POLITICAL PAGES

"Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp! Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!".

When these words in a poem by Emma Lazarus were graven on a tablet within the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty, our country was mostly unpopulated and just finding it's way through the frontier. Today we are the most powerful nation in the world and one of the most populated, we don't need more people migrating to America any more.

My God, the statue is facing east toward Europe, not south toward Mexico! Not that it matters, but it seems that the Mexican population has seen this inscription and think we are inviting them to cross the border into the United States either legally or illegally. It is estimated that 1 million illegals cross the border every year.

A national border is not just a geographic line between two countries but is also a line between two cultures, economies, beliefs, and ways of life. Who had the mistaken idea that people of different cultures could live together in one place without friction, conflict, and "culture clash" resulting? The problem is that most of those who migrate here from Mexico or come her illegally insist on bringing their Mexican ways and culture with them instead of joining in with the American culture. As their community grows, the result is that our American culture is replaced by the Mexican culture and now many cities within 200 miles of the Mexican Border are looking allot like "The United States of Mexico" and half the people there don't even speak English, the American language. I live in one of those cities, Los Angeles, and sometimes feel like a foreigner in my own city where I was born and raised. This is not right! The reality is that Mexico is simply moving thier border 200 miles to the north and into the territory of the lower United States.

Aliens from any country should have no right to citizenship in the Untied States until they are willing to adopt the American culture and learn the language of the country. They certainly should not be voting in our elections when they can't even speak the language. How can they be informed voters without knowing the language of the country? It's not enough that we have to pay for social programs and health care that go largely to foreign minorities, but we also have to pay the huge costs of printing ballots in 5 different languages to accommodate them. Isn't it about time that immigrants to this country who want to participate in the benefits of living in America, join the America culture instead of replacing it with their own foreign culture? I wouldn't mind them being here if I didn't have to feel like I'm the foreigner in my own city.

There are a variety of reasons why Mexican citizens want to come to the United States. Most want a better life and more money, and think they can find it here. Some come to take advantage of our social programs such as welfare, medical care, and other handouts we offer here. Some come to have babies here which then makes their child a U.S. citizen and makes citizenship easier for them. But most either immigrate or sneak into our country to find work which is not plentiful or profitable in their own country. Mexico is a poor country and would collapse without assistance from the United States. Many Mexicans live in shanty towns with little plumbing and electricity. They get water from streams or wells and share an outhouse among several families. They don't practice birth control and continue to add babies to their families far beyond what they can afford to raise. Life is simple but difficult, and they have very little in the way of modern conveniences we take for granted in our daily lives. They see the "rich and prosperous" United States of America just across the border and think they can find a better life there for themselves and their family. In many cases, one or two members of a family will cross the border to find work then send the money back to their family in Mexico. You really can't blame them for wanting a better life than they have there living in poverty and many are willing to risk their lives to cross the border illegally to get it. The only problem is, those are Mexico's problems, not ours, and we shouldn't have to pay the price for them both financially, in addition to the aid we already give to Mexico, and in our national security in a time of terrorism. It would be no more difficult for Muslim terrorists in trucks loaded with bombs to enter the Untied States over the Mexican border than it is for Mexicans with truck loads of "wetbacks" to enter.

The problem for us as Americans, living in states where the Mexicans settle is that the Latinos are invading our country in huge numbers and taking over our cities both culturally and politically. In Texas, the Latino population has grown over the past decade by 2.3 million which accounts for 60% of the state's population growth. In New Mexico, the Latino population has grown by 10% in just the last year. In California, 51% of new births last year were Latinos which means that within a generation, Mexicans will have a majority vote in California. The same will apply to Texas and likely Arizona and New Mexico as well within a very short time. Before long, Mexico will have taken back the lower states along the border in the United States. Welcome to the United States of Mexico.

Why do our public officials and government administrators allow this trend to continue unchecked? It's basically for political reasons. Legal and Illegal Mexicans provide cheap labor to farms and industry. It's illegal for business to hire illegals, but the government looks the other way in the interest of commerce, and to allow goods to be grown and manufactured at affordable costs. A large portion of goods made in America are sold in Mexico under international trade agreements, and because of high labor costs in the United States, many of our goods are made in Mexico by American companies employing Mexican labor. The Republican Party leaders don't want to stop illegals from entering the country because they are good for business and commerce. The Democrats have the same motives to a lessor degree but also realize that a higher Latino population results in a higher voter base and gives them more political power.

Mexicans crossing the border illegally to work have the full support of the Mexican government as the money they earn will mostly be sent back to Mexico. There is also the problem of drug trafficking across the Mexican border. This too provides income to a corrupt Mexican government and police forces. It is to the advantage of the Mexican government to have open borders with the United States and they oppose any attempts of ours to secure them. They have even gone so far as to file a lawsuit against the United States Border Patrol for not providing "refreshment stands" in the dessert for illegals who sneak across the border and have trouble surviving in the dessert heat. The more citizens Mexico can get into the United States, the better for them. Mexico is essentially a "rogue state" of corrupt officials and outlaws. We get "some" cooperation from the Mexican government only as long as we allow their people to illegally cross the border and function in our country. For this reason, and for the sake of trade with Mexico, our government is reluctant to secure the border between our two countries.

We can stop the flow of illegal aliens across the Mexican border if we want to. The Border Patrol doesn't have enough manpower to do it themselves but we could employ the National Guard to help out there, the politicians won't do it. One plan that is under consideration is the use of "UAVs" (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) like the ones we used in Iraq during the war. There are private organizations in Arizona now who are using their own UAVs to patrol the borders and report violations to the Border Patrol. We may have an operation under the Dept. of Homeland Security using UAVs by the end of this year if it gets approval through Congress and the Senate.

The bottom line is; The United States of America is being invaded by foreigners from Mexico and just by sheer numbers, they are becoming a majority influence both culturally and politically and in time will have the numbers to dominate the country. Los Angeles is already 50% Mexican now and our elected officials from Los Angeles and other cities to city and state government are largely Latino with Latino agendas.

What can we as American citizens do about this situation? We can pressure our Senators and Congressmen to support bills that discourage "runaway immigration" and affirmative action for foreigners. We can vote for candidates who support the preservation of the American way and culture, support stronger borders, and oppose "internationalism". In other words, support candidates who will stand up for America and American values over those of foreigners and who promote American interests and culture in America. If this trend isn't stopped, in another generation the national language in America may be Spanish. ¿Se habla Espanol?