I have friends from there. They lived in a valley between two mountains.

They have told me about the bad water, pollution, no jobs, corrupt government and no monies when you get old.

don't go to those places

go to Mazatlan or Cancun or Acapulco. It's not bad there

Cabo

Cozumel

Obama on aunt: 'You have to obey the law'

Katie Couric asked Obama his first question about his aunt in Boston today, according to a transcript from the network.

"Would you support her being deported to Kenya?" Couric asked.

"If she is violating laws, those laws have to be obeyed. We're a nation of laws," Obama replied. "Obviously that doesn't lessen my concern for her, I haven't been able to be in touch with her. But I'm a strong believer you have to obey the law. "

Yep. I saw that too. He said, "You have to obey the law".

Obama hasn't been focusing on it as much lately, but then again, neither have Americans. However, he does have plans concerning immigration. He supports immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship for current undocumented migrants under the condition that they pay back taxes if they haven't been paying them already, learn English if they don't already, and wait in line. He has promised to get the Dream Act passed during his first 100 days. He wants to take another look at NAFTA, which has created poverty both in the US and in Mexico and caused a push of migration north, and he wants to make sure that future free trade agreements include worker protections for those involved and don't benefit one country's citizenry to the harm of another's.

Going to the beach in Cancun isn't the same thing as growing up in the slums of Mexico City. No, Mexico isn't all bad--it does have a middle class, and it does have a few extremely rich people, but the income disparity is grotesque. If you think it's bad here, in Mexico it's much worse. Not to mention the drug trade--think of all of the horrible things that the drug trade does to the U.S., and imagine it much worse there, since here most of what we get is addiction and minor drug dealers and gangs, whereas there the drugs are grown and trafficked, along with the problems we have here.

My ex comes from a rural town in southern Mexico. His father is 82 years old and is still working in construction. He makes a little over 6 dollars a day and gets no help from the government. His mother is in her 70s and has cancer, and if it weren't for her children in the U.S. sending her money, she would be dead. My ex's oldest sister starved to death as an infant because she was born with some deformity that I can't remember what it's called that made it to where, without surgery, she could not breastfeed, and they could not afford formula. By contrast, my own little sister had the same deformity, and after my mother noticed at 2 months that she was losing rather than gaining weight, she was able to take her to the doctor, schedule a surgery, and give her formula in the meantime. My ex started working full time at the age of 9. He had to drop out of school after 6th grade because over there, you have to pay for schooling past that. Only his youngest three siblings will/have been able to finish school and attend college, again because they have family in the U.S. sending money. In his town, they grow marijuana and it is controlled by the drug lords and when the police and the army decide to come in, they target the poor and the native Mexicans like my ex and his family rather than asking questions. Four of his cousins were murdered two years ago because they dared to refuse to take drugs through Mexico City. When my ex was 9, one of his 14 year old friends had fallen into the drug trade and was driving a car when he was chased over a cliff by police.

But why would anybody be desperate enough to immigrate illegally to the U.S.?! I mean...they have tequila!

Surely & truely, this does not surprise anyone

After all, a man whose BUDDY is Mr. Ayres who dedicated a book to Sirhan Sirhan, you know the dearly beloved all american gentleman who assignated RFK - Robert F. Kennedy - for those uninformed....AND has the new spiritual leader of his church of 20 years .....(remember "GOD DAM AMERICA" from the blazing mouth of Mr. Wright) who went stumping for boma man this past weekend.....calling this 'new' leader "THE WISEST PERSON I KNOW".......(wonder how Mr. Biden felt after THAT remark?)..................

WELL......truly, truly...... par for the course for bama man!!!!!


LINDYY

Always be fair lindy,

To forget to look at Carl Lindner Jrs relationship with John Mc2old.


Carl Lindners buisness dealings with Colombians terrorist through his Chiquita foods



All is fair,

Well it took the Obama campaign about six minutes to figure out who Joe the Plumber was and he's not family. Any and all family members should have been part of the vetting process. He managed to mention her in his book so it appeared that she had at least some impact or influence on him.

I don't think it disqualifies him for office anymore than other private matters disqualify people. That stated, it seems that many Democrats want it both ways as it relates to what is private and what is public.

-Drew

On this we agree but I would submit that a number of Americans ARE in fact concerned about illegal immigration. We are witnessing the dawn of scary financial times and illegal immigration and the cost of such immigration is a huge financial concern to many. If, as Senator Obama states, the laws must be followed then I will look for him to immediately step up a serious commitment to securing our nation's borders. Wow, it was hard to type that without an involuntary rolling of the eyes. Neither party has been responsible in regards to this issue and in that such security is first and foremost a responsibility of upholding our Constitution, I find it more than a bit sad that we seem to wink, nod, and look the other way.

