I wish I had something to add to that.

Oh, gosh, i could go on and on. That was by no means a thorough treatment. For one thing, I didn't even touch domestic violence.

Anyway, I was just thinking-- I just got home from the grocery store, where I bought some fresh fruit and vegetables. I was eating blackberries after finishing dinner, and I was thinking about how much the blackberries would cost if an American worker had cultivated and picked them. I am using the term "American" to signify a person who supposedly has more political clout. A Mexican migrant worker has no political clout-- especially illegal and undocumented. An American worker would form or join a union, in order to get health coverage, 401 k, job stability, etc, right? An American worker would want work that paid throughout the year, at a liveable wage. How much are my blackberries costing me now? Would I still buy them? We really live off of the working poor. The working poor subsidize our luxurious lifestyles.

This is funny... from an email from the people who put drinking water in the desert...

We will meet
at the parking lot just south
of campus and carpool in a personal vehicle to Ajo,
where we pick up the truck (referred to by the border patrol as "the
water buffalo").

Blackberry prices have gotten rather expensive:

http://tinyurl.com/an7fp

And now, here's Yoda & Darth vader:

Wow. Now, I'm sure I don't even know half of what you know about these issues... you're obviously very well studied on this. One thing I ended up being curious about, since within your message there was an undercurrent of outrage about the treatment of, and the advantage which is taken of, these Mexican immigrants and laborers... is whether that general feeling I get from reading this should translate into an advocacy of allowing the immigrants easier passage into the U.S., or an advocacy of something else, such as a general improvement of their living conditions within Mexico, so as to not necessitate coming across the border as a priority option?

Okay, so they're picking blackberries more cheaply and even doing domestic work for pennies... when weighed against "our own" standard of living, it falls way short, of course. But once across the border, do they have better overall opportunities than they had at home? Aside from any outright abuses which they suffer at the hands of the insensitive... well, I'm just trying to figure out what is being advocated in place of the situation as you describe it. What is the remedy, if any?

It could be very difficult to perceive the relative rightness or wrongness of the situation of the average illegal immigrant, as they surely have their own plan in mind which involves getting a certain kind of work, lacking training and skills to get better-paying work opportunities. So generally, their plan is obliged by those who hire them for these jobs. Should the situation be judged against the standard of living for citizens, or should it be judged against the standard of living which may have actually improved for the immigrants?

I dunno if what you were saying was leaning in that direction at all, or if it was to simply point out the difficulties experienced by these immigrants without necessarily suggesting that the situation should or could be changed? Should those anxious to cross the border be allowed more freedom to do so? Should there be some legislation to guarantee them better working situations and conditions, despite "illegal immigrant" status?

I guess the thought that comes to mind is, is this "exploitation" of these immigrant workers "wrong," paying them lower wages than might be the U.S. standard, but paying them higher wages than might be their own standard... if this is what the immigrants are looking for? Would mucking with that system inadvertently reduce their opportunities in the name of "helping them"?

This sorta makes me think of something someone told me once about the children who come up to folks who visit Mexico to ask for money. They said you really shouldn't reward them for asking, because it is the fact that they are so readily given money by tourists that encourages their parents to keep them from going to school in favor of begging for money. So do you decline to give a child money when they ask you, knowing this? This IS different from what you're talking about, but sorta similar in nature. Do we help them better by giving them the money, or by NOT giving them the money? Is the immigrants' system one that works better for them, or do we intervene somehow... do we make it more difficult for them to cross the border so they don't face the inevitable difficulties, or should crossing the border be made less difficult, so they don't face "coyote" risks, or.... ?

Well, I don't have all the answers. I did say that a guest worker program might be at least a step in the right direction. And raising wages. But, I hope you got a sense too that I think the problem goes much deeper than this.

Maybe I can write more later. Maybe someone else might like to comment, too?

My belief is that the problem rest with the US policy toward South America in general. NAFTA is a good example. The US has historically supported corrupt totalitarian governments in South America. The CIA and the military have repeatedly sponsored coups against democratically elected governments, in order to install a government more sympathetic to US economic interests.

Hundreds of thousands have been slaughtered in places like El Salvador and Nicaragua, with the full knowledge and blessing of the US government. South America has sufferd under decades of economic and military repression, with the help of our tax dollars. So it does run a little deeper than exploiting cheap labor.

The political status "refugee" or "asylee" is supposed to be reflective of humanitarian need, but is often sadly simply a reflection of US foreign policy, and the case of civil wars in Central America is a perfect example. We didn't admit Guatemalans or Salvadorans as refugees because we were funding the war... even though there was widespread knowledge of torture and documented human rights abuses.

We treat Haitains and Cubans very very differently, also. It's all about political strategy and supposed US interest.

I'm seeing people get excited about that One campaign to fight poverty and AIDS around the world. During the Cold War, the US funded dictators and corrupt governments all over the world, in the name of fighting communism. Now that we are fighting terrorism, will we be more careful? Careful not only as in cicumspect, but perhaps involved and ethical?

Hve you been seeing this stuff about it being a flat world? Following on the note of conversations about immigrants and jobs and outsourcing, here's another op-ed piece...

************

One of America's most important entrepreneurs recently gave a remarkable speech at a summit meeting of our nation's governors. Bill Gates minced no words. "American high schools are obsolete," he told the governors. "By obsolete, I don't just mean that our high schools are broken, flawed and underfunded. ... By obsolete, I mean that our high schools - even when they are working exactly as designed - cannot teach our kids what they need to know today.

"Training the work force of tomorrow with the high schools of today is like trying to teach kids about today's computers on a 50-year-old mainframe. ... Our high schools were designed 50 years ago to meet the needs of another age. Until we design them to meet the needs of the 21st century, we will keep limiting - even ruining - the lives of millions of Americans every year."

Let me translate Mr. Gates's words: "If we don't fix American education, I will not be able to hire your kids." I consider that, well, kind of important. Alas, the media squeezed a few mentions of it between breaks in the Michael Jackson trial. But neither Tom DeLay nor Bill Frist called a late-night session of Congress - or even a daytime one - to discuss what Mr. Gates was saying. They were too busy pandering to those Americans who don't even believe in evolution.

See the full article here. If you don't have a password use the kaufmanfakedit combo; as far as I know, it still works.

rest of the article