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Sunday, June 04, 2006

It's not just their problem

In the comment section to my last blog, One World Order, there were quite a few really good thoughts, but one idea particularly struck me because I have been thinking the same way. Dick from Travels with Huggy said we need to put pressure on Mexico to try and make the life of their people better. Ingineer added to this by his point questioning why Mexico has this problem given the natural resources they have?

If we mostly could close the border or force employers to not hire illegals, it won't end our problem with Mexico. Their problems with lawlessness in some regions, revolutions now and again, and lack of quality jobs is our direct problem more than when the same thing goes on in Africa. It's in our neighborhood.

Dick's point was a good one-- make people's economic situation better where they come from and they won't need to leave their homes and families. Ingineer's question equally good-- why is this happening there with all their natural resources?

It's a sovereign nation. We can't 'make' them do anything, but can we do things that make it better for their people to stay where they are? Is it possible? Other countries have different cultural responses to life and is that part of why they aren't prosperous? Is it because they were looted by the Western powers or because they simply have corrupt leadership that loots them continually? Other countries with all of Mexico's problems have overcome them and like India are on the road to prosperity.

Theoretically the United Nations was supposed to be a place to help those in trouble. They have proposed a worldwide tax to help disadvantaged countries. Except who would trust them to administer it? Not me. Too many times there have been incidents like their conference to discuss world hunger where the delegates feasted on lobster and stayed at a luxury resort. The United Nations began with grand goals; but, I believe, there has been a big slide from there. Some of it is politics and some just human nature wherever power comes into play.

My question for others to consider ;and if you someday write your answer in a blog, please leave a comment here to tell us where it is-- how could we help Mexico with a problem that is spilling over up here? Do you think if the Mexican government didn't know they could let their people leave, as an escape valve, that they'd care more about solving their own problems? One article I read says that 10% of the Mexican population is now in the United States.

This is not about immigration and trying to stop it all. We have immigration from around the world coming in legally and will continue to do so. The immediate problem is one of uncontrolled immigration and mostly with a neighbor that, if only selfishness will motivate us, has a potential to someday prove as dangerous as the Palestinian/Israeli situation. Are there real solutions, to improving the life in their country, that would cut that flow back to the trickle it used to be and make them more of an ally in prosperity as Canada is today?

8 comments:

Ingineer66 said...

Well just like you, I thought that when Vincente Fox won that the change would start in Mexico, but I guess it is the same as Louisiana. The reason people vote for incumbants is because they have already looted the treasury and got all their friends and relatives jobs. It appears Fox is no better than the PRN or maybe worse he seems to be looking to US to solve his problems more than his predacessors.
One idea I heard was hire Mexicans to build the wall between us and them. That would give a bunch of them good jobs for the next 3 years. Dont think it would stop the flood though.
Here's another idea. Regime change. We invade Mexico and put in a new government that is better at spreading the wealth. Kind of the opposite of Chile. Oh darn tried that and it wasnt popular with the media.
Honestly I thought things would get better down there when all the US companies started moving factories down there. That has happened in other countries we go there improve their lot in life and pretty soon they are buying us out. Can you say Saudi Arabia or Japan or Korea. I guess corruption is just such a big part of life down there and there is such a 2 caste system it is going to take a couple of generations to change it. But then again why change they have the US next door to take their poor in. I guess if India was within walking distance we would have a bunch of their poor instead of their doctors and engineers here.

Rain Trueax said...

Ingineer, know you have a sarcastic sense of humor and hope your suggestion for invading Mexico was that and not something you really think is only unpopular in the US because the media doesn't like it. If you think the media has that much power, you see it as having a tremendous amount of power and Americans as dupes with no ability to analyze a situation for themselves. Amazing with this all-powerful media in place that Bush won twice, isn't it???

Ingineer66 said...

Yes I was being sarcastic. We invaded Mexico in 1846 and got what we wanted, Texas. Apparently there wasnt anything else worth taking then. If only we would have realized the oil and beaches they had.
And yes most Americans are dupes that base their political decisions are what they see in 30 or 60 second sound bites.

Dick said...

Two things that most people seem to more or less agree on are that we do have a problem brewing (or already here) with uncontrolled immigration of untrained, uneducated people from Mexico and that perhaps at least a good start to changing that would be to improve their "condition" in their home country. The big question is what can "we" do about it.

I don't think you or I individually can do much. One thing that does seem to work pretty well anywhere is economic pressure. I have worried about so many good jobs leaving our country (not just to Mexico) and at the same time wondered why we continue to give fantastic tax breaks to companies & corporations, many of whom are responsible for this exedus of jobs. Why not look at our tax policies and take back some of those tax breaks from companies who are really no longer "American" business' except in appearance? Give the real tax breaks to companies who employ people here and work to bring economic prosperity to OUR country. Make the breaks given to other companies proportional to their efforts to keep jobs here.

They could bring economic pressure on the government of Mexico and have a lot better chance of forcing them to improve the lot of their people than you or I individually could.

How can we do this? Get involved. Write letters to your congressional representatives. Point out why these changes can help everyone, including the government budget shortfalls. Make it clear that you are a voter and you do pay attention to what these people do when they get to DC. Go to candidate nights and ask some pointed questions. Vote for those who you think will do something to help solve the problem, follow their carears there and remind them that you are going to pay attention and remember how they do when they next run for re-election. But don't just sit & think about it - DO IT!

Dick said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Ingineer66 said...

Good ideas all Dick, but in reality I think it would take more than economic pressure on Mexico. The ruling class is already set. We would have to force a full scale revolution and that doesnt seem at all likely. Then even if they do revolt are we going to support them people militarily? The Philipines comes to mind or the Kurds. We told them rise up against the tyrants that rule you and we will support you and then when the coup started we stood back and wathced the citizens get slaughtered, when with very little effort we could have helped them succeed.

Rain Trueax said...

Education is what I was thinking makes the difference, Patty. I don't know how you convince other countries of that though.

Some would destroy the public one in the United States by throwing money into private systems. I am a big believer in quality, public education

Ingineer66 said...

Boy Rain you sure know how to switch gears in a hurry. You nailed it "quality" public education. That is very difficult to acheive when the parents are not involved because the "state" has taken moral and financial responsibility for the children and the bad teachers cannot be fired. I say allow more competition and parents and teachers will become more engaged in the childrens eductation.