LogFAQs > #886140059

So while I do not have specific numbers, it is generally accepted that illegal immigrants are a net boon to the government's coffers. The reason for this is that they pay taxes (e.g. sales tax, property tax either directly [from owning a home] or indirectly [some of that rent check is going towards that], payroll taxes if they are not being paid under the table [happens a lot -- an employer can honestly say "Well I had no idea he was illegal" because they chose not to ask the question and get away with that, but if they start dodging taxes, Uncle Sam's not gonna be too happy]), but do not have the ability to receive any benefits (as a lazy example, you can't get Social Security without a valid SSN).

As for roads, this comes down to economics of scale. A road takes more wear and tear from one winter than it does from a year of cars, for instance, and having more people does not increase the amount of roads necessary by a proportionate amount. There will always have to be a single well-maintained road through the desert no matter how many people live in the surrounding areas, for instance. While that may seem reductionary, there's a lot of open space in this country punctuated by spread-out population centers, so that's a really large percentage of the roads.

And I should probably stop editing posts a hundred times but YOU CAN'T STOP ME.
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Nonsense. "Testing" is for when you're still guessing--and now, I have no need to guess. -- Agatha, Girl Genius