There they go again.

I guess once was not enough, so the group of angry, fear-mongering loudmouths mimicking Lou Dobbs, trying to make names for themselves by whipping up an anti-immigrant frenzy are at it again. Just read the headline below.

The Federation for American Immigration Reform is holding its annual “Hold Their Feet to the Fire” talk radio rally September 10 and 11 in Washington, DC. FAIR expects this to be the largest of these events with upwards of 50 to 75 talk radio hosts expected to broadcast from Washington. FAIR says the goal of the event is to “counteract the special interests attempting to set an amnesty agenda for the new Congress and the next president.”

The group wants to repeat a “Radio Row” rally in Washington, D.C., just like the hate-fest it held last year. Back then it brought together 37 talk show hosts to broadcast from Washington, D.C. for three days, with the goal of stopping the immigration reform legislation moving through congress.

The problem with FAIR is, it isn’t fair. The group’s acronym is grossly inappropriate. It uses half-truths and distortions to support immigration policies that are really just a thin disguise for anti-Hispanic racism.

Its founder, John Tanton, has compared immigrants to bacteria. Tanton also runs The Social Contract Press, which the Southern Poverty Law Center lists as a hate group because of its anti-Latino and white supremacist writings. Some internal memos written by Tanton got out to the public a few years back, in which he questioned Latinos’ “educability.”

FAIR contends “illegal immigrants” cost us millions of dollars for health care, education and law enforcement. Just last month I pointed out the findings of a study by the well-known and respected Rand Corporation which said flatly that while Medicaid pays an estimated $1.1 billion a year for the care of undocumented immigrants, those same “illegal immigrants” contribute an estimated $8.5 billion every year for Social Security and Medicare taxes – that they never collect.

Let me explain that for the folks at FAIR, who seem to have weak math skills: that means U.S. citizens get to keep and use $7.4 billion the “illegals” pay.

And while it’s true that if you just count state taxes the undocumented immigrants pay there generally is a net cost compared to the services they use, that’s only true if you don’t count all the revenue they produce. “Illegal immigrants” buy food and gas and other things, too. In Texas alone, a state study estimated that approximately 1.4 million undocumented immigrants produced $1.58 billion in state revenues, substantially surpassing the $1.16 billion in state services they received.

It is really sad to see this sort of behavior from individuals who are suppose to be the truth-keepers of the airwaves. They would all do themselves a favor by reading Geraldo’s Rivera’s latest book, His Panic. In it, Rivera takes on the myths and lies that are used daily, to turn immigration reform into a wedge issue in our country.

Lastly, it would be great to see the Spanish language radio broadcasters come together during the same time period and have their voices heard in DC as well.
Working together for proper PPM measurement is a good thing for them to do for the industry, working together for the truth about the undocumented, is the right thing to do for our country.

By: Jose Cancela

Jose Cancela is Principal of Hispanic USA Inc, a full service Hispanic Market Communications firm. He has also the author of “The Power of Business en Español, Seven Fundamental Keys to Unlocking the Potential of the Spanish Language Hispanic Market” Rayo / HarperCollins

jo**@hi*********.net
http://www.hispanicusa.net>