iMarch for Immigration: World Trade Center Utah Hosts Immigration Reform Roundtable to Highlight the Economic Power of Immigrants in Utah and Call on Congress to Act Now, Beginning with DREAMers
Roundtable event included the participation of local leaders and marked the beginning of the iMarch for Immigration Campaign with Offline and Online Events in all 50 States
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH — Today, the World Trade Center Utah hosted an immigration roundtable with local leaders from agriculture, business, education, tech, and faith as well as political leaders to show united support for immigration reforms. The event marked the launch of the iMarch for Immigration Campaign, a national day of action with online and offline events in all 50 states. In Utah, the group thanked Utah’s Congressional Delegation for their efforts and called on them to push forward with action on a solution for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients--the “DREAMers”—quickly.
“The clock is ticking for thousands of Dreamers in Utah who are working, studying, serving in our military and contributing to the only home country they have ever known,” said Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams. “Providing a path for them to stay and continue to build their futures can and should be something that unites all of us.”
“Immigrants have positively contributed to Utah’s economy by adding their rich experience to the workforce and serving their communities,” said Derek B. Miller, president and CEO of World Trade Center Utah. “The state’s culture as a welcoming place for immigrants and refugees enhances opportunities for Utah companies to do business around the world.”
iMarch for Immigration video from Derek Miller, President and CEO – World Trade Center Utah (LINK)
The iMarch campaign includes a nationwide virtual march for immigration reform, and has the backing of numerous leaders in the business, agriculture, education, tech, and faith sectors, state and local elected officials, and top voices from both sides of the political spectrum. The campaign is launching as Congress negotiates a much-needed solution for DACA recipients.
Local Roundtable Participants Included:
You can view iMarch activity online at iMarch.us, which will be updated throughout the day with highlights from industries and perspectives across the country.
“Action on immigration at the federal level is well past due. The time for half measures, executive actions and kicking the can down the road is over. We need common sense immigration reform now. Not only would it boost economic growth, create jobs, and spur innovation and entrepreneurship, but it would also renew America’s legacy of being an open and welcoming country where anyone who works hard can achieve his or her dreams,” said Lane Beattie, president and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber. “We are thankful to our Utah delegation for the leadership they’ve shown on this issue, and I’m hopeful Congress will follow their lead and move forward with real immigration reform in concert with The Utah Compact.”
As part of the effort, NAE’s comprehensive data on immigrants in Utah’s economy and the effect of the DACA-eligible population in the state were cited as key reasons for Congress to take action. In Utah alone, the positive economic impact of DACA-eligible recipients can be easily seen:
● There are as many as 13,627 DACA-eligible recipients in the state
● Despite the rhetoric claiming undocumented youths are a drain on the Utah economy, 91.4 percent of the DACA-eligible population who are at least 16 years old are employed
● Utah’s DACA-eligible population earns more than $176 million in total income annually
● Utah’s DACA-eligible population contributes more than $22 million in total taxes annually, $13.1 million of which goes to state and local tax revenue in Utah
At large, immigrants have substantial impact on the local economy:
For more information on the iMarch Campaign, visit iMarch.us.
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About New American Economy
New American Economy (NAE) brings together more than 500 Republican, Democratic and Independent mayors and business leaders who support immigration reforms that will help create jobs for Americans today. Coalition members include mayors of more than 35 million people nationwide and business leaders of companies that generate more than $1.5 trillion and employ more than 4 million people across all sectors of the economy, from Agriculture to Aerospace, Hospitality to High Tech and Media to Manufacturing. Learn more at www.NewAmericanEconomy.org
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Your Kids’ FOMO Is Not Worth
More Holiday Debt
With the holidays upon us, parents are making a list and checking it twice. And that list seems to be getting longer … while the bank account gets smaller.
That often happens when kids catch an acute case of FOMO during the holiday season. The “Fear of Missing Out” includes not getting some of the gifts they want, or the latest, cool things their friends are receiving.
So mom and dad go way over the family budget. They hit the credit cards, and the holiday bills climb. After all, overspending on gifts and beginning the New Year with added debt is as much a holiday tradition as mistletoe and stockings hung by the chimney with care.
“Many adults annually prove they have not learned their lesson, and it’s an expensive one that keeps adding up,” says Jeff Dixson (www.nwfts.net), a financial educator and author of Winning The Retirement Game.
“Discipline is a prerequisite for financial stability, and this kind of chronic overspending of money they don’t really have certainly doesn’t bode well for a family budget, let alone a retirement plan. But habits can change, and the sooner the better.”
Dixson gives four tips for how to keep holiday shopping reasonable and avoid excessive debt:
• Look at the big picture. Credit card use means putting off paying for something you didn’t have the money for. So forecast what that mounting credit card bill will add to your regular monthly expenses. “The long-term pain isn’t worth the short-term gain of getting the kids everything they wanted and more,” Dixson says. “Seeing their smiles on Christmas morning is nice, but you also have to see on paper the money crunch ahead; that can act as a deterrent.”
• Use one card. If you must use a credit card, Dixson says, put the rest of your cards aside and use the one with the lowest interest rate. This also makes it easier to track your spending. “If the one card is included in your budget, fine, but remember you’re paying interest each month,” Dixson says. “You need to impose a holiday limit on the card.”
• Make a real budget. It’s the easiest thing to do before all the shopping. Set up a budget each year as to what you can afford to spend (for example, $600 = $50 per month) and set this aside each month in order to have the money you expect to spend. But for many people it’s the hardest thing to execute when they’re out shopping. “They lose will power,” Dixson says. “It gets to be a little like gambling; you have to decide how much you can afford to lose, or how much you’ll go over without being totally stretched in January and beyond.”
• Make it a teaching moment. The holidays are a great time to teach your kids about money, a lesson that could last a lifetime. It’s not a matter of being Scrooge; it’s about showing them money doesn’t grow on Christmas trees. Most families have budgets, and part of being responsible means not over-spending. “The greater good of the family is served rather than immediate gratification,” Dixson says. “They’ll learn something meaningful about money, appreciation and responsibility that will stay with them when they have families of their own.”
“If more parents could apply these forms of financial discipline during the holidays,” Dixson says, “it would greatly help them develop a long-term financial plan, as well as greatly help their kids.”
About Jeff Dixson
Jeff Dixson (www.nwfts.net) is known as “The Retirement Coach” and is the founder and president of Northwest Financial & Tax Solutions, Inc. A respected financial educator, Jeff hosts a weekly radio show that airs on seven stations and is author of Winning The Retirement Game.
