At The State Capitol

[Bear Flag Republican]

Why did we not oppose the "international domestic workers appreciation" ?
how about domestic worker employment. I am not the only person I know whose studies have been waylain due to the economy combined with preferentialism for foreign students. This state is alienating an entire generation. Give domestic jobs to desperate Americans, not internatonal workers.

[Ayatollahgondola]

Today I rode the bike to the state capitol to attend the meeting on the select committee on Bi-national relations with Mexico. This was in a small, older room on the bottom floor, and when I got there, most of the seats were already full of people chattering away in spanish. Thankfully the entire meeting was conducted in english. This meeting was basically for the benefit of business. People from both sides of the border who are seeking ways to increase business between California and Mexico. Border security came up as a topic, but mostly relevant to the time it takes to travel between the two bieng a burden on trade. I believe I heard someone make a comparison to traveling between two states only taking moments, and traveling to the US from mexico could take hours. Heaven forbid that we should have border security.
There was also talk about the safety in mexico right now, and there were reassurances that people who lived there feel safe. Most of the dialogue was related to how grand a trade partner mexico is for California, and how can the state help to make things even better. These meetings, although 2 hours long and not very high profile, give a glimpse of how our southern neighbor makes inroads into our state. They passed out two handouts, a 1 page, and a several page one that listed facts and figures. I'll upload these later or tomorrow. In the interim, we need to use the information we have gleaned from this meeting and others after it to build strategies that work towards making our voices heard by the business community, since politicians are tone deaf to native-speak. There were politicians there of course, mostly of the mexican heritage persuasion. I gave my usual commentary at the end; unprepared and less than enthusiastic, I came off a little like a babbling bufoon. But I would have felt worse had I abandoned the opportunity.
I leave you with this tonight though. These people want to open new trade routes at airports, border crossings, and shipyards to bring more foreign goods to sell in this state. They never mentioned the problems of drug trafficking, illegal entry, or crime that is the main reason we have a border that slows them down. Their interest is in money

Update: Added the first handout from the meeting. Check out the statisics they are touting

[Jeanfromfillmore]

Upon reading that document remember the cry from the illegals "They are only here to feed their families". Then look at how Mexico brags about how strong it is financially. Who's getting lied to? Mexico has a lower unemployment rate than the US and its been that way for years.

[ilbegone]

Originally Posted by Jeanfromfillmore

Mexico has a lower unemployment rate than the US and its been that way for years.

There is lots of work in Mexico, however there is very little financial reward for labor - shit wages.

There was also talk about the safety in mexico right now, and there were reassurances that people who lived there feel safe.

This is unmitigated bullshit. I've talked to enough Mexicans about governmental corruption and criminal shakedowns for money. Cartels force ranchers off their property to grow pot, lots of people disappear without a trace.

They never mentioned the problems of drug trafficking, illegal entry, or crime that is the main reason we have a border that slows them down. Their interest is in money

Exactly.

[Ayatollahgondola]

Cal channel has the video of the committee meeting up for view. My commentary doesn't come up until the end at about 1:47.

http://www.calchannel.com/channel/viewVideo/2488

[Jeanfromfillmore]

Originally Posted by ilbegone

There is lots of work in Mexico, however there is very little financial reward for labor - shit wages.



This is unmitigated bullshit. I've talked to enough Mexicans about governmental corruption and criminal shakedowns for money. Cartels force ranchers off their property to grow pot, lots of people disappear without a trace.



Exactly.

This is some information most people don't know. This is the buying power of the citizens of both Mexico and the US for 2008 and 2009. These are the last years I could find the stats. You'll notice Mexico's personal buying power was better in 2009 than the US. As for their paying "shit wages" that is not necessarily the real facts when you see the stats. What is happening is the lowest of Mexico's labor force is being force to the US, but most in Mexico are being paid much better.

Purchasing Power per pop


2008 Mexico $12,400 US $13,780

2009 Mexico $13,900 US $13,820

[ilbegone]

Originally Posted by Jeanfromfillmore

This is some information most people don't know. This is the buying power of the citizens of both Mexico and the US for 2008 and 2009. These are the last years I could find the stats. You'll notice Mexico's personal buying power was better in 2009 than the US. As for their paying "shit wages" that is not necessarily the real facts when you see the stats. What is happening is the lowest of Mexico's labor force is being force to the US, but most in Mexico are being paid much better.

Purchasing Power per pop


2008 Mexico $12,400 US $13,780

2009 Mexico $13,900 US $13,820

I'm not sure what you are talking about.

This is what I've heard:

There's lots of work in Mexico, but there's no money... Some of those coming here have a very good life on the ranch, but there's no money. Those who do have money are extorted by various means, quite a few who have disappeared seem to have resisted extortion demands.

