I’ve seen several stories cross my desk in the last few days like this one from North Dakota—Lutheran Social Services trying to dispel “rumors” that local/state taxpayers are on the hook for refugees placed in their towns and cities.
The Lutherans are trying to get their hooks into Wyoming. Could that be the motivation for this campaign!
Here is the story from WDAY.TV that makes me laugh!
Fargo, N.D. (WDAY TV) -It’s a number that may surprise you. Every year, 400 some refugees make their way to North Dakota.
I love it how they leave the impression that these Africans/Middle Easterners/Asians etc. just “make their way” to a place like North Dakota—they are in North Dakota because Lutheran Social Services has a lucrative contract with the US State Department (federal taxpayers!) to bring them there and drop them off!
Tonight, Lutheran Social Services held a forum at Fargo Public Library to educate people on refugee integration into the community.
Event organizers say they wanted to dispel the rumors that local tax payers are footing the bill for new Americans.
Of course, some of the cost of refugees rests with local taxpayers! Who else is paying for the education of the refugee kids but local taxpayers, not to mention the costs to local health clinics and the demand put on local subsidized housing that would normally be available to American low-income citizens.
And, let’s not forget the cost to local police and county court systems when refugees break the law. Here is just one case—Somali mass murder in North Dakota—that you know cost local taxpayers a bundle and presumably will cost North Dakota a bundle for his incarceration.
Readers might want to visit this breakdown of the costs of refugees in Georgia showing the federal and state share of the cost (prepared by Refugee Resettlement Relief). North Dakotans should be asking their state legislature for a similar accounting.
WDAY.TV continued:
Instead, they say, Social Services offers a federally funded program to help refugees.
Yes, sure! And, the federal funds grow on trees in Washington. What about federal taxpayers (are North Dakotans not federal tax payers?). From our fact sheet (here):
The federal programs available to them include:
∙ Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) formerly known as AFDC
∙ Medicaid
∙ Food Stamps
∙ Public Housing
∙ Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
∙ Social Security Disability Insurance
∙ Administration on Developmental Disabilities (ADD) (direct services only)
∙ Child Care and Development Fund
∙ Independent Living Program
∙ Job Opportunities for Low Income Individuals (JOLI)
∙ Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
∙ Postsecondary Education Loans and Grants
∙ Refugee Assistance Programs
∙ Title IV Foster Care and Adoption Assistance Payments (if parents are ⌠qualified immigrants – refugees, asylees, etc)
∙ Title XX Social Services Block Grant Funds
Then do they think that citizens are this stupid? Refugees live on $335 a month for 8 months!
Kavidhe Gundale, Lutheran Social Services: “They get only 335 dollars per month, for 8 months. They have to pay the rent, they have to pay for the gas and everything. “
Good luck North Dakota!
Every year 300 refugees will call Fargo, 90 in Grand Forks and 10 in Bismarck.
While we are on the subject of who is paying for all this, have a look at the most recent Form 990 for Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota, here.
In the most recent year available, they had total revenue of $12 million (rounded number) and $8.4 million (70%) came from you via federal grants and contracts.
Here is how most of that was spent (rounded numbers):
$465,000 for current directors and officers compensation
$6.7 million for salaries
$223,000 for pensions
$762,000 for other employee benefits
$1.2 million office expenses
$715,000 travel (who knew ND was that big!)
$124,000 conferences
They would not exist without taxpayer dollars!