Wednesday, July 06, 2011

Wake Up Time

There is a story in the New York Times today about immigration from Mexico.  This is a must read for every politico, redneck, progressive, social worker, journalist, and anyone else who wants to learn something.  Certainly, Mexico has learned something over the last couple of decades.  They have cut their birth rate from 6.8 per woman to 2.0 per woman.  They have expanded their educational system and have created a government that functions.  So well in fact that they are no longer immigrating to this country because things are so much improved in their own.

Has this country learned anything from this?  Maybe people like our Governor who uses driver's licenses to vilify Mexicans at every chance can now take a break from her peculiar brand of hate politics.  Immigration has fallen to almost zero.  Now she can find another divisive right wing issue that doesn't single out a whole nationality.  I know her neocon handlers will help her figure out what that might be.

Would anyone in U.S. politics want to stop and scratch their collective heads and say, "Maybe we are in decline when Mexicans see a better future in their own country.  Maybe we should figure out why?"  I have a feeling I know.   In Mexico the working class  sees a brighter future ahead.  Why would they come here when the rich pay no taxes, the workers are blamed for all problems because of retirement benefits, and the right wing wants to deny basic health care to all.  (They have that in Mexico.)

This country has become a laughing stock because of our politics on the right wing where religious fanatics control  many congressmen and elected officials.  The Mexican population defied their own catholic church to get real results on family planning.  Here I get the feeling we are still fighting that battle.

It is wake up time in America.

6 comments:

Derek Bill said...

You really hit it out of the park this time, Jim. WOW.

Michelle Meaders said...

I thought they had found some other issues: Cutting government programs for the elderly and poor and sick, making abortion illegal, bashing unions and their benefits, and disenfranchising Dem. voters.

Abq Dude said...

Right on target on illegal immigration. The problem here is more racist based among the right. You seldom hear of building fences between Canada and the US.

Grant Countian said...

Jim said: "...the rich pay no taxes, the workers are blamed for all problems because of retirement benefits, and the right wing wants to deny basic health care to all."

Good gosh. I think it would be very hard, indeed, to prove all three of these statements true. They are a bit on the extreme side. I read this blog for another viewpoint, but this is kind of hateful.

Oh, and the rich do pay taxes, by the way, and I am not aware that working people are blamed for all problems. Etc.

Anonymous said...

Grant countian obviously wrote his comment during a commercial break while watching Nancy Grace interview juror #3.

Jim put it rather mildly, Grant. Fox news in not going to be quoting the statistics anytime soon from the IRS and the Federal Reserve that show income and living standard on the decline in America, or those that show that the threefold increase of total wealth in this country, while all this has been happening, has all gone into the pockets of the rich.

But there will always be people around to deny. When the waves lap at the crown of the Statue of Liberty one of them will be there selling inflatable rafts.

Thanks for informing us about the developments in Mexico. I was not aware of any of that.

There may come a day when Mexico is glad we built that border wall, and paid for it ourselves.

Ok, then said...

Whoa, Grant Countian dude, check yo' facts. It is so very easy to prove all three statements true. Take a look to satisfy yourself about the rich paying less tax: http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/04/taxes-richest-americans-charts-graph
That is, take a look if you're really interested in finding out.