In an effort to boost her sagging ratings and reputation, Katie Couric and the CBS evening news have decided to move to the far right and depict undocumented women having babies in the U.S. as people taking advantage of the “system” at “taxpayer” expense. The headline roars : Illegal Immigrant Births – At Your Expense, as if immigrants contribute zero to the U.S. economy. The use of the word illegal is a code word meant to invoke anger and fear.

What is most striking is the lack of an other side, another perspective. For example how much money do undocumented immigrants put into the economy? Or how many billions of dollars is being spent in Iraq. Are the people in Iraq putting money into the U.S. economy (and no the billions U.S. big business contractors are making don’t count. After all I’m not seeing any benefit).

And what of the struggling mothers the reporter alludes to. The resentful ones struggling. Well I’m a U.S. citizen, struggling to raise two children. I’m not insured. I’m also not scapegoating.

In a time when most U.S. citizens are in the midst of a healthcare crisis, with the number of uninsured in the millions. It’s much easier for the government, instead of taking responsibility, to point fingers (don’t look at us, it’s THOSE people).

Also, this report is nothing less than a rehashing of a stereotypical image of women of color: woman of color as welfare/government entitlement queen.

Via / CBS News

Gracias also to Clarissa for alerting me to this story.