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This woman has been sending me all sorts of emails which describe the indolent greedy Mexicans who are taking all the resources that she believes are earmarked for citizens. Most of what she sends me is very inflammatory. I've asked her to stop but she says it's important to discuss things like that with friends. So this is what I wrote to her this morning:
Fine. here's what I know: once upon a time the "border" was not a border. Then we slaughtered Indians and carved up territories. Once the Indians were reduced to small groups of drunk despondent people, rich Spaniards bought (took) up vast acreages of land and became wealthy cattle barons. In the 1850's most of your state and much of Texas WERE Mexico. We fought a war there and took that land away from them.
There were still rich Spanish speaking people on our side for a while, but the English speaking people didn't like that so they passed laws making it very difficult for the dark skinned people to own and sell property, and one by one busted them and took over their property. The once rich people were reduced to poverty by our laws and many of them moved south. Some people stayed. The town of Guadaloupe, for example, predates Arizona.
Then we needed cheap labor. We no longer had slaves, so we got the next best thing. Mexicans. They would work for almost nothing and they required almost nothing to induce them to come up here. Farms and factories begged for these people, because they could abuse them and let them go whenever they wanted.
For a while (from the 1960's until the 1990's) things got really comfortable. WE got lots of pay raises thanks to the unions, we had a lot of industry, so it didn't matter that we had aliens living here; all they did was pick lettuce. Our kids got good union jobs and prospered. Then the corporations got greedy and figured out it was cheaper to pay someone in another country to do our work. The big bosses got huge raises for this as they liquidated their American factories and shipped jobs overseas. At the same time, many small towns still had vibrant economies because lots of people had their own little businesses which hired locals to work for them.
Then came Walmart, like a fungus which spread to every single state. Everywhere Walmart went, dozens of little businesses just folded. Now look what's left: Those people who had good jobs or businesses now have a choice of working at WALMART. there's nothing left. That's not because of the Mexicans. that's because of corporate greed.
I believe immigration and naturalization laws/rules are very unfair. And I do believe we have a problem. There are too many people on our globe. The only way to fix this problem is to quit feeding the starving children and let them die. Abortions should be more available. Birth control should be free EVERYWHERE. Every country in Europe is being overrun with people from Africa, Asia, eastern Europe. They are not bad people, they are desperate people.
The entire planet right now is in upheaval, with most species of animals endangered and people clearcutting, blasting, poisoning and burning every single acre to render from it what they can so that they can survive or profit. It's not going to work. The grand sum of people who are in serious trouble is going to get so big that we're going to quit sending missionaries everywhere to save them. and babies are going to die and mothers are going to die and no one's going to be able to save them all. I think your Mexicans are a very small part of this and i am sorry that you believe that they are the source of your problems.
I was taught the golden rule as a child and to me it is reprehensible to suggest that we do not help the weak, the sick and the hungry around us - no matter their color, creed or passport status. Once upon a time, that was considered the right thing to do. Now instead we want to kick them out of our way. I won't pretend that I am a mother Teresa type, I don't bring homeless people into my house and feed them; but 100 years ago, that's precisely what people did.
At least now you understand where I am coming from.
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