Proving once again that “compassionate liberalism” is a gateway drug to total, unrestrained left-wing radicalism of the highest order, Democrat presidential candidate Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand has now come out in support of expanding Social Security to illegal aliens.

“[W]e need comprehensive immigration reform,” she said at a campaign event Tuesday in Iowa. “If you are in this country now, you must have the right to pay into Social Security, to pay your taxes, to pay into the local school system, and to have a pathway to citizenship. That must happen!”

Listen:

While what she said is itself stunning, that she said it is no surprise.

During her tenure as a New York state representative between 2007 and 2009, she expressed opposition to then-New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s proposal to issue driver’s licenses to illegal aliens.

Nearly a decade later — and after the transformative presidency of Barack Hussein Obama, whose Marxist agenda wound up tilting the Democrat Party far to the left — she changed course and announced two months ago that she now believes in giving illegals driver’s licenses.

‘Flip-flopping joke’: Kirsten Gillibrand reverses course, again. Now supports driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants https://t.co/aukX1qhz4z — Bo Snerdley (@BoSnerdley) January 17, 2019

Flip-flops such as these are nothing new in the age of “progressive” liberalism. Democrats used to support securing the border; now they oppose it. Democrats use to oppose sensible abortion limits; now they oppose them. Democrats used to be against illegal immigration; now they promote it.

Regarding Gillibrand’s radical new proposal, if illegal aliens were allowed to pay into the Social Security system, they’d, therefore, be permitted to draw money from the system as well.

This is alarming because, as it stands, illegal aliens are already costing American taxpayers billions of dollars because of how much welfare they collect.

This was true in 2011: “Census Bureau data reveals that most U.S. families headed by illegal immigrants use taxpayer-funded welfare programs on behalf of their American-born anchor babies,” Judicial Watch reported at the time.

And it’s still true now, according to Steven A. Camarota, the director of research at the Center for Immigration Studies.

“A large share of the welfare used by immigrant households is received on behalf of their US-born children. This is especially true of households headed by illegal immigrants. There is simply no question that households headed by illegal immigrants access a good deal of welfare. In fact, illegal immigrants’ use of some programs is quite high,” he said to the New York Post last year.

A report published in 2017 by the Federation for American Immigration Reform found that illegal aliens cost the American taxpayer at least $135 billion per year.

Fox News host Tucker Carlson spoke about this report at the time:

Adding to the complications is the fact that, as of 2018, the Social Security system is now doling out more money than it receives.

“According to the newest Social Security Board of Trustees report, the program is set to hit a major inflection point this year. Beginning in 2018 and continuing every year thereafter, the SSA is projected to expend more than it generates in annual income,” The Motley Fool warned last year.

“Although the program has a healthy amount of excess cash that’s been built up over the past 35 years (nearly $2.9 trillion), it’s expected to dwindle over the next 16 years. By 2034, Social Security’s asset reserves are estimated to be depleted.”

What do you suppose would happen to the system were it expanded to illegals?

It’d allow millions of “illegal aliens now in the labor force to become Social Security retirement beneficiaries, and it would allow additional millions of illegal aliens not yet in the labor force to begin to qualify for benefits,” the Federation for American Immigration Reform notes.

“It is obvious that if there is no significant increase in payments into the system while at the same time a significant number of potential beneficiaries are added to the system, the result would be an acceleration of the date the SSTF [Social Security Trust Fund] is no longer solvent.”

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But there’s more.

“Social Security benefits are not a payment from a savings account,” the federation notes. “The payments of current workers support retired workers. The system gives relatively greater benefits to those who earn less.”

And since most ilegal aliens are lower-earning, unskilled workers, they’d benefit greatly at the expense of their more-skilled, higher-earning bona fide American peers.

Does that sound fair to you? It certainly doesn’t to social media users:

@SenGillibrand really? Offering up more free benefits to illegals just so you can get more votes? Legal Americans have worked long & hard for these benefits! And still barely get any help! WTF? ? — Cindy M (@cindy_momma) March 20, 2019

Meanwhile my wife has been paying into SS her entire adult life. Now she’s unable to work after 3 wrist surgeries in a year and a half and she can’t get a dime. Maybe we should take care of the people who pay for it before giving it away for free? — Rich Stewart (@SlimStewie) March 20, 2019

If you are not legal, no way you get any of my Social Security. — Mary Meisch (@mgmeisch) March 20, 2019

I’m an American Citizen paying into Social Security since 1976. Average monthly benefit in 2019 for retirees is $1461. That’s poverty level for 43 yrs of work. An illegal alien who’s paid nothing gets benefits? Why work? @SenGillibrand — TheMama2G (@TheMama2G) March 20, 2019

@SenGillibrand Apparently you’re not aware that Social Security is going to go bankrupt in a few years. You idea will make bankruptcy arrive seniors#SeniorsOpposeDemocrats — Gary W. Ellis (@gary_w_ellis) March 20, 2019

Yeah, that’s exactly why I contributed to Social Security from each and every paycheck in the course of my long career. So, Kirsten Gillbrand could give my earnings to an illegal immigrant. @SenGillibrand — R Scott Semken (@snekmeseht) March 20, 2019

HERE’S WHAT YOU’RE MISSING …