Illegal immigrants and health care reform: Why are the wingnuts obsessed with this?

[Narkos]

Is this all about justifying racism? Can someone please explain the psychology at work here.

[YOY]

1. Combination racism and the "ultimate welfare cheats"

Those who pay nothing in income tax but reap benefits.

Obviously a nightmare come true for Republicans.

Of course I have seen it when even tourists to a country benefit from the medical system.

God forbid anyone gets anything positive out of anything.

[Narkos]

3. You know, I was under the impression that undocumented workers actually did pay taxes. n/t

[YOY]

4. Depends on the situation.

Kind of tough to tax day laborers accurately. Even tougher to tax those who don't really have any money to tax in the first place.

[Narkos]

5. You might find this interesting

http://www.taxfoundation.org/blog/show/1424.html

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. Because they hate

They hate black people.

They hate brown people.

They hate anyone different from them.

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. They are brown, they don't speak english

and that is scary to the wingnuts.

Never mind that most don't speak English but are white... (Europe... I know that shocks most folks)

But it is a racial fear... never mind there is no race

Also they are convenient targets to their hate, and that is the exact word to use... HATE

[Puzzler]

7. "Illegal Immigration" is a rallying cry...

... guaranteed to get every last one of them going. Also, from the right's point of view, it's one of those perfect issues (like abortion) that if successfully injected into the debate, will muddy the "waters" and keep the MSM and moderate Democrats running round in circles trying to put out "brush fires".

The fact that the immigration issue had come up now is no coincidence. Sure, it was raised before, but now it's being heavily promoted, since many of the other arguments against health care reform are getting a bit stale.

[Ramulux]

8. Republicans are xenophobic

Illegal immigrants allow this country to function. Without them, most low paying manual labor jobs would simply not get done. But I do not think we should give the public option to illegal immigrants, we should instead offer these people a legal path to citizenship. Make them citizens and they can receive it just like everyone else.

[mamaleah]

11. "Without them, most low paying manual labor jobs would simply not get done" is WRONG.

Those low paying manual labor jobs used to be decent paying jobs. Not everyone used to walk around with a BS in English from XYZ State U.

Carpentry work, masonry, etc, were never meant to be "low paying". They weren't a path to Beverly Hills, but they certainly helped families for generations to put food on the table and roof over their heads.

Between our disdain for the working class (elitism that says you aren't "good enough" unless you are a college grad) and out greed, the wages have gone down. Unchecked illegal immigration has driven wages down the hole as well.

Punish the crap out of the employers and the employing of illegal immigrants will dry up. Wages will go up.

And we really need to fix our little attitudes about "manual labor". I'd rather have more plumbers and carpenters than kids with Communications degrees.

[Ramulux]

15. Think you misunderstood me

I see what your saying, I did not intend to demean manual labor I was just pointing out that the wages for those jobs are not enough for the average American to seek them out and commit to them. I absolutely agree with you that the working class has been shit on for a long time, as shown by the medias union bashing. I just meant that in places like California, illegal immigrants make up a substantial percentage of the working force and if all of the sudden those people were to disappear, those jobs would simply not be filled. My point is that illegal immigrants do not "steal" jobs, they do the jobs that most of us wont do.

[mamaleah]

19. We can fix the reason why people won't do those jobs.

1) Punish employers who hire illegal immigrants. Heavy, crushing fines work.

2) Recently punished employers, or those who have yet to be caught might catch on and start refusing to hire illegal immigrants.

3) Not being able to find employment, illegal immigrants stop seeking employment.

4) Not having any wage slaves left, former employers of said illegal immigrants will now work to get employees. And that will mean wages having to move up.

My father worked in a factory. We certainly didn't have what would be considered a great life (as in if there were cable and internet at the time....we wouldn't have had that), but we had a warm home, good food, money for what we needed and the occasional treat. We somehow were happy on an average existence.

[cliffordu]

9. The swarthy people. Drives them batshit.

[TxRider]

10. Maybe they think they will go home if they don't have healthcare?

[dflprincess]

12. Just another way to distract them from the real issue

get the tea baggers all wigged out over the idea the an undocumented worker might get a mammogram and the idiots won't notice that they're being screwed by the status quo, not by the undocumented worker.

Works like a charm everytime it's done.

[Narkos]

13. Very good point. n/t

[ddeclue]

14. RACISM.. Illegal immigrant = Mexican to them.

Never mind that there are quite a few from just about everywhere who arrive on tourist VISA's from Europe or Canada or Asia and just over stay them.

[amborin]

16. too stupid to realize it's insanity in this day and age of potentially lethal epidemics

to scare groups of people into not seeking medical care early, and to deny them care

they're too stupid to even act in raw self-interest

[Zoeisright]

17. They always have to hate someone less well-off than they are.

Apparently it's part of their DNA.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

18. Using underlying racism to divert attention from the rich crooks

That's what it's always about.

[Skittles]

20. easy

they get them foaming at the mouth over some nonsense issue so they'll protest/vote against their own self interests - it's Propaganda 101

To me what is less easily explained is how so many people, in the "land of the free" and with access to the internet, can be so easily fooled; it boggles my mind.