Do You Value Reality?
This is a political post.
If interested please scroll down.
Recently, I did a post stating that I anticipate the #1 issue Republicans will use to attack Democrats will be our border with Mexico.
Everything though that Republicans will assert will be…a lie. Even these two words are a lie: “Open borders”. Because there’s no such thing in America.
As I have learned however, Republican voters are allergic to truth and reality. They fully accept the most outlandish lie as long as the lie is about Democrats.
Fox news and Republican pundits push out utter bullshit 24/7 and Republican voters eat this up as if it is filet mignon.
Think I am being dramatic?
This was posted yesterday on Facebook. I know this person:
.
I know never to get into arguments on Facebook but I wanted others to read my reply:
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Well said, Ross. Unfortunately, I don’t think any (or very few) Republicans are interested in reality.
Agreed, Karen. If a Republican was interested in reality…they wouldn’t be a Republican.
Because everything they believe about their party is a lie.
And everything they believe about Democrats is a lie.
It didn’t used to be this way.
Ross, you are so right about immigrants contributing way more than anybody realizes. I remember back in the early 1980’s taking an economics class and one very right wing fellow decided he wanted to do his presentation on illegal immigrants and their drain on the economy. This is in California and at that time there was a mass deportation of illegal immigrants. The strawberry fields laid unpicked as no “American” wanted to pick strawberries, it is back breaking work. The fellow ended up changing his stance 180 degrees – it was fun to watch him explain that what he thought was not even close to true. That might have been the 1980’s but it holds true today! I don’t remember if the strawberry fields ever got picked!
Thank you, Judy.
As I’ve stated: when the Supreme Court tossed Roe into the gutter I knew the GOP would have to find another way to get Republicans to the voting booths, as they had lost their #1 issue.
So, their new boogeyman:
Drag Queens!
Don’t say gay!
Trans people!
Immigrants!
And Republican voters don’t even see how easily they are being played. They endlessly support a party which does nothing to help them but is always scaring them.
Being addicted to fear is a terrible thing.
I wasn’t a migrant farm worker but I did pick strawberries in the field in the early 60s in violation of child labor laws. My parents got away with it because they weren’t our fields and we weren’t getting paid. Down the street from us a farm had been sold to developers and the walnut trees and strawberry fields were abandoned while the developer waited to build. So we were led down the road with baskets and bags and spent an hour or two picking walnuts up off the ground or picking free strawberries off of the plants. I’m sure because I was only 9 and closer to the ground it wasn’t as bad as working a full day as an adult. But I still remember it wasn’t fun, even if I got to eat strawberries as I went and after we were done we would get strawberry shortcake or pie or whatever else my mom would make with them.
I did get really tired of eating walnuts.
Ross, you are so right!! I watched a reporter interview Iowa farmers. One depended on immigrants to help on the farm. When he learned what Trump said about them he wasn’t happy. The interviewer asked him how he thought his workers would feel. He responded that they too would not like that. So you see, when someone like the farmers that depend on people are affected and see that the immigrants are good hard working folks suddenly their tune changes. They all are not drug addicted, criminals bringing in drugs and getting social security benefits.
That doesn’t always work. They are against all sorts of stuff until it is gone and then they scream because something they had that they counted on is gone.
Just look at how many Republicans depend on Social Security or Medicare or other programs but they want small government and the government to get out of their lives and they want free handouts abolished and no more socialism! No Socialism but don’t touch my Medicare.
That’s exactly it, Ross: Fear. However, “fear” really can’t come up in polite discussion, can it? So it’s framed in vague rhetoric designed to divide.
When a people are divided, everyone becomes distracted from the focus of any & all issues, until those real issues become moot. The focus is redirected to other issues, fearful issues. And the infighting continues to divide.
Words can be powerful.
We do have a word – one word that would & should, make everyone quake in their boots. This word can take everything on their list & turn it around to help redirect focus back to real issues.
One word: numbers
Gay
Black
Indigenous
Drag Queen
Immigrant
Transgender
Biracial
Women
We, the People … have more numbers.
I don’t have a strong position either way on the issue and in fact I do respect and appreciate the hard work and hard life that immigrants face. But you did prompt me to do a little research. This came directly out of report presented to the Senate by The Heritage Foundation from a few months ago titled “The Net Fiscal Costs of Low-skilled and Illegal Immigration for the U.S. Taxpayer”
“The current net fiscal cost of illegal aliens in the U.S. is between $84 and $94 billion per year. This means that illegal aliens receive $84 to $94 billion more in government benefits and services than they pay in total taxes.”
So assuming this report is at least somewhat accurate, there does appear to be a significant cost related to illegal immigration beyond the tax contributions that they make. There is also a security concern. If anyone can easily gain access into the Country, we then have greater exposure to terrorism like 9/11. Which is not a good thing when so many around the world hold the US in contempt. Its also not right that one person follows the proper immigration rules while another just ignores them – eventually no one will follow those rules. So while I do agree that the issue, like many issues, is exaggerated by Fox News and the MAGA’s, I do believe that there is a real issue that needs to be addressed.
I just googled “The Heritage Foundation” and found the Wiki entry for it. At the bottom are the “Positions” that this organization has taken, and I’m sorry to inform you but all of them are utter garbage. I am not sure what wing-nut brought this report to the Senate, but it’s validity is highly suspect as a supposedly unbiased supplier of statistical data. I’d be interested in their source for this $84-$94 billion per year… I suspect it’s based in as much bogus “data” as all the other positions they have taken.
