Nothing in the current political climate should shock me anymore. However, I was absolutely stunned by the blatant disregard that Mexican President Felipe Calderon demonstrated against our nation and our constitution during an address to Congress last week.
What was even more disconcerting was the fact that certain members of Congress, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, actually applauded this “payaso” (clown) as he denounced our beloved state and demeaned the Second Amendment during his remarks on Arizona’s new immigration law (SB 1070).
What are Pelosi and Reid thinking? How can they be giving this “broma” (joke) of a leader a standing ovation while at the same time wearing anti 1070 bracelets?
Has the fact that Arizona is still a state in the union slipped their minds? As members of the House and Senate, they should be protecting and defending any state at all costs, especially against the rants and raves of a foreign leader who makes statements such as:
“It (SB 1070) introduces a terrible idea using racial profiling for law enforcement,” Calderon said. “I am convinced that a comprehensive immigration reform is crucial to securing our common border. However I strongly disagree with your recently adopted law in Arizona.”
First, I wonder if Calderon has actually read the bill. Or, is he in the same camp as many of our leaders, i.e. Attorney General Eric Holder and former Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, who made remarks that incited protests and boycotts without actually reading the bill. I’ve read the bill twice. I have yet to find the portion in the bill that leads to racial profiling.
Second, how can we take this man at his word when he cites core values? What are his core values? I don’t believe that these remarks were based on the concern over the plight of the Mexican people. I do not believe that human rights are at the center of his thinking.
Unfortunately, the sad truth is that these remarks are financially motivated. If you don’t believe me, then just follow the money trail.
The truth of the matter is that immigrants from Mexico are transferring large amounts of cash back to Mexico each year in record numbers. Depending on the reports you read, it is estimated that $13 billion to $17 billion will be wired to Mexico this year alone. What’s more alarming is the fact that many experts believe that the majority of the transferred money will be sent from those who are in our country illegally. I don’t know about you, but I would like to retain that money in America.
These figures raise an interesting notion: If we were able to successfully deport all the illegal Mexican immigrants back to Mexico, what would the financial future of their country look like? It would be disastrous for Mexico. There would be more people and a lot less money.
So, Mr. El Presidente, we find your remarks against this great state and our constitution a bit disingenuous considering your apparent motives, except for those who have not read the bill.
—
Michael Weinstein is co-host of the “The Mike & Winey Show” heard at 7 a.m. Saturdays on KKNT (960 AM) or on the web at www.kknt960.com.
samkat posted at 5:19 pm on Thu, May 27, 2010.
Michael: First, let me thank you for writing a positive article. Interestingly enough, there was a front page article in the Republic this morning that was apparently pulled or intentionally left off the online news. The article title was "Mexico can be brutal on its migrants." The Republic must have been really pained to even print it and obviously did not want to stand the heat by allowing it to be publicized too widely. However, I found links to the base article posted on the web. There is one thought provoking article in the Tree Hugger worth looking at. The article outlined how much stricter Mexico's immigration laws are than the United States, upon whom the Arizona law was modeled. It requires all local and federal police to enforce its immigration laws and to challenge anyone believed to be in the country illegally. The article also detailed how the Mexican police actually participated in brutalizing and robbing migrants passing through. They certainly set a good example for everyone else don't they?
georgialee posted at 2:56 pm on Fri, May 28, 2010.
•
Typical racist insensitive propaganda. Immigrants are a viable part of our economy? What about the income that they bring to AZ? What about the fact that good hard working immigrants do work that you wouldn't be willing to do? I hope everyone participates in the march on the Capital this weekend. That’s the right thing to do!!!
.
Masterrogue666 posted at 3:58 pm on Fri, May 28, 2010.
georgialee -- Wow, I didn't think it was possible. You used the two most lame, and inaccurate, arguments in the Pro ILLEGAL ALIEN'S arsenal. The "race" card, and the "work that American's won't do" card.