I read an article in the Press Enterprise a week or so ago I almost posted here, it's not a propaganda piece for American consumption. It was headlined something like Mexicans are the hardest working people in the world.

According to the article, the number of hours Mexican nationals work in Mexico to make the barest of living standards exceeds that of even the Japanese. A Mexican government official who was interviewed for the piece said that it demonstrated the failure of the Mexican nation towards its citizens.

There is no such thing as welfare in Mexico, if you don't work, you don't eat.

I've read about the failure of subsistence farming - in part due to government subsidized imported American corn, population overflow from the pueblos to the cities, the trash pickers of Mexico City. You can see that those who come here definitely know how to stretch a nickle.

It seems to me that people in Mexico are far more inclined to be concerned about the price of tortillas than following the stock market.

I've seen fences at tumble down farm housing in the San Joaquin made out of a fantastic array of materials woven into a tight structure, from sticks to pieces of old table and maybe the occasional scrap bumper. I've even seen a clothes wash basin / scrubbing board made out of stone in the back yard of Mexican Nationals living in San Bernardino.

You can't tell me that the majority of those who have nearly emptied whole pueblos in Mexico to come here do so because they have the same buying power in Mexico as Americans do in America with resultant equal living standards.

[Jeanfromfillmore]

Originally Posted by ilbegone

I'm not sure what you are talking about.

This is what I've heard:

There's lots of work in Mexico, but there's no money... Some of those coming here have a very good life on the ranch, but there's no money. Those who do have money are extorted by various means, quite a few who have disappeared seem to have resisted extortion demands.

I read an article in the Press Enterprise a week or so ago I almost posted here, it's not a propaganda piece for American consumption. It was headlined something like Mexicans are the hardest working people in the world.

According to the article, the number of hours Mexican nationals work in Mexico to make the barest of living standards exceeds that of even the Japanese. A Mexican government official who was interviewed for the piece said that it demonstrated the failure of the Mexican nation towards its citizens.

There is no such thing as welfare in Mexico, if you don't work, you don't eat.

I've read about the failure of subsistence farming - in part due to government subsidized imported American corn, population overflow from the pueblos to the cities, the trash pickers of Mexico City. You can see that those who come here definitely know how to stretch a nickle.

It seems to me that people in Mexico are far more inclined to be concerned about the price of tortillas than following the stock market.

I've seen fences at tumble down farm housing in the San Joaquin made out of a fantastic array of materials woven into a tight structure, from sticks to pieces of old table and maybe the occasional scrap bumper. I've even seen a clothes wash basin / scrubbing board made out of stone in the back yard of Mexican Nationals living in San Bernardino.

You can't tell me that the majority of those who have nearly emptied whole pueblos in Mexico to come here do so because they have the same buying power in Mexico as Americans do in America with resultant equal living standards.

What you're comparing is the lowest rung, that is what is sent here from Mexico, not the average Mexican. As you know, 10% of Mexico is now here and it's not their average citizen. When you compare the average Mexican with the average American there is only a small difference in their buying power. Numbers don't lie. What you and most here in the US have been exposed to over the years is the lowest end of Mexico.

Mexico has Gucci, Prada and all the other high end stores just like Beverly Hills. But exposing just how wealthy Mexico is does not make for good propaganda.

I've seen people here in the US, in the outskirts of Bakersfield and Fresno that live in conditions about equal to those that we see in the commercials asking for donations for the poor in other countries. We have some very, very poor here. I was in what they called a "home" were the floor was made of broken plywood and the broken windows were covered with scraps of wood. But you don't see those places on the news, not unless they're in Mexico.

Mexico is the third richest country in the Americas, but all we're fed is that it is such a poor country, "they're so poor" crap. Those figures I gave are true, and the average Mexican in Mexico is not that bad off. Especially when you consider that Mexico has pushed much of its poor onto our soil. How much better would the average US citizen be if we were able to ship 10% of our country's poorest of poor off to another country. It would sure leave a lot of extra dollars in most of our pockets.

Take the time to look up just how "poor" Mexico really isn't. The other countries south of the US that are doing somewhat well are Chili and Argentina. There may be more, but I didn't have the time to look at all of them.

[Jeanfromfillmore]

Originally Posted by Jeanfromfillmore

This is some information most people don't know. This is the buying power of the citizens of both Mexico and the US for 2008 and 2009. These are the last years I could find the stats. You'll notice Mexico's personal buying power was better in 2009 than the US. As for their paying "shit wages" that is not necessarily the real facts when you see the stats. What is happening is the lowest of Mexico's labor force is being force to the US, but most in Mexico are being paid much better.

Purchasing Power per pop


2008 Mexico $12,400 US $13,780

2009 Mexico $13,900 US $13,820

This is why Mexico is doing so well. Look up how that country is doing!