From: Louis Boyd <boyd@pegasus.la.asu.edu>
Subject: Re: Why Mexicans are shooting at the Border Patrol
Date: 07 Jun 1997
Newsgroups: talk.politics.guns,misc.legal,misc.survivalism,alt.news-media,
	alt.politics.usa.misc,alt.politics.media,alt.politics.clinton

Arne Carlsten wrote:
>
> Richie <"nrichard@arlington.net"@arlington.net> wrote:
> : If we have no illegals, who will do all the work they do - agriculture,
> : construction, etc.  Since there are no employer sanctions, the illegals
> : will keep coming since the they will work longer & harder for lower wages
> : than US citizens.  They come here for the jobs.  No illegals & prices
> : will rise.
>
> Shush...
>
> Someone's gonna get pissed if you keep talking like that.  Dang wetbacks,
> taking all the good cinder-block-toting and grease-trap-cleaning jobs way
> from us real 'Mericans.

The actual wages paid to an illegal are frequently better than what is
paid to U.S. worker if you look at it from the standpoint of spendable
take home pay.  After all of the taxes, social security, workmans comp
etc etc etc which goes to our inflated government and payments to able
but non productive wellfare recipients there's not much left for the
employee.  His dollers get taxed again every time he buys something.

How can one blame the Mexican laborer who finds a way to feed his family
with the wages being so good compared to the economy in Mexico. He didn't
vote in the system which allows him to slip across the border and work
for better pay than he gets at home and with less hassles than for US
employees.

I have less respect for the US employer who hires the illegals but I do
understand why.  My complaint is with the incredible amount of paperwork
(which translates into administrative costs) and taxes associated with
legally hiring a U.S. worker which have been laid on employers by the
federal (and state) governments.  As a potential employer I can't afford
it.  Rather than hiring illegals I've turned completely to robotics but
my circumstances are unusual.  Its a sad condition, but put the blame
where it belongs.

I live three miles from the Mexican border.  Lots of my neighbors are
legal hispanics and are very nice people.  Most of the families were here
when Arizona became a state.  Some when the land was transferred to the
US from Mexico.  The border patrol can be very frightening to the local
residents.  I'm as anglo as they come but because I drive a van I get
stopped occasionally.  A typical conversation (at one a.m.):  Border
patrolman (BP): "Wacha doin out here at night" me:" going to work up
there (pointing at the observatory) " BP: " where do you live?" me:"
about a mile back that way" BP:" ok just checking (as he shines his
flashlight into the back of my van to see if if I'm carrying any
illegals)" me:" by the way, where do you come from?"  B.P." Nebrasks,
been here three months" me:" Ok, good night".  The patrolmen are
resonably courtious but its not fun with the flashing strobes on their
Broncos or Blazers.  I imagine its hell for one of my neigbors who look
Mexican, drive an old pickup, and can't speak much english with a
patrolman who can't speak much spanish.  The fact that the neighbor
served in the U.S.  army in WW2, votes, and pays his taxes means nothing.
He'll have to produce ID even though he was doing >NOTHING< wrong. If he
(or I) was actually crossing the border the stops would be justified.

Worse than that, on more than one occasion border patrolmen have violated
no trespassing signs on my (and my neighbor's) property without cause. In
this society and by custom that simply isn't done.  Memories of claim
jumping and cattle rustling take a long time to die out.  If the border
patrol is here to uphold laws they should learn what the laws are.  It
would help a lot if they also learned the local customs.

I'm a little surprised at how few border patrolmen actually do get shot.


Lou Boyd
Director - Fairborn Observatory