Let's start with the "race" part of your claim. Are you aware that lion's share of LEGAL immigrants come from Mexico? Maybe that should be changed, and instead have equal percentages for ALL concerned. Are you aware that over 80% of ILLEGAL ALIENS are of Hispanic or Latino ancestry? What Michael said was true, and it wasn't racist whatsoever.
And as for saying that ILLEGAL ALIENS have a better work ethic than Americans, isn't THAT a racist statement? If this country is so filled with lazy people, why do ILLEGAL ALIENS come here in droves? I recently made a trip to JJ's because they support MCSO's actions. Guess what kind of workers I found there. It was a melting pot of ancestries. Imagine that....
miker5 posted at 10:49 am on Sun, May 30, 2010.
If Mexican nationals were half as passionate about marching and demonstrating to their government as they are to ours, perhaps they could reform their own country and not condemn future generations in Mexico to have to leave their homeland to make the dangerous trek north. After all, there is nothing wrong with Mexico that can’t be fixed. There are no famines, pestilence, earthquakes, floods, volcanoes, despot dictators with torture and rape rooms or ethnic cleansing going on. What there is in Mexico includes abundant resources, tremendous coastlines, a general belief in the principles of capitalism and a favorable climate.
So what are the driving forces behind illegal immigration? Brace yourselves for the answers because they are not politically correct:
1. Mexico’s ruling elite know that the easiest solution to their poverty problem is to export it northward. In return, money pours into their country and into their pockets from Mexican nationals working in the U.S. All it costs the elites is some support for sympathetic politicians and lobby groups like La Raza. Meanwhile, they enforce their own draconian immigration laws on their Guatemalan border.
2. Mexican citizens know that it is easier to sneak into a willing U.S. than to foment change in their own country. But contrary to left wing dogma, the immigrants are not all nannies and gardeners just looking for a better life. Many are part of various criminal elements that are coming here to “trim some fat” from America. This is evidenced by the reluctance to learn English, the tendency not to assimilate and rising crime and incarceration rates in border states. Past demonstrators carried the Mexican flag instead of the American flag in front of the television cameras until they found out it wasn’t helping their cause.
3. Many Mexicans don’t recognize the border with Mexico because they believe that the southwestern United States belongs to Mexico and was taken wrongfully from them. Through the Reconquista movement, they hope to eventually reclaim the southwest by virtue of sheer numbers. The area will still be under United States sovereignty with the full benefit of all U.S. government perks, but the socio-economic control of the region will be from south of the border. At that point don’t look for La Raza to become as sympathetic to the plight of Guatemalans or El Salvadorians as Americans were to them.
4. In their lust for cheap labor, unscrupulous employers in the U.S. have created modern-day slaves out of illegal immigrants. They argue that if they had to pay American wages and benefits, they would have to pass the costs on to the consumer. Well the consumer is paying anyway in terms of all the government expense and social ills associated with massive uncontrolled illegal immigration.
5. Politicians have little regard for the welfare, safety or standard of living of American citizens if they can gain voting control over a huge new underclass. Besides, if they can get the newcomers to pay into the Social Security system it could perhaps postpone its inevitable collapse by another decade.
6. Most corporate business models assume perpetual growth. Without millions of prolific newcomers buying goods and services added to the equation, CEO’s might have to revise their profit projections downward.
Guilt-ridden liberals feel like it’s our fault that Mexico doesn’t have the same standard of living that is found in America and won’t hesitate to play the race card in the name of social justice. In reality they will only succeed in lowering America’s standard of living to third-world status and tax middle-class America, including legal immigrants, out of existence. Either we allow unlimited immigration from Guatemala, Haiti, Darfur and every other country, or we secure both our borders and control legal immigration. It’s not fair to play favorite with Mexico because just because their lobby has the most influence with our politicians. Finally, middle American taxpayers have no advocates for them in this battle over illegal immigration and have only themselves to rely on.