Tuesday, April 13, 2004

MexAmerica

One of the best webmags out there on a really boring and tedious topics is Foreignpolicy.com. In this month's issue, there is a long but incredibly interesting article on the impact of Latino immigration to the US and what the future may hold.

Depending on your viewpoint, massive immigration from Mexico can eithe be a boon or a bane. But from an Anglo/Protestant viewpoint, the US is going to face a vary similar crisis that is starting to pervade the European Union where you have migrants who are not assimilating. African muslims are moving into the EU to provide a cheap labor base. But they do not see themselves as Europeans first and Muslims second. They see it the other way around.

In a similar fashion, Mexicans are moving to the United States and are not assimilating into the American culture. Quite the opposite in fact. They see themselves as Mexicans who just happen to be living and working in the United States (even if they have been here for 20 years).

During debates on this issue, I am confronted with the idea that "illegal Mexicans only help the US economy because they spend money here and keep prices down". That would be a good point, if only it were true. What illegals don't do though is that they don't pay taxes and they compete for low paying jobs which drive down incomes for poor families. They also sap community resources without paying any taxes for them. A third point is that all the money made is NOT staying in the US. During a radio interview with the BBC, Vicente Fox actually bragged that Mexicans working in the US are sending over $10Billion a year back across the border to be spent in the Mexican economy and not the American.

Read the article for yourself. In my opinion, the US needs to do cut the crap and get tough on its immigration reform. Clamp the border hard. Export illegals (from any nation) who commit crimes. Get serious about Social Security fraud. Get rid of this rediculous notion of drivers liciences for illegals (if they want to drive, they should get the international driver's permit like everyone else). Expand our worker permit program to Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia (hey we all claim to want a diverse ethnic soup, let's get over the current 3 choices of white, black and hispanic). The alternatives...are well....I guess that depends on your point of view.

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