How Bernie's Efforts to Restrict Immigration Harm Social Security

[TomCADem]

On this board today, Bernie supporters have defended Bernie's long history of trying to restrict immigration, which most notably included his opposing to comprehensive immigration reform in 2007, which would have provided a path to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants. We also see dozens of post painting Bernie Sanders as a defender of social security.

Yet, what is missing from the discussion is how both documented and undocumented immigrants have helped fund social security. As explained in this demographic study from 2005/2006, "Because immigrants tend to be younger and have higher fertility rates than the general population, immigration mitigates the aging of the population. Without immigration the aging trend would be more pronounced.

In other words, rather than blaming immigrants for the troubles faced by the American Working Class, Bernie should be thanking immigrants for their contributions. Our nation was built by immigrants. There is nothing incompatible with supporting American workers and supporting immigrants.

https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/ssb/v66n4/v66n4p37.html

Coping with the Demographic Challenge: Fewer Children and Living Longer (Social Security Bulletin, Vol. 66, No. 4, 2005/2006)

Due to demographic changes, the U.S. Social Security system will face financial challenges in the near future. Declining fertility rates and increasing life expectancies are causing the U.S. population to age. Today 12 percent of the total population is aged 65 or older, but by 2080, it will be 23 percent. At the same time, the working-age population is shrinking from 60 percent today to a projected 54 percent in 2080. Consequently, the Social Security system is experiencing a declining worker-to-beneficiary ratio, which will fall from 3.3 in 2005 to 2.1 in 2040 (the year in which the Social Security trust fund is projected to be exhausted). This presents a significant challenge to policymakers.

One policy option that could help keep the Social Security system solvent is to reduce retirement benefits, either by raising the normal retirement age or through life expectancy indexing, to reflect the fact that people are living longer. However, these reductions in benefits have the potential to harm economically vulnerable retirees. Other options, such as progressive price indexing proposals, explicitly protect the retirement benefits of low lifetime earners. Still other options would seek to raise additional revenue for the system.

Since individuals will be living longer in retirement, many policymakers believe it is important to encourage older workers to delay retirement so that they can maintain a quality standard of living throughout their retirement. One proposal to encourage continued work would be to increase the early eligibility age for Social Security benefits from age 62 to age 65. This could possibly hurt individuals who need to retire from physically demanding jobs but would ensure that people receive higher benefit amounts once they were able to fully retire.

Other proposals that could promote more work at older ages include expanding phased retirement options and reforming pension and defined contribution systems to create incentives to work and save.

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Immigration also plays a role in the age structure of the population. Compared with earlier decades, net immigration has increased in recent years (Table 2). Because immigrants tend to be younger and have higher fertility rates than the general population, immigration mitigates the aging of the population. Without immigration the aging trend would be more pronounced.

[DanTex]

1. So now we're trying to paint Bernie as anti-immigrant?

https://berniesanders.com/issues/welcoming-and-safe-america-all/

[TomCADem]

3. Exactly. No One Can Quote A Single Racist Praising Bernie's Immigration Policies!

Bernie is so pro-immigration that racists like Steve King from Iowa, Tucker Carlson or Ann Coulter would never be caught dead saying a single positive thing about Bernie's immigration policies. Right?



No one will be able to find a single quote from these anti-immigrant zealots praising Bernie!

And what about that 2007 Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill that would have created a path to citizenship? I bet you can guess how pro-Immigrant Bernie Sanders voted for that bill!



Anyone?

[Cha]

4. KR!

[TomCADem]

5. Bernie Sanders Says U.S. Can't Have 'Open Borders' Because Poor People Will Come"

The study in the OP makes clear that Bernie Sander is just wrong when he blames immigrants from coming to take away benefits from American workers. This is just wrong. To the contrary, immigration has helped to fund social security because immigrant communities tend to be younger, which helps generate a tax base to fund social security.

Instead of acknowledging this, Bernie has continued to scapegoat immigrants even during the current election cycle.

https://www.newsweek.com/bernie-sanders-open-borders-poverty-world-immigration-1388767

Senator Bernie Sanders pushed back to clarify his position on immigration on Sunday after he was asked in Iowa about his reported support for open borders.

"I'm afraid you may be getting your information wrong," said Sanders, an independent from Vermont who is currently seeking the Democratic nomination to unseat President Donald Trump in 2020, The Washington Post reported. "I think what we need is comprehensive immigration reform," he said.

"Oh my god, there's a lot of poverty in this world, and you're going to have people from all over the world. And I don't think that's something that we can do at this point. Can't do it," the senator added.

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Some immigration advocates and progressives have pushed for open borders, however, and many were quick to criticize Sanders's response on social media. Many said he sounded like Trump on immigration, while others argued that the U.S., as a wealthy nation, should show more concern about the plight of migrants.