I will admit that I did not spend much time checking this Foundation out. You could very well be right. I still don’t see how illegal immigrants can be inputting enough tax revenue to cover the expenses incurred especially since a great many of them are paid under the table. There are other expenses as well that we carry indirectly – health care costs for one – that are not addressed by way of government revenue/expenses. Then the other two issues are still issues as well. The point is that to deny that it is a legitimate problem is not, in my humble opinion, realistic. It may not be as magnified as MAGA wants you to believe, but it is nevertheless an issue that needs attention.
Hi, John.
As I stated:
Undocumented immigrants pay BILLIONS:
In 2019, the IRS reported that 2.5 million tax returns were filed using ITINs, totaling $6 billion in taxes.
In addition, because of automatic payroll tax deductions, undocumented immigrants contribute billions ($13 billion in 2019) to Social Security. But they will never get a penny of that back.
Also, Democrats are highly aware of the issue and have spent decades working to improve the situation. But Republicans keep blocking most of this so they can have a campaign issue to beat up Democrats with, as I’ve been warning.
You also previously wrote: “There is also a security concern. If anyone can easily gain access into the Country, we then have greater exposure to terrorism like 9/11.”
You know that the people behind 9/11 didn’t walk across our southern border, right? They flew on airplanes.
And immigrants have a significantly lower rate of crime per 1,000 than American citizens.
Recently, all 11 of our intelligence agencies stated that right-wing American supremacists were the #1 biggest threat to America, as profoundly displayed on 1/6.
John, I try and imagine what it must be like for a person or family to leave all they’ve known due to their lives having become untenable due to violence or poverty or hunger, or often all three. They then make a stunningly dangerous and long trip to what they hope will be safety in America. The bravery of this stuns me. Once here, either documented or not, immigrants are grateful to be here and they prove their gratitude through a deep commitment to working hard, obeying the laws, and doing all they can to make things better for their children.
Thank you, Paul. I 100% agree about Heritage. They are determined to destroy democracy and have profoundly damaged the Supreme Court.
Truth is just the opposite. . .
“Proposed cuts to our legal immigration system would have devastating effects on our economy, decreasing GDP by 2% over twenty years, shrinking growth by 12.5%, and cutting 4.6 million jobs. Rust Belt states would be hit particularly hard, as they rely on immigration to stabilize their populations and revive their economies.”
– fwd dot us
Also, the US would benefit from a better system of providing “green cards” to workers who cross the border seasonally for work. Many undocumented workers don’t live here year ’round and would be safer if a better system would accommodate them.
As far as asylum goes, the US needs immigrants. Our 65 and older population will double by 2050 and our birthrate isn’t replacing workers.
Most everything you’re told by Fox News, Newsmax, and other conservative news venues about undocumented workers and immigrants is categorically false, designed to drum up indignation and GOP votes.
Thank you, again, Kate!
You’re quite welcome!
Hi again, John.
The Heritage Foundation is as far right-wing as can be. EVERYTHING they put forth is either an complete lie or so distorted as to be a lie.
Please note that the numbers I detailed are direct from the IRS.
Hi Ross, Yes. I see that now. I apologize for posting their info without doing some research. I should have known better. But I still do think that the issue is a legitimate issue. Just not an issue of the magnitude as presented by MAGA.
Thank you, John.
The Heritage Foundation is not a reliable source. The are hardly neutral or unbiased.
Before you rely on any source it should be vetted as to any bias or political leanings.
Just because a report was presented in no way guarantees any accuracy unless you vet the source of that report.
Having lived close to the border in the Southwest for 50 years, I can assure you that not only do undocumented workers pay taxes, they also rent dwellings, shop for food and necessities, and support local economies just like everyone else. And they often work in jobs that most Americans don’t want, for less pay than they deserve. And they DO NOT qualify for food stamps and other federal and state safety net programs that serve citizens only.
Than you, Kate. It’s nice having a first-hand account.
You’re quite welcome!
Absolutely. Not to mention they do jobs Americans turn their noses up at. They are also often abused by their employers; overworked an either underpaid or in some cases not paid at all. Guess what party the majority of their employers belong to? Do I even have to spell out the letters?
While I do not advocate for illegal immigration I know our system is broken and we need major revisions to make it fair and provide a path for legal immigration and citizenship not only for those that want to immigrate now but for those already here. We absolutely need to do something about those that were brought here as children, had no choice and this is the only country they have ever known.
This country was built on immigration and we should be doing something to fix the prejudicial policies and laws of the past.
Does it need to be pointed out that it is the Republicans in the House that are blocking all attempts to do anything about the border specifically to keep it as a campaign talking point for Donald Trump?
And you are absolutely correct. Those that have swallowed the Koolaid cannot be educated on the actual facts. They are truth-deniers. I consider it a type of mental impairment.
Excellent post, Ross. And now the Senate will be sending a border bill to the House pretty much giving them everything they want. Everyone says it will be DOA. What do you think? Can Biden overcome this setback if it happens?
Biden has nothing to overcome. The GOP will have shot themselves in the foot.
If the GOP doesn’t vote for a bill giving them everything they want, then the Democrats will use that against them. Hypocrites that can’t get anything done, not even when it’s handed to them on a silver platter and they get everything they ask for.
Biden will campaign on look at what I’ve managed to get done despite a do-nothing, dysfunctional Congress.
But hey, the male members of the House now have a dress code! What an accomplishment.
Good answer! Makes me hopeful.
Hi, Mary! I don’t think the Senate bill has been revealed yet, so we don’t know what’s in it. But, agreed, the House Speaker has said it will be dead upon arrival so as to not give Biden a win. Yet more evidence:
Democrats HELP
Republicans HARM