USA and the Borders

[Merika]

http://video.msn.com/v/us/v.htm?g=ff...52ca&f=msnhome

This is a typical example of how our government is damned if they do and damned if they don’t. If this President, or any other President, were to close the borders or put high security on them….then around the world people would hear in their media how our government is all in a panic and having an inappropriate knee jerk reaction. Usually, at the end of every story, is the media blowing it up out of proportion one way or the other….just so they have a ‘breaking’ story and can blame someone.

Since we have thousands of miles of borders….one would think our military could handle it and they could. However, if you start that…then all the liberals complain that they are living in a ‘police state’.

So, if the government responds….people whine and gripe. If the government doesn't respond and people end up getting killed….then people whine, gripe and blame the government for not doing enough. It’s a NO WIN situation.

[hezekiah]

We're going to wait around till it blows up.
No political figure has the authority to do anything about it anyway,under our present system.
It's not in these immigrants' interest (legal or illegal) to keep the status quo-noone seems ti think that they're important but they could solve the problem...

[Merika]

I don't live in a border state like you do....so it's of minimum problem for me either way. I really think most Mexicans come here to work...and they work hard. It's a shame there are ones with bad intentions to ruin it for everyone.

[hezekiah]

Texas isn't terribly forthcoming as far as welfare-the guys here work pretty hard too,it still throws things out of balance.They're shipping all their money back to a devalued economy..

[Merika]

Originally Posted by hezekiah

Texas isn't terribly forthcoming as far as welfare-the guys here work pretty hard too,it still throws things out of balance.They're shipping all their money back to a devalued economy..

It's one thing I admire about those who come over the border to work. They take their paychecks back and feed their whole clan of family in Mexico. They make more in the USA in a week...then would make in Mexico in a month. It's hard for me not to respect them for that. At least they are trying to provide for their family anyway they have to. More than I can say for a great many citizens of the USA.

[hezekiah]

They should bring their families here and participate in our economy instead of running back and forth trying to take advantage of the imbalance.
That's why they can afford to take jobs for such low wages it's fine to admire them but low wage workers here are suffering and the whole economy is affected The only real winners are the drug lords and the redneck duenos in south Texas...

[Merika]

You know...I hadn't thought about it like that....and you are absolutely correct. I think it's the same situation Vautrin was posting about which is happening in Europe with the Polish workers who are willing to work for so much less in wages.

The truth is...we want to pay for stuff based on THEIR wages...but continue to live off of ours. It's really our own fault. If we refused to purchase from those who take advantage of the low waged illegal immigrants.... it would stop the whole cycle.

[Vautrin]

Originally Posted by Merika

The truth is...we want to pay for stuff based on THEIR wages...but continue to live off of ours. It's really our own fault. If we refused to purchase from those who take advantage of the low waged illegal immigrants.... it would stop the whole cycle.

Yes. The problem is, that to increase the profits the idea of hiring cheap and illegal labour seems profitable at first. The only thing is, if everyone does so, no American can afford the products, because they are all out of jobs. Thus their domestic market collapses.

[Merika]

Our unemployment rate isn't too bad at 4.7. In 1993 under Clinton it was 8.0....which was QUITE the record. Usually it waffles between 5.0 and 6.0.

[sweetbilly]

Heck, if weren't hiring illegal immigrants to do the work for naturalized Americans here, we would just be sending the jobs overseas to be done cheaper somewhere else... oh wait that's happening anyway. As Gilda used to say.... "never mind"

No wonder Wal-Mart is a mega empire, everything they sell comes from China or South America. And those country's use slave labor from prisioners to manufacture their products. I know absolutely for sure they use slave prison labor in mining operations in China, it's the only way they can compete!! Then they export those materials here to be put into Sanyo televisions and Hitachi blenders to be sold in America for 800 dollars a piece and 30 cents back home.

Now how can Americans possibly compete with slave prison labor?? We can't. I believe the only way to fix this is to raise terrif taxes so damn high that American Co's have no choice but to manufacture their products right here. After all we are the world largest consumer market, what would we care if it destroyed the Chineese economy. I wouldn't. It would certainly level the playing field.

I remember Bush trying to do exactally that in the steel trade industry just a couple of years ago, of which China and Russia are the formost exporters of steel now and Pittsburgh Pa. used to be the number one exporter of steel, then the WTO had a fit about it and other countries begain saying they would boycott American products if we raised terriff taxes. So Bush relented under the pressure and gave in, single handedly laying waste to the American steel industry in the process.

I wish someone with a spine would run for president, someone like JFK. I'd vote for him in a heartbeat. I like Bush but i don't think he has the guts to confront the world, and he definitely dosen't have the communication skills to get his point across to the American public, so the apathy just continues as usual and people just go on with their pathetic lives, watching Friends, Survivor or American Idol instead of getting involved and voting ...potentally changing their lives for the better. It just goes to show why america is in the dumps today... the people aren't involved in their political system anymore. It hurts us all, what a shame. I expect in a few years we will be the International States of America. Thats when i'll puke in my boots and cash in my chips.

[hezekiah]

Puke in your boots? :shudder: These other countries standard of living will start going up in time and if we manage to stay afloat we'll be able to get a piece.
Might be some tough times in the meantime-but there is a way to avoid it-maybe we'll accidentally do the right thing.

[Merika]

We can blame it on the government....but in the end it's our own fault. If we refused to purchase a majority of our items unless they were manufactured here, and willing to pay more or do with less stuff, this could all be taken care of by the consumers. If they stuck to their guns for just a month...they would turn that crap right around.

[hezekiah]

Boycotts don't work-you couldnt sell it in a society like ours.
The government should take responsibilty-the Americans' immature idea that noone has the right to tell them what to do is fueling a lot of bad things.

[Merika]

Originally Posted by hezekiah

-the Americans' immature idea that noone has the right to tell them what to do is fueling a lot of bad things.

I certainly don't want anyone telling us what to do.

[hezekiah]

The government has the function of leadership-I can see protecting yourself against the possibility of them getting out of hand but the Americans act as if the solution to all their problems is more freedom-there is a time and place when authority needs to assert control.