Illegals often get paid cash, but just as often they DO get checks. Many businesses do not check on people's background to make sure they are legit, now that they have "cracked down" there are busts concerning this. And there is a good number of illegals that pay social security, yet they don't actually have a legit number to collect.
So they may or may not pay taxes is (it depends on the individual) but they CAN NOT collect from these programs.
And some government programs do not work because conservatives who have an interest in them not working (so they can say they did not work and hoard more for themselves at a cost to hardworking citizens) intentionally F' them up. The New Deal worked great and was a major factor in bringing us out of the depression and helping fix the economic system so we could become victorious in WW2 (which also was a help to the economy but the build up it spurred would not have been possible without the New Deal-which is one of the greatest pieces of legislation ever). I grew up in a state that had plenty of social programs, Massachusetts, and let me tell you things were alot better there than the state I live in now. I am fortunate that I don't need any social programs so it doesn't effect me personally. But I've seen people, PEOPLE WHO WORK 50 HOURS A WEEK, who can barely afford their food, shelter, and clothing and CAN'T GET THE MEDICINE THEY NEED.
Like I said, I've never worked a job for more than 5 months (for some extra spending money) and I have good food, good shelter, nice clothes, full health insurance (and not some HMO), am being educated above the high school level, have a car, have supplements, can buy AAS, can sleep until 11, etc. Did I do anything to deserve it? No, my parents worked to make my family well to do (not rich in the sense of having anything we want but we don't worry). But I will do my part by siding with the worker, campaigning for his rights, etc.
And as far as how efficient government programs are, it matters less than you think; why? When it comes to serving the people corporations are 100% inefficient, they do not exist to serve but only to make profits. And in places where it has been worked for gov. programs cost less even if they are less efficient because they do not need huge profits or to pay multi-million dollar salaries (and golden parachutes so that even when they run a company into the ground they get 100s of millions of dollars) for CEOs. I grew up around well to do people and have literally heard them say they couldn't care less what happens to those in the economic classes below them; which is why we must fight for the rights of the middle class and the poor.
