They do the jobs Americans won’t do.” When it comes to the immigration debate, we’ve heard this statement many times. But, if it’s true, then maybe we should be asking “Why?” That is: why won’t Americans to do these jobs? The answer lies in the serious damage the welfare state has inflicted on the work-ethic of homegrown Americans.

Let’s start right here in the nation’s capitol. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C., had a monthly average of 10,285 adult welfare recipients last year (this doesn’t include figures for families). Since welfare reform was enacted 10 years ago, the number of welfare recipients has dropped considerably — a fact that is partly due to demographic shifts caused by gentrification. Still, that’s a lot of people on welfare, particularly given there are only about 560,000 people in D.C. to begin with.