Fogdog, the bill was amended to read they must submit a Maryland tax form, not specifying any amount of taxes. If they claim 1 dollar on a Maryland tax form they qualify. Also studies show that illegal aliens(in Maryland) contribute as much as $200 million in sales, gas, income taxes, however the cost of illegal immigrants in Maryland is 1.5 Billion annually! $300 million annually just for The illegals in our prisons.
Yeah, both of you were wrong.
Illegal workers can get jobs without having a SSN, and they can file taxes without one also.
As pointed out above, the law only requires a filing, not any paying of taxes.
I’ve seen both of these points made incorrectly so many times I don’t even bother to mention the correction anymore. Like trying to dam a river with a pebble.
And for future reference, if you’re going to quote Wiki as a source, I suggest finding additional supporting documentation if you want to be taken seriously.
Actually quoting Wiki…lol. Let me go in and make a change real quick!
Washington Post article in September, 2010
The contributions by unauthorized immigrants to Social Security — essentially, to the retirement income of everyday Americans — are much larger than previously known, raising questions about the efforts in many states and among Republicans in Congress to force these workers out.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/02/AR2010090202673.html
Better reference.
I don’t care if an illegal immigrant worker left their job every day and stopped by my house to hand me $1000.
Time to go home.
There are Americans here that suck far more from the system than any illegal alien I have met. I wish we could deport them.
Quoting the Washington Times is brilliant. We know that they are totally unbiased! Come on Noble you can do better, now the question is do you want to?
You’re talking to Fogdog, not me.
If I read correctly, Fogdog quoted the Washington Post, not the Washington Times. And of COURSE, the Post is noted for its objective, totally unbiased reporting…
Yeah, right. As far to the left as others believe the Times is to the right.
Noble and Observer, I apologize. My comment should have been directed at Fogdog and I did mean the Post not the Times. What portion of the Post is owned/controlled by Soros?
Over 800 signatures collected in 24 hours! Thank you to all the volunteers who have put in countless hours of work! Harford Counties assigned goal was 5000 signatures over this 2 month period. We will likely be finishing over 10,000 signatures and have the 2nd or 3rd most signatures collected in the state!
Wow, Harford County has more racists than I thought. did you guys get the signatures at your neighborly cross burning or your tea bagger function? I wonder how many of these can actually be verified and proven to be true affirmations of the authors.
Is this some kind of challenge to see how many offensive and idiotic things you can squeeze into a small space?
The Board of Elections has already verified the vast majority of the signatures, and 30% of them are from Democrats. Of course, we all know that nooooo Democrats are racist, right? Because that’s what our convenient labels tell us right? Save your demagogue’s almanac for another rainy day, please.
Inform yourself and keep up.
I could not and will not say it better, Noble.
It is not an issue of being racist. I feel that education should be available for anyone who wants the opportunity. That being said, I do not feel that we, as taxpaying citizens should subsidize any one group. There are government-funded grants and financial aid programs already in place for those that need assistance, and that I will probably use to be able to send my own children to college. These groups are available to all, regardless of race, gender, religion or creed. I am not sure if there is a requirement of citizenship with these programs, but the point is, taxpayers already support tuition assistance for ALL. I think it is more ‘racist’ or discriminatory to have a program ear-marked for a particular group, such as children of undocumented residents, than to have programs open to all.
Paying in-state tuition is not a subsidy or any type of financial aid. Maybe you should read the law before spouting your hatred and bigotry towards allien residents in the state of Maryland that pay taxes and are not criminals and have otherwise followed the law. As long as the country lets them in and work, they should reap the benefits of their labor and taxes paid, as you would.
@Frankly Speaking, I hope you were not speaking to me. My whole point is that having programs for one group is unfair, whether that group is a specific race, religion, gender or any other classification. I in no fashion harbor hatred or bigotry toward anyone, and if my post indicated that I did, it was not intentional.
@Frankly Speaking, I’m still trying to figure out how the State of Maryland can justify passing a law to specifically reward people who they know are breaking the law. It seems backward to reward criminals instead of offering rewards to catch them…
Your post is worth another reply… why do you say “alien residents” instead of illegal alien residents? Eliminating the word doesn’t make them legal. You also say “As long as the country lets them in…” Actually the country doesn’t let them… hence the term illegal. They are coming in without permission and Maryland wants to reward them – which will entice others to come to Maryland (as if we aren’t already). Before you call me a bigot, my spouse is from overseas and I’ve been through the whole process so I see this reward as a slap in the face of those who have toiled and paid to do things legally.
the country or the free market in this country lets them in to work otherwise they would not be here. While not here legally, they do pay income taxe (most), social security taxes (most) and sales taxes (all) as you would. However they can’t even get in-state tuition? Are you joking me or are you just plainly stupid? What part of living here and paying taxes here don’t you understand? (to borrow from the more famous reply you guys like to say regarding their legal status). In addition, illegal stay in this country is not a felony, thus not a criminal offense but simply a missdemeanor and punishable by fines or deportation, not a criminal offense.