BRANDON!!!

Come on now, it is perfectly fine debateable form for you to state your position.....but you really did not expect me to point out issues that would be of any non productive value to my cause did you?

People would think I was cracking up....do not want to give anyone a heart attack!

LINDYY

1. In what way is illegal immigration a huge financial concern?

2. Where in the constitution does it say 'secure the borders'?

3. What does border security mean to you?

illegal immigration and border security is no big deal, if you live up north and it doesn't actually impact you

if you live in a border state or even close to it, it's a major big deal and the status quo is not acceptable

It’s no coincidence that most of the areas hardest hit by the foreclosure wave – Loudon County, Virginia, California’s Inland Empire, Stockton, San Joaquin Valley, Las Vegas, and Phoenix, for starters — also happen to be some of the nation’s largest illegal alien sanctuaries. Half of the mortgages to Hispanics are subprime (the accursed species of loan to borrowers with the shadiest credit histories). A quarter of all those subprime loans are in default and foreclosure.

Regional reports across the country have decried the subprime meltdown’s impact on illegal immigrant “victims.” A July report showed that in seven of the 10 metro areas with the highest foreclosure rates, Hispanics represented at least one-third of the population; in two of those areas – Merced and Salinas-Monterey, Calif. – Hispanics comprised half the population. The amnesty-promoting National Council of La Raza and its Development Fund have received millions in federal funds to “counsel” their constituents on obtaining mortgages with little to no money down; the group almost succeeded in attaching a $10 million earmark for itself in one of the housing bills past this spring.

For the last five years, I’ve reported on the rapidly expanding illegal alien home loan racket. The top banks clamoring for their handouts as their profits plummet, led by Wachovia and Bank of America, launched aggressive campaigns to woo illegal alien homebuyers. The quasi-governmental Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority jumped in to guarantee home loans to illegal immigrants. The Washington Post noted, almost as an afterthought in a 2005 report: “Hispanics, the nation’s fastest-growing major ethnic or racial group, have been courted aggressively by real estate agents, mortgage brokers and programs for first-time buyers that offer help with closing costs. Ads proclaim: “Sin verificacion de ingresos ! Sin verificacion de documento !” — which loosely translates as, ‘Income tax forms are not required, nor are immigration papers.’”

In addition, fraudsters have engaged in massive house-flipping rings using illegal aliens as straw buyers. Among many examples cited by the FBI: a conspiracy in Las Vegas involving a former Nevada First Residential Mortgage Company branch manager who directed loan officers and processors in the origination of 233 fraudulent Federal Housing Authority loans valued at over $25 million. The defrauders manufactured and submitted false employment and income documentation for borrowers; most were illegal immigrants from Mexico. To date, the FBI reported, “58 loans with a total value of $6.2 million have gone into default, with a loss to the Housing and Urban Development Department of over $1.9 million.”

It’s the tip of the iceberg. Thanks to lax Bush administration-approved policies allowing illegal aliens to use “matricula consular cards” and taxpayer identification numbers to open bank accounts, more forms of mortgage fraud have burgeoned. Moneylenders still have no access to a verification system to check Social Security numbers before approving loans. In an interview about rampant illegal alien home loan fraud, a spokeswoman for the U.S. General Accounting Office told me five years ago:

“[C]onsidering the size of Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Houston, and other large cities throughout the United States known to be inundated with illegal aliens, I don’t think the federal government is willing to expose this problem for financial reasons as well as for fear of political repercussions.”

Chickens coming home to roost. And law-abiding, responsible taxpayers are going to pay for it.

I agree, but I think people blow it out of proportion and I think their solutions are misguided. You need broader societal change, renegotiation of free trade policies, and a reformed immigration system to reduce the number of migrants crossing the border. Drug traffickers is another matter...I think part of that would be solved by the US and Mexico doing the smart thing and legalizing marijuana, as that would put an end to a lot of it and make it more manageable.

Hispanics=illegal immigrants, right? ****ing bull****.

By the way, Houston, which does indeed have among the largest undocumented populations (the estimates I've seen have come close to 25%), is doing better than most of the country in the housing area.

that's because Houston is an oil industry city and the oil industry is still booming

Hispanics don't equal illegal immigrants

Mexicans do. It's not an ethnic thing its a nationality thing

and it is a big deal when all the emergency rooms are swamped with people who have no insurance and use the emergency room as their primary physician

it's a big deal when the public school system is swamped with kids who can't speak the language and whose parents don't pay school taxes

it's a big deal when a thousand people walk across your property every day and trash it and break into your house and steal clothes and food on a weekly basis

its a big deal when the Mexican army crosses into America and has gun battles with the Border Patrol. That has happened 200 times since 2000