One of the anti-Mexican, otherwise known as "anti-illegal immigration" rhetoric points is: "Illegals send $50 Billion* dollars a year to Mexico."
First off... Who cares what anyone does with their earnings??? Do we really want a government that tells us when, where, and how to use OUR money???
Secondly, anyone with a 8th grade grasp of mathematics would understand that if illegals are making $50 Billion, then that means employers are making a hell of a lot more than that. What's happening with that money, and why no outcry about hiring illegals? Maybe because we want our cheap stuff asap.
Thirdly, tea partiers and their media counterparts don't condemn white Americans for spending Billions outside of the confines of the U.S. of A on vacations, or sending money to caucasian family members in Europe.
Fourthly, what about American corporations (i.e. Google) who have off shore bank accounts to avoid paying taxes? Just sayin'.
Fifthly, yes fifthly. The rhetoric doesn't take into any account the fact that illegals help keep our poor economy afloat. They preach about how illegals are leaches on our society. There is no discussion on the amount of money that illegals spend on rent, utilities, transportation, food, entertainment, insurance, etc.
(* $50 Billion was the amount that I remember Laura Ingraham saying.)
Maybe you can include the label "taxes" at the bottom of the blog also. It's sad how many businesses are relocating/outsourcing just to pay way less money in taxes. If the government wanted to keep American jobs in America, they might seriously consider what they're doing with the tax system. Companies will always be about making money, and that is the world we find ourselves in.
ReplyDeleteAwesome post. As I read this, I found myself agreeing out loud with every single point you made.
ReplyDeleteReading this post took me back to the precise moment that changed my stance on illegal immigration. I was in grad school, and on my campus there was some sort of demonstration (don't even remember what it was about anymore). I stopped to observe the protesters, and one student was wearing a button that read "No Human Being is Illegal." All of the sudden, "illegals" became *persons* to me, and since that very instant, I have no longer been able talk about the abstractions of immigration without seeing real, struggling families in my mind's eye. The effect of that slogan on me was profound. It was kind of like a pro-life slogan that changes the terminology from "fetus" to "baby": the wording changes the entire picture.
Oh, and now I'm thinking of another slogan, and I bet you'll recognize this one: "When words lose their meaning, people lose their lives."
I've gotten way off topic, but thank you for another great post.