Wednesday, October 24, 2012

The Illegals

My boss and I are on different ends of the political spectrum.  I try to stay away from political discussions with him; we're never going to agree.

But when he started going off on "the illegals" the other day, I had to speak up.

"The goddam illegals are the problem!," he said.  "They're sucking us dry!  Did you know that illegals can collect social security?"

"Um, no, actually, they can't," I said.

"Oh yes they can!  They can collect social security, and they can get driver's licenses, and they can vote! And you know damn well they're all gonna vote for Obama!," he said.

Okay, time to start googling.  Because I don't claim to know it all.  And unlike my boss, who believes everything his Tea Party nutjob friends tell him, I prefer to get the facts before I start talking.

Web searches done, I handed him a sheaf of papers.  "Here you go," I said.  "They can't collect social security, they can't get driver's licenses, at least in most states, and they can't vote."

"Well, they just do it ILLEGALLY," he said.

I was prepared for that.  One of the sites I visited had mentioned it.  "There were fourteen cases of  undocumented persons voting, in the past several years.  FOURTEEN.  Out of how many millions of votes cast?  And you're worried about fourteen cases?"

Well, no,  of course he's not worried about fourteen cases.  He's worried because Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh keep telling him that "the illegals" are the one of the reasons his entire rich-white-man entitlement is swirling around on its way down the drain, and he's frightened.

But you know what?  From now on, every time he starts spouting this ridiculous bullshit that Fox News feeds him,  I'm going to fight back with facts.

And you know why?  Because that privileged white man made more than five times what I did last year.  Which is fine.  He worked for it.  But you know what's not fine?  I  paid more in taxes than he did. 

And that's not right.  And to hear him bitching about the f*cking  "illegals" being the source of the country's woes?  Makes  me sick.  Because HE'S the problem.  Him and his tax cuts and his screw-the-poor attitude and his absolute willingness to fund unnecessary wars to prop up the military-industrial machine, because his rich buddies all run factories that supply the armed forces.  HE's the problem.

And I'm going to learn some things in the process.  When the boss spouted off about illegals collecting social security, well, I was pretty sure that they couldn't, but I wasn't 100% sure.  So I did a little research, and five minutes later, I knew.  For sure.

Ain't facts glorious things?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

And they pay the same sales taxes as everyone else...and since they make a shitload less than Mr. Boss, the 8% they pay is a proportionally greater slice of their salary than his slice. Hey, the poor pay higher taxes than the rich AGAIN!

Wonder why that is?! Something to do with the jacked way that we elect only the extremely affluent to positions of legislative influence, perhaps?
--bridgett

Domestic Kate said...

One of the problems of the right v. left is that the right has always won the shouting match. Meanwhile, the left looks weak because we try to listen, get our facts straight, and be open-minded to other points of view.

Unfortunately, it is time for the left to both get our facts straight and shout the loudest. Good for you for standing up to him and not succumbing to the "everyone's entitled to their opinions" philosophy. Sure, people can have and express opinions, but they need to be reminded that those expressions have consequences.

BTW, in case you need more to say to your boss:

1. Undocumented immigrants see how corrupt and useless our democracy is. Voting in our elections isn't a priority for them. They'd rather go back to their home country and vote so they can help change the crap going on there.

2. People can drive without a driver's license. Having a license means they're easier to track down. The ones who get licenses are trying to show that they want to play by the rules as much as possible.

3. Undocumented workers pay taxes. Not just sales tax--they get paychecks with deductions taken out just like everyone else. The government won't give out green cards to just anybody, but they'll gladly give out ITIN (a tax ID).

Laura said...

http://www.npr.org/2012/10/15/162799512/a-startling-gap-between-us-and-them-in-plutocrats

I found this interesting. What do you think about it?

rockygrace said...

bridgett, yeah, let's face it, in order to get elected to higher office, you're gotta either be rich yourself or have a viewpoint that appeals to the rich, so they'll fund your campaign.

Kate, thanks for the talking points. I know I'm never gonna change this man's viewpoint, but at least I can try. What baffles me is that this is an intelligent man who is not wholly without compassion. And yet, the things he believes ...

and Laura, thanks for stopping by! Thanks for the link - I really want to read that book now. It's that whole "I got mine, now screw the rest of you" attitude that baffles me. Oh, sure, there are exceptions - just look at Bill and Melinda Gates. But by and large, people like my boss go apoplectic at the idea that they have any more obligation, either monitarily (tax-wise) or morally (I can give someone a leg up), than somebody making 30K a year. I swear to God, my boss thinks that donating to charity is something the little people do. It's just ... perplexing.