"Guest Workers" Part 1 by Chelle Stockman

Undocumented workers have garnished a lot of attention lately, partly because their presence is contributing to the breaking up of unions and the declining living wage base of "blue collar" workers and those in service jobs. The many people concerned with this trend to "insource" our jobs by hiring "illegal" immigrants face opposition by Americans, who due to compassion, feel sorry that Mexicans have to work here in order to support their families at home.  No matter which side you favor in the argument, you will be partly right. 

The reality is that most of the money sent back to Mexico at the hands of our undocumented workers goes to family members and friends waiting to make their treacherous journey across our borders.  Meanwhile, we the tax payers sponsor the healthcare and education for these unappreciated slaves as they wait the arrival of those they send the money back to.

The questions we should be asking are:
1) What is so terrible about Mexico that makes their citizens risk their lives and donate all their income to something that might not ever happen for them?
2) With so many coming to America, unaware they will be "Americanized" and one day deported, how will the citizens of Mexico ever have the power to affect positive change in their own country?

The undocumented workers hanging out daily at locations all over America are asking for 10 bucks an hour.  What if every American organized and took just one day a month to go out to the Home Depots, farms, etc., and offered to work for  50% less?  My guess is that the undocumented workers would eventually return to their native home.  My thought about that is, that when we quit supporting their presence as "guest workers", then and only then will the people of Mexico have a collective strength to affect necessary change in their homeland.

Let's with our minds and hearts think soundly about the long-term effects upon their nation.

A little side-note: South America is growing as a threat to the United States due to the presence of the Chinese Army who is training those impoverished.  The "Chinese Liberation Army" is growing fast in 6 countries of South America.  Could it be that the acceleration of "guest workers" in our country has one more purpose?  Could it be that we are "Americanizing" them so they will return home to be our first line of defense? I wonder what would happen once they returned to Mexico?  Would America be able to trust them to be that first line of defense or would the returnees contract out to the highest bidder should the situation in South America become a challenge to the North? 

Chelle Stockman