is best known at the University of Florida as the effective and popular professor of the televised course Basic Macroeconomics.
No doubt because of this, he is to be found offering opinions on an astounding array of matters in the Florida newschannels
Usually this would mean timidity and conformism. Not, in this case, with Dr. Denslow. Tough Choices : Shaping Florida's Future, a recent study by the Bureau of the Florida state Budget, provides a devastating critique of the burden created for the state by the profligate and unrestrained immigration of low quality workers and their dependents. Section 12,dealing with the impact of immigration [Pps 373 - 386 in this enormous PDF file] is devastating:
Currently, with about one-sixth of Florida’s households being non-native, the extra state-and-local budget burden on native households is around $360…$120 higher than the national average…The non-native share of Florida’s population is rising, however…Because of the trend, in a decade the state and local budget impact of immigrants is likely to be even larger than now. [P 375]
in Florida the net burden on state and local governments from immigrants is on the order of $2,000 per immigrant household... Our result stands in strong contrast to the only recent similarly thorough study of which we are aware of the impact of immigrants on Florida’s state and local budgets. That study found little net impact, whereas we find a substantial cost. This is principally because we: (1) classify children under 18 according to the status of the adults in the household in which they reside; and (2) use a better approximation of actual costs for Medicaid. [p385-6]
No doubt partly because of Professor Denslow's status, these conclusions have attracted some MSM attention. A lively article opinion piece in Investor's Business Daily [The Myth of No-Cost Immigrants - November 14 2005] reveals:
The findings surprised the study's author, who is a pro-immigration Democrat. After crunching the numbers, economist David Denslow discovered immigrants — legal and illegal — were consuming much more in public services and paying much less in taxes than the average resident
Astonishingly, an editorial page columnist on The Orlando Sentinal actually considers changing his stance:
Like Denslow, I have been an advocate of increased legal immigration while stepping up efforts to find ways to discourage illegal border crossing.The Denslow study won't necessarily change my position, but it has gotten me rethinking whether my views are realistic given the new numbers.
[Study on immigration reveals a surprise - The Charlotte Observer October 30 2005 - Peter Brown. Access requires free registration.]
Congratulate David Denslow and Peter Brown.
Hat Tip, American Renaissance.