@Frankly speaking: Your own posts are self contradictory, but you ask if I am “plainly stupid”. Your line “are not criminals and have otherwise followed the law” is a nice one… not criminals, but otherwise… which is it? You state “the country or the free market in this country lets them in to work otherwise they would not be here.” when the country does not LET them in… they’d actually be legal in that case wouldn’t they? In state tuition is a reward and the State of Maryland will be knowingly ignoring and encouraging those who are in violation of Federal laws. What part of that don’t YOU get? I have no sympathy for those who’ve decided immigration laws don’t apply to them. You say a misdemeanor is not a crime. In actuality a misdemeanor can be punishable up to a year… by your logic someone could commit a misdemeanor, go to prison for a year, be labeled an ex-convict yet not be a criminal.
What race is Illegal Alien?
I wonder how many bigots like yourself would even know how to fill out a petition?
How many lawless people like you ignore the law when it does not fit their LIEbral view?
Okay, so there is a young lady I know; let’s call her “Sharon”. Sharon was born and raised in Harford County. Sharon’s family have lived and worked in Maryland for several generations, all the while paying taxes, etc. Sharon works in a social worker type position in Maryland, but was recently married and she and her husband moved right over the line into the Delta, PA area (primarily for financial reasons). Well, Sharon has been pursuing an education to better herself and society. Sharon actually volunteers at an agency that provides assistance to legal immigrants upon arrival to the US. Sharon was attending Towson University, and when she did the right thing by giving them her new PA address, as opposed to keeping her parent’s MD address on file, the great state of Maryland increased her tuition to an un-affordable level.
So, why in the hell does someone else who has never contributed, get to pay in-state tuition, and someone like Sharon is stuck with a bill nearly twice as high?
um, because she moved out of state?
Right, she followed the rules, by reporting that she moved 1 mile outside of Maryland, and she has to pay out of state tuition. This would be perfectly acceptable if hoardes of ILLEGAL immigrants were not getting the in-state rates! They are NOT citizens of Maryland either!!!
Nobody is saying these people should not get an education. What we are saying is that they should not get IN STATE RATES, because they are NOT CITIZENS OF THIS STATE!
Amazing how many natives don’t know the difference between citizenship and residency. FYI…you don’t have to be a US citizen to be a Maryland resident. Your residency in the state does not depend on your national legal status. Anyone living in MD or any other state for that matter for more than 30 days is considered a resident of that state and as such should not have to pay out of state tuition unless they claim residency in another state or country. In addition if you live just over the line in PA, you are then a resident of that state and pay your taxes there and thus can attend a PA school instead.
@Frankly Speaking
The vast majority of illegal aliens do not file legitimate state and federal tax returns. In order for the illegal alien to file tax returns they must have an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). You cannot however use a ITIN as an illegal alien to legally get a job.
And if illegals were Maryland residents they wouldn’t need this law creating this unique status.
Honestly
the irs issued number is done so that taxes can be paid. it is not a number issued so that you can obtain employment. are you for real? honestly? do you really believe the crap you tell yourself? Anyone with a IRS issued number must pay taxes otherwise they would not need to use it. Duh!!!.
Some illegals do work under the table and avoid social security and fica taxes, but the can’t avoid fees, and sales taxes, or can they? Many don’t file taxes because they use someone else’s SS#’s or plainly used a falsified one, but that doesn’t mean they don’t pay the tax, they just can’t file a return to get a refund. Also, self-employed illegals do pay business taxes and fica for their employees. Just because you tell yourself this stuff, doesn’t make it so. Beecome more informed and if you still opposse them, fine. But don’t make crap up and pass it off as true information. You have the right to your opinion, but the facts do not support your statements.
Illegal immigrants contribute roughly $200 Million to the Maryland economy through Sales tax, gas tax, income tax etc. However, they cost the state $1.5 Billion per year. Maryland spends $300 Million on the illegals in our prisons alone!
perhaps the eployers who give them jobs should pick up the tab!
Careful Cdev, you’re becoming a one trick pony.
@Dave Yensan – CDEV is a pseudo intellectual (who can’t spell and is grammar challenged) that claims to be a conservative, but doesn’t understand what it means to be actually be conservative.
He is an equivocator, which is this worst of the worst kind of person on earth.
@Frankly Speaking
Paying sales tax, gas tax or excise tax doesn’t make anyone a Maryland State resident. Heck tourists who buy fuel, use a hotel or buy a hamburger with fries all pay tax and they aren’t residents of Maryland.
I’m a bit worried about you. Are you unhinged? Do you need professional help?
Honestly
I think you’re just plainly *****. Residency is established by where you live, not by taxes paid or citizenship. Are we clear? Honestly, you are a *****.
@Frankly Speaking – Sorry that your irrational opinions and faulty logic fail to persuade.
It must be very unsettling for you.
censorship is unamerican. C’mon Dagger, you should know better than that.
I don’t care if your name is Gustoff, Ivan, Jean Claude, Nigel, or Jose. If you’ve come here LEGALLY and done things by the rules, WELCOME!
If you have slinked in under the cover of night,get out!
As the student in Pennsylvania said, how can he register as an illegal alien so he can get in state tuition in Maryland?
alot easier then you can become a PA resident and pay instate tuition!
clay-a student from PA can move to MD, become a resident and then he/she can get in-state tuition.