This morning I opened an email from someone I love. It was a forward entitled “Are We That Stupid” and purported to supply a great many facts about taxes and illegal immigration. The basic suggestion boiled down to this: Illegal immigration costs more than the war in Iraq so people should not concern themselves with the war’s cost but only with the (supposed) social service dollars being used by illegal immigrants. Here is my response:
The short answer is “Yes, I am that stupid.” In spades. I don’t have time right now to check all the links you sent. But here’s one I did check with the response of the sponsors of the site: http://www.taxfoundation.org/blog/show/22958.html. The site itself takes issues with the “facts” in your email.
Second, the supposed list of costs of “illegal aliens” includes some completely unverifiable guesses–such as 200 billion in lost wages. And the diatribe relies on the 200 billion to come up with a tally of less than 400 billion dollars that remains 1/2 or less of the ongoing cost of the war in Ira–and we haven’t even seen the costs of caring for physically and psychologically wounded warriors from Iraq. Many of the jobs performed by Mexican workers are jobs citizens will not do. And aside from the ethnic hostility such emails stir up (by which I am nothing short of appalled) the fact remains that many of these workers (those with phony soc sec numbers) also contribute taxes–without reaping the benefits.
Furthermore, it’s absolutely not true that Barrack Obama plans to raise taxes on most Americans–although I doubt under the present circumstances that he will be able to offer the tax cuts he has promised. Tax increases (or more accurately returns to previous levels) will occur for those in the top 1% of our popultation. Are you making more than $250,000 a year? If you were, do you think it would bankrupt you to pay some of those thousands in taxes in order to rebuild infrastructure and, yes, support the military? You can look at those taxes as insurance to protect you from the social disintegration and criminality likely to result from the continuing redistribution of wealth in this country to the rich and away from the workers–of whatever origin–at the bottom of the ladder? How many of your own benefits–social security, medicare, unemployment insurance, disability insurance, occupational safety, clean air and water, safe drugs . . . are you willing to give up or reduce?
Finally, it is simply LUDICROUS to blame the present mess entirely on the Democratic congress that has had the slimmest majority for 2 years of the last 15 (Republicans controlled national legislation from 1994 until 2006). Much of what the brief majority aimed to do was thwarted by fillibusters. Recognition that rightful moral outrage against the war’s beginning could not translate into an easy answer to the present situation made it difficult to limit it or bring troops home–and save money there. In fact, for those of you who cheer for the surge, that was authorized under this Democratic congress–should they shoulder all the credit for that?
The mess we’re seeing unravel now is certainly of bipartisan–and CITIZEN–creation. Greed at every level, ignorance of the facts, an unmerited trust in our own righteousness and confidence in our unending economic prosperity, and–as evidenced by this poisonous forward–rampant jingoism have put us in a terrible position. The way out is not misrepresentation of the facts or finger-pointing at a group of people whose clout in this nation is notably NOT impressive. If illegal immigration is anything like the problem this email suggests, then the employers must bear AT LEAST as much blame for the problem because people do not come here for welfare–and you can’t get unemployment insurance unless you’ve HAD a job and lost it. (Ask my daughter who’s been looking for work for six months and has a master’s degree.)
And regardless of what costs more. Which is more immoral: preemptive action against a government and people that had NOT attacked and, it turns out had no capacity to attack, us or taking care of people who are living and working amongst us? People who are our neighbors. As a Christian I believe in caring for my neighbors–whoever they are and wherever they come from. And those social services that you accuse these folks of taking (believe me I’ll check the web sites) are also available and used by citizens–including yourself. Ask yourself which party is behind ideas like disability insurance.
I’m sorry to sound so angry. But I am. Forwards like this make me furious. I have always thought of you as compassionate and gentle, but this anger at a group of people whom we hardly know–that extends to the language they speak–strikes me as anything but. It is scapegoating–and an oversimplification of a complicated and long-standing problem.
Sometimes I do just delete (as the email recommends), but this morning I simply can’t do that. Too much is at stake. If in my checking of web sites, I find some truth in the points you’ve raised, I will apply them to the rest of what I know–and believe to be right. My real problem with this email is its hatefulness and its suggestion that if war is cheaper it is therefore right or shouldn’t be questioned. That is a dangerous as well as an immoral position.
So I am at least as stupid as the people referenced by your email.
And I plan to continue in that path.
