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Sunday, August 1, 2010
Misguided U.S. economic policies drive many Mexicans to come here
by Manuel Pérez-Rocha
President Barack Obama did the right thing by supporting comprehensive immigration reform that would place millions of undocumented workers on the path to citizenship.
Obama even went a step further, suing the state of Arizona for its unconstitutional and racially profiling immigration law. That law would punish and divide families, many of whose members have worked years for this country.
However, the U.S. immigration debate tends to ignore a fundamental question: Why do so many people migrate here from Mexico and other countries in Central America? The answer is that they need to look for jobs because there aren’t enough jobs at home. Several years of the wrong economic policies have destroyed millions of jobs, both in the countryside and in cities. These economic policies tend to concentrate wealth. They’re based on what’s often called the “Washington consensus” because they’re designed and dictated from institutions based in the U.S. capital…
Here’s some free advice: Never buy shares in a goldmine from a guy operating out of a house trailer.
Likewise, never buy a story from the Pentagon about an incredible discovery of gold in Afghanistan.
From out of nowhere, a recent news report excitedly tells us that a Pentagon taskforce has discovered an astonishing trillion dollars’ worth of untapped mineral deposits in that war-ravaged, impoverished country. Gold! Copper! Iron! And more! “An economic boon is seen,” declares a newspaper headline.
“There is stunning potential here,” exclaimed General David Petraeus, the top commander of America’s war operations in Afghanistan.
Hmmm... not so fast, Slick. Isn’t it at least curious that this “discovery” comes when the war is going so badly for us and both the public and Congress are questioning why we’re there? Suddenly, the Pentagon gives us a trillion reasons to keep spending American lives and tax dollars: There’s money…
Pretty much everyone (outside of the nutty “he’s the Antichrist” coalition) thinks President Barack Obama did the right thing in firing his Afghanistan commander, Gen. Stanley McChrystal. Unfortunately, he did it for the wrong reasons.
McChrystal got fired for shooting his mouth off about his disdain for our president, his civilian staff, and our allies within earshot of a Rolling Stone reporter. (Generals and high officials get so used to kid-glove treatment from the mainstream press that they’re often shocked when a real reporter shows up and actually reports.) Obama had to get rid of the guy lest he, Obama, be labeled a wimp and lose his already slippery standing with the military and our allies.
He immediately won points, however, for naming Gen. David Petraeus as McChrystal’s successor.
This, Obama assured us, would mean a seamless continuation of the strategy we’ve been following in Afghanistan.
You know times are…
We asked and you told us what you wanted us to cover. Just like an election the majority rules.
You selected the Governor’s race. In November we will probably cover more but let us know early. We acknowledge the many other primary battles going on and we urge people to gather information, get to know your candidates and go to the polls! In some cases November may be too late. Remember if you know or even think you are going to be out of town on an election day you still have time to vote absentee right up to election day. Call your local or county clerk for details. Voting is not just a right but a responsibility.
Do your duty.
With record unemployment, home foreclosures, an uncertain economy, and many necessary tough decisions that will make most people unhappy why would anyone want to be Governor? Actually there are…
That stuff the Press was talking about the other day,” he started. “Government consolidation?” I asked. “Yeah, uh… I don’t think I like that idea.” Good instincts. What made him hesitate was the Grand Rapids Press’ repeated hammering on the issue with a voluminous snow-job of “proof” that it is a proven recipe for increasing government efficiency, lowering taxes and pleasing the local citizens. This earnest small-town citizen knew that his local taxes were much lower than in larger cities, the local schools were good and that local school and government officials were very devoted to pleasing citizens like him because they lived in constant fear of angering the locals and losing their jobs.
So why was the Press trying “ to sell him the preposterous idea that he would be even better off if his schools were consolidated into huge districts and his local government was consolidated into a…
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