Along with waging a war on women, the GOP right and its mouthpiece, Fox News, are waging a war on food stamps which they feel is just another dependency fostering freebie being utilized by lazy, Obama supporting "takers" rather than a safety net for low income Americans. But even more than food stamps, the GOP right wing feel that "illegal immigrants" are a threat to America. Their mouthpiece, Fox News provides a steady stream of propaganda, directed against undocumented immigrants, that reinforces the fear and loathing. This morning, Fox & Friends conflated both memes in order to OMG wage class warfare. While the discussion covered the requisite bigotry bases, it upped the ante by actually lying about food stamp eligibility for undocumented immigrants and claiming that this is happening to get Democratic votes. Good thing Fox & Friends isn't a Fox "news" show; because in addition to not being "fair & balanced," it advanced a bold faced lie. But they did get to use "illegal immigrants" eight times, and reference "makers and takers" so it's all good...
The right wing propaganda began immediately with Brian Kilmeade's statement that one if five Americans are receiving the "government hand-out." Somebody clapped as Gretchen Carlson claimed that the US government "is promoting food stamps to illegal immigrants to say you don't have to prove your citizenship to get the taxpayer funded freebies." Steve Doocy asked "what kind of threat is that to our economy and our security." The graphic explicitly suggested that poor people on "food stamps are ruining our economy." (Certainly not corporations who outsource and pay very low corporate tax rates, nosireee)
The oh, so posh Stuart Varney, whose contempt for the poor is palpable, joined in the hate fest. He asked why the government is advertising to "illegal immigrants" (Fox News don't need no stinking AP style book when talking about undocumented immigrants - except on Fox News Latino!) by saying that "you don't have to say you're illegal but you can get food stamps." He answered his own question: "You're buying votes, a specific voting group is giving them something." The chyron reinforced the propaganda: "No Citizenship, No Problem,USDA Promotes Food Stamps To Illegals." On cue, Doocy asked who is doing this." Kilmeade added "cuz they can't vote." Not surprisingly Varney blamed the Obama administration which is saying "hey you illegals." He made the claim, now hot in the right wing blogosphere and based on information from the right wing Judicial Watch, that the USDA told the DC Mexican Consulate that "you don't have to say that you're illegal."
Doocy asked if he Varney was suggesting that the "illegals come here, get the free food, and vote Democrat." After Varney responded that "indeed they are buying votes," he presented the "other side" of the argument that the government is identifying need. While he and the gang whined about the increased numbers of those on food stamps the chyron reinforced the lie: "On Your Dime, Illegal Immigrants Can Use Snap" and "Taxpayer Funded Freebies: "USDA: Proof of Citizenship Unnecessary"
FACT - Those who are undocumented are NOT eligible for food stamps. If their child is an American citizenship, only one person, the child, receives the benefit which, in a two parent family with one child, would be $147 a month. There are also income (130% of the poverty line) and asset ($2,000 or less) tests to be met before eligibility is determined.
FACT - USDA policy states that "Non-citizens that are in the U.S. temporarily, such as students, are not eligible." The information sent to the Mexican consulate mirrors that language which has always been part of the policy throughout Republican as well as Democratic administration.
The material also states that "usted no tiene que proporcionar informacion sobre su situacion migratoria al solicitar este beneficio para sus hijos."
Translated - You don't have to provide information on your immigration status if you're applying for food stamp benefits for your children. In other words, it's not the business of the food stamp worker to know citizenship status for those not getting benefits. Eligible non-citizens applying for benefits must show green cards and other documentation.
Funny, after the election, the GOP issued a report which encouraged the party to reach out to minorities whose votes they want. If this is any indication of their attempts, that ain't gonna happen! Funny, while Bill O'Reilly pimps propaganda, he does, on occasion, make an effort to get to the truth. On Fox & Friends, they don't even try!
BTW, is "Babie Stewie" on the Family Guy based on Stuart Varney?
1.) $11 Bill ion to $22 billion is spent on welfare to illegal aliens each year. http://tinyurl.com/zob77
2.) $2.2 Bill ion dollars a year is spent on food assistance programs such as food stamps, WIC, and free school lunches for illegal aliens. http://www.cis.org/articles/2004/fiscalexec.html
3.) $2.5 Bill ion dollars a year is spent on Medicaid for illegal aliens. http://www.cis.org/articles/2004/fiscalexec.html
4.) $12 Bill ion dollars a year is spent on primary and secondary school education for children here illegally and they cannot speak a word of English! http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01.html
5.) $17 Bill ion dollars a year is spent for education for the American-born children of illegal aliens, known as anchor babies. http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01.html
$3 Million Dollars a DAY is spent to incarcerate illegal aliens. http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01.html
6.)
30% percent of all Federal Prison inmates are illegal aliens. http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01.html
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8.) $90 Bill ion Dollars a year is spent on illegal aliens for welfare & social services by the American taxpayers. http://premium.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0610/29/ldt.01.html
$200 Bill ion Dollars a year in suppressed American wages are caused by the illegal aliens. http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01.html
9.)
10.) The illegal aliens in the United States have a crime rate that’s two and a half times that of white non-illegal aliens. In particular, their children are going to make a huge additional crime problem in the United States . http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0606/12/ldt.01.html
11.) During the year of 2005 there were 4 to 10 MILLION illegal aliens that crossed our Southern Border also, as many as 19,500 illegal aliens from Terrorist Countries. Millions of pounds of drugs, cocaine, meth, heroine and marijuana, crossed into the U. S. from the Southern border. Homeland Security Report: http://tinyurl.com/t9sht
The National Policy Institute, “estimated that the total cost of mass deportation would be between $206 and $230 billion or an average cost of between $41 and $46 billion annually over a five year period.” http://www.nationalpolicyinstitute.org/pdf/deportation.pdf
12.)
13.) In 2006 illegal aliens sent home $45 BILLION in remittances back to their countries of origin. http://www.rense.com/general75/niht.htm
14.) “The Dark Side of Illegal Immigration: Nearly One Million Sex Crimes Committed by Illegal Immigrants in the United States “. ”http://www.drdsk.com/articles.html">http://www.drdsk.com/articles.html
