On undocumented immigration laws in Arizona
I thought I might share a short response I wrote on facebook about the Arizona Immigration Bill that passed on Monday, now awaiting the signature (or possible veto) of the Governor.
Here's a description of the bill from FoxNews: "The bill contains several provisions. Among them, it would create a new state misdemeanor crime for failing to carry alien registration documents; allow officers to arrest immigrants unable to show documents proving their legal residence; allow people to sue if they feel a government agency has adopted a policy that hinders immigration enforcement; prohibit people from blocking traffic when they seek or offer day labor services on street corners; and make it illegal for people to knowingly transport illegal immigrants."
Some have applauded the effort to "crack down" on illegal immigration.
Here was a short thought of mine on facebook, while conversing with some folks on the issue:
"Let's stop making it such a simplistic issue and recognize that the problems in Mexico are our problems too. They are our neighbors. We have exploited them, and that's part of the reason their nation is in trouble. We have damned up the Colorado River and used it's resources so that much of it no longer gives water to Mexican farmers. We have subsidized corn and other grains in the U.S. so that we can sell them for less than cost, and we have exported these cheap grains to Mexico, putting yet more farmers out of work. We have allowed the cartels to grow strong and powerful because we have purchased so many of their drugs.
We have impoverished the farmers and made the criminals wealthy. Let's take stock of our sins before we condemn starving undocumented immigrants who risk death to feed their families."
3 comments:
I'd like to quote you. Can I?
It takes two to tango. Absolutely. It especially disturbs me that we've taken water from the farmers.
Also, most of the aliens just want to earn money to feed and care for their families.
There has to be better ways, and this is where capitalism seems to impede us. We have actually paid farms to NOT grow food to manage costs and other issues. Why not grow what we can and GIVE the surplus to people who need it? Load a freight train full of grain and send it to Mexico, or to produce flour and give it to food pantries around the country... I don't know. Yeah it would cost money to do that, but shouldn't we try to be caring for our brothers, regardless of the cost?
(Yes I understand that I am way over simplifying things).
Tuishimi,
Yeah. It can be very disturbing. During the Great Depression Era, people starved to death, and many more were hungry and sick. But quite amazingly, much food was destroyed: fruit and produce in California was destroyed (sometimes sprayed with poisonous chemicals so that starving people could not eat it), and wheat piled up in the Great Plains. Crops sometimes were not harvested because it wouldn't pay to harvest the food. Land was fallow.
Some of the government measures we have in place today were meant to prevent this, but it turns out that it has only reinforced a system of Corporate growers, producing mass quantities of poor quality food. It's a really messed up system, even now.
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