Thoughts on the email that I received? Real event or cautionary tale?

I'm not forwarding it to my friends, as I was requested to do, since I have no idea of where it actually originated. Is there really a "Florida teacher" or is the story just one created to illustrate a problem? A lot of people seem concerned over things falling so neatly into place for people who come into the United States to avail themselves of our educational system, but that everything falls so neatly into place for the student in the email that--to me--the letter seems suspect. Thoughts?

The letter:

This is a subject close to my heart. Do you know that we have adult students at the school where I teach who are NOT U.S. citizens and who get the PELL Grant, which is a federal grant (no payback required) plus other federal grants to go to school?

One student from the Dominican Republic told me that she didn't want me to find a job for her after she finished my program, because she was getting housing from our housing department and she was getting a PELL Grant which paid for her total tuition and books, plus money leftover.

She was looking into WAIT which gives students a CREDIT CARD for gas to come to school, and into CARIBE which is a special program (check it out - I did) for immigrants and it pays for child care and all sorts of needs while they go to school or training. The one student I just mentioned told me she was not going to be a U.S. Citizen because she plans to return to the Dominican Republic someday and that she 'loves HER country.'

I asked her if she felt guilty taking what the U.S. is giving her and then not even bothering to become a citizen and she told me that it doesn't bother her, because that is what the money is there for!

I asked the CARIBE administration about their program and if you ARE a U.S. citizen, you don't qualify for their program. And all the while, I am working a full day, my son-in-law works more than 60 hours a week, and everyone in my family works and pays for our education.

Something is wrong here. I am sorry, but after hearing that they want to sing the National Anthem in Spanish - enough is enough. That's a real slap in the face. It was written by Francis Scott Key and should be sung word for word the way it was written. The news broadcasts even gave the translation -- not even close.

I don't care whether this offends someone or not but this is MY COUNTRY. IF IT IS YOUR COUNTRY SPEAK UP -- please pass this along. I am not against immigration -- I just expect immigrants to come through like everyone else. Get a sponsor; have a place to lay your head; have a job; pay your taxes, live by the rules AND LEARN THE LANGUAGE as all other immigrants have in the past -- and GOD BLESS AMERICA!

PART OF THE PROBLEM - Think about this: If you don't want to forward this for fear of offending someone - YOU'RE PART OF THE PROBLEM! It is Time for America to speak up. If you agree -- pass this along, if you don't agree -- delete it!

End forwarded message -----

 

Like most spam, it is mostly BS. See http://www.snopes.com/politics/immigration/pellgrant.asp

 

I love Snopes. I have gotten to the point where I check stories out there along with all my other research.

 

I love Snopes, too--but I was kind of hoping to generate discussion about the email instead of just running to Snopes to debunk it.

 

If the entire thing is false then what would you like to discuss about it?

 

Well, for one, what the motivation would be for sending something like that. Or, maybe, the persistence of urban myths and cautionary tales? But hey, you're right. Just because you don't want to discuss it means that no one else should, too.

 

The motivation would seem to be apparent. Fear mongering against immigrants. An email is created, which relies on a complete set of falsehoods, with the specific goal of making people mad at immigrants. The goal was evidently to make people so mad at immigrants that they would react the way the author wanted them to.

 

Okay. Sorry. I thought it was interesting. Obviously not.

Nothing to see here . . . move along . . . move along.

 

Actually, there is a term for this type of stuff although not specific to emails, push polling is calling people up not in order to get their opinions but to give them a point of view to think about that they want you to think about. So instead of asking you if you agree with the current immigration policies, they would say, do you agree that giving illegal aliens out tax money for college that could have gone to US kids is the right thing to do? They really don't care what your answer is but you have just listened to a question that puts the situation in terms that they want you to think about such as the terms illegals, taxes, kids. These email are just professionally written ad campaigns designed to manipulate you.