By Rose Pedenko and Tanya Simon

On September 11, 2001, the United States was attacked with premeditated precision, carried out by a handful of illegal alien terrorists. That’s “illegal alien” terrorists.

The immediate, most obvious results were the deaths of over 2,700 human beings and the wholesale destruction of public, private and U.S. government property. Every business was affected, particularly the airlines. The tally of job losses and layoffs reached 380,000. Our economic activities in general were disrupted, and there was the passing away of the sacred sense of safety and security.

That and more was caused by those illegal alien terrorists within a period of only three hours on that sunny morning in New York City, across the Potomac River from our nation’s capital, and in a Pennsylvania meadow. We bring this up for two reasons: first, there has been a concerted effort on the part of liberals to label discussions about illegal immigration as racist and lacking compassion. And second, the cost to American taxpayers of turning a blind eye to the corruption of our immigration laws is one of the major components of our failing economy.

The monetary calculation of losses after 9/11, including insurance and an immediate jump in military spending, exceeded $180 billion. Not a small sum, but not enormous either, when compared to recent TARP handouts and the current stimulus package that’s bucking $1 trillion. Nonetheless, the emotional damage that was suffered will never mend nor can its gravity ever be calculated in terms of dollars and cents.

$180 billion pales in comparison to the mounting costs Americans are presently being bled white to accept in order to mend an economy brought literally to its knees by financial greed and Congressional ineptitude.

The Pelosi-Reid stimulus package does not include any measure to stem the ever-increasing costs to the American taxpayer for illegal immigration. And illegals continue to receive free benefits no matter which way the stock markets fluctuate.

Compounding this fiasco is the abject refusal by members on both sides of the aisle to accept the fact—which is based on undeniable hard evidence—that illegal immigrants remain this country’s singular, most expensive financial problem, as well as a high security threat. And they aren’t even included in the Democrats’ stimulus package. However, what is contained, are measures that will compound the problem exponentially. No amount of political correctness will make this fiscal and security problem go away. It has been shoved to and kept on the Congressional back burner for the last year during the course of the presidential campaign, principally because both candidates were in favor of amnesty. But the problem will continue to rear its ugly head. Gang warfare and the Mexican drug cartels are making our point through the killing of innocent Americans inside the U.S., and by a border war rife with beheadings of military and police. Are Mexican beheadings less ghastly than Islamic beheadings?

John McCain learned quickly, and the hard way, throughout his campaigning when he attempted to sell his desire to grant amnesty and citizenship to illegals. As stated in the Washington Post article of February 4, 2008:

“No issue has been more critical for McCain to address, and finesse, than his stance on immigration reform. The bill that he co-authored with Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), which included a proposal to grant illegal immigrants citizenship after they paid a fine and met several other conditions, sparked an outrage among Republicans that he had never seen coming, aides said. His poll numbers plummeted. Critics dubbed him Amnesty John.”

Whenever he mentioned amnesty and/or citizenship for illegals, McCain’s enthusiastic supporters would be struck mute, as though the senator had just passed gas. His unbending attitude might have ultimately been the chief reason he failed to succeed to the White House — causing doubters to stay home rather than go to the polls and vote.

Last week we heard first-hand the hubris that has accompanied Obama into the White House. His mandate apparently includes appointing ultra pro amnesty (and labor) candidate Hilda Solis. In California, she voted “No” on building a fence along the Mexican border; she voted “No” on reporting illegal aliens who receive hospital treatment; she voted “Yes” on extending Immigrant Residency rules.

California is almost bankrupt, and as California goes, so goes the nation. As Labor Secretary (assuming she’s given a pass on her 16-years, non-taxpaying husband), Hilda Solis will no doubt do her best to dig us a deeper illegal immigration hole than we are in now.

Speaking of deep holes: A new, very disturbing matter has arisen in the just-passed stimulus bill — the issue of health provisions. As stealthily as they slipped Tom Daschle’s ideas about healthcare into the stimulus package, illegals with ITINS (Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers) are part and parcel of any added provisions. How? Because hospitals participating in Medicare are already forced to provide emergency care to patients regardless of their ability to pay or their immigration status — and the hospitals are reimbursed by the Federal government.

As early as 2001, Senator Charles Schumer (and Buffalo Mayor Anthony Masiello) joined forces with CitiMortgage and Fannie Mae to offer hundreds of mortgages to low- and moderate-income, minority, new immigrant, and other underserved households in Erie and Niagara Counties. Wrap your brain around the concept of just two counties multiplied across the U.S. and you will have a clearer picture of how we got to where we are today.

Which brings us to Barney Frank and Chris Dodd. They, amongst others in the House and Senate, had a heavy hand in creating and exacerbating the mortgage meltdown. Illegal immigrants with no credit history were able to qualify for one (and sometimes multiple) mortgages on homes then valued at $500K plus. Yet, the Franks and Dodds of Capitol Hill continue to operate free of criticism or censure by their party. Barney Frank seems to share the same delusions as “Octomom” when it comes to gaming the system.

Pseudo Republican Sen. Arlen Spector explained that he “was supporting the stimulus package for one simple reason: The country cannot afford not to take action.” If Spector would give as much gravitas to the costs of not taking action on illegal immigration as he does to this half-baked stimulus package, he might get reelected. It seems more likely he wants to end his tenure on a positive note – with Obama’s praise, gratitude and perhaps even a fist bump.

Osama bin Ladin wanted to bring down the U.S. economy on 9/11. Now he just has to sit back and wait for us implode, because with Barack Hussein Obama now at the helm, this implosion may come regardless of our extreme precautions and Capitol Hill’s “stimulating” measures.