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...
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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.
