Why did you believe THAT?

I have a Facebook friend that likes to post things just to get a reaction out of people. I’m convinced that the more inflammatory the potential of the post is, the more he likes it. I know my friend is a political conservative. I respect his right to have whatever political view he wants...after all that is what our country is about. However, I sometimes shake my head about the things he chooses to post and my perception that he BELIEVES this stuff. Usually I let it go, but the other day he had posted a link that was just SO over the top that I found myself commenting, and now I find myself blogging.

He posted the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fu6ok5ykyuQ&feature=share .  I don’t think I can do it justice, so you really should watch it first. However, if you aren’t able to view it, I will summarize it this way: A guy is driving thru the Tacoma Housing Authority’s Salishan project. As he drives thru filming the various buildings, streets, cars, he talks nonstop about how this entire project was built for ‘illegal immigrants’ with ‘$225 Million of social security money’ (he keeps emphasizing the amount of money in a really obnoxious way). He rants about how beautiful the project is, how it is constructed without concern of cost, how the ‘illegal immigrants’ and ‘foreigners’ get to live in this project for free and how they each receive $2,642 a month in social security money even though they are ‘illegal immigrants’. He repeats over and over and over again how the project is built for ‘illegal immigrants’. He rails about the ‘foreigners’ that live there. He even lists them as ‘Koreans, Chinese, orientals’. Uh huh, he used ‘orientals’ as a proper term.

Now in my humble opinion, the guy that made the video is a pompous, blowbag bigot that has a lot of hatred towards anyone who wasn’t born in this country. Furthermore, he spouts about how the government programs work, but he is slightly off (as in COMPLETELY OFF HIS ROCKER) in his rant. As I watched the video, my reaction was one of unbelief that this guy could spout lie after exaggerated lie about the Salishan project and how the government was building this project for ‘illegal immigrants’. Judging by the other comments to my friend’s post, I was (somewhat) alone in my unbelief of this guy’s rhetoric. PEOPLE WERE BELIEVING THE CONTENT OF THE VIDEO. I couldn’t believe it and it made me question ‘WHY DID YOU BELIEVE THAT?’.

Like I said, the video piqued my interest. I had recently read an article about World War II era housing authority projects in the Puget Sound region and their need to be revitalized and/or rebuilt. Salishan had been included in this article. Salishan is a Tacoma Housing Authority project that was originally built after World War II. They have been rebuilding and upgrading it for years. It is a MIXED use project, meaning that the project consists of low income AND market rate owners. PLUS there is a lot of commercial space in this project that is either rented for market rate, or sold, so that it helps to underwrite the cost of maintenance and infrastructure. I have no doubt that there is controversy about the Salishan project. Any large project would be subject to intense scrutiny. I have not spent the time researching everything that has been said/written about the project. My information comes from a few articles and the Tacoma Housing Authority's own website which details the various 'neighborhoods' and tenants within the project.  This a project that was started BEFORE THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION. However, this little fact didn’t stop someone from posting: That is absolute BS! After seeing this, I don't know how anyone can vote for a democrat and their entitlement programs (see example above)! No wonder why we have so many illegal immigrants if thats the kind of good life the government provides. Its also the reason why our country is BROKE!

Again, I asked myself ‘HOW CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS?’. The author of the comment is a smart young man, how could he watch the video and not see the hatred and mistruths that this man was spewing? How could he not want to check things out for himself and verify if these unbelievable statements were true or not. Why was he so determined to believe it at face value? 

I could go on and on about everything in the video that made me gasp. Even if the rhetoric the man was spewing was true, how can people forget that, for most of us, OUR ANCESTORS were immigrants to this country...granted the programs of today for immigrants weren't there in those days, but today's immigrants face a whole host of problems (just like we do) that didn't exist then either. Why is there so much hatred and mistrust of those that immigrate to our country?  When did that happen?  I understand that a staggering amount of money has been spent on public housing, and in particular this project.  I understand that Mixed Economic Use projects like this one are expensive, but the theory is that this type of housing model proves a better project in the long run to have BOTH low income AND middle-upper income in the same neighborhood, but to attract the mid-upper, you have to have it built and looking nice. After all, public perception is such that no one wants low income in THEIR backyard.  Right?

Another one of my problems with this video (besides the apparent distaste this man has for ‘foreigners’ and people of low income) is that it implies that ALL THE HOUSING UNITS were built for 'illegal immigrants'. That is NOT true.  How could you believe this was true?  There is a wide range of housing units in the Salishan project, everything from a Baptist Assisted Living/Retirement facility to privately owned medical clinics to Habitat For Humanity homes, to market rate rentals. The actual number of true subsidized low income units is small in the overall scheme. Furthermore, no part of the project was built for ‘illegal immigrants’ (seriously can you imagine the Housing Authority planning meeting??  'Yup, let's design and build a project for illegal immigrants.  I am sure no one will mind, the government will give us plenty of money for that so long as we make it ONLY for illegal immigrants').   First, this guy is confusing undocumented workers (aka ‘illegal immigrants’) with those that qualify for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) as a ‘qualified alien’ under the Federal Government guidelines (which again were NOT WRITTEN DURING THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION, but which have existed for many, many years). A ‘qualified alien’  is someone who has IS IN THIS COUNTRY LEGALLY and generally is one who has previously either sought asylum or is a qualified refugee (as deemed by several specific factors). Only after you are determined to be a ‘qualified alien’ (again, which you can only be deemed if you have entered our country legally and are properly documented) can you then be considered for receiving SSI. It is a lengthy process that is not granted easily. Income and asset restrictions still apply. Bottom line, if you are an ‘illegal immigrant’ you CANNOT QUALIFY FOR SOCIAL SECURITY OR SSI. Another little factoid that seems to have escaped the video’s narrator, SSI is NOT FUNDED by Social Security dollars. While SSI is a Social Security program, it is not funded by Social Security monies that come out of our paychecks. It is funded by general tax revenue. Some may not see the distinction, but there IS a distinction. Another interesting fact, there are many ‘illegal immigrants’ that pay into Social Security but which will never collect Social Security.  That's right, I am acknowledging that there are illegal immigrants in this country that are WORKING.  Shocking I know. (denote sarcasm here).

Regardless of how others may feel about immigration or low income issues, or what political party you align yourself with most, I always struggle with the social justice issues i.e., housing assistance, food stamps, WIC, SSI (again which is a program that was established and exists to provide supplemental income to disabled folks who have little to no income and assets) and other like programs. I go rounds with myself wondering what is required of us as a nation that (in spite of its current economic woes) has been blessed with an (over)abundance. Even more personally as a follower of Christ, I can never quite shake the direction in Luke 12:48: "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked."   I know, I know, there are some that say this doesn't apply to what I am talking about.  Some say that this is taken out of context.  Personally, I don't want to make that call that it 'doesn't apply' to my life.  I understand and acknowledge that from a fiscally conservative view social justice issues don't pencil out very well, but is that the only thing we should focus on???

For me, I hope that I continue to check into the background of statements that I hear that shock me and seem unbelievable.  I have found that in today's political arena and mass media environment, there is a lot of slant and embellishment going on to try to scare people one way or the other.   I try to not take too much at face value, especially if it seems a little shocking.  I also hope that others would do the same.