<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; ">before i too bow out of this discussion, i wanted to make sure my opinion was clear. </span><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br>
</span></font></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; ">i initially started posting because i was shocked/upset by the seemingly short-sighted and intolerant posts by some of my neighbors about illegal immigrants. </span></div>
<div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">unfortunately, illegal immigration is a problem in this country for a number of reasons. However, i REFUSE to fault/criminalize the illegal immigrant who is here,( perhaps overcrowding a home) to make money to survive. there are many reasons why people from Mexico and Central America are here and it is essential to look at the roots of the problem. </span></font></div>
<div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Free trade agreements like <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; ">NAFTA have displaced millions of workers who flood into the United States. these agreements have severely lowered wages in other countries, forced local farmers out of business, exploited and harmed workers in other countries and pillaged their environment. in places like india and china they have created innumerable inastances of s<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); ">tarvation wages, child workers, slave-labor hours and perilous work conditions.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; "> </span></span></span></span></font></div>
<div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">also, federal regulations on the hiring of illegal immigrants are not enforced, so places like Walmart continue to exploit illegal immigrants with no consequence.</span></font></div>
<div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">i could go on, but my point is that instead of demonizing our nighbors, we should be boycotting places like Walmart that have no respect for federal labor laws or unions, demanding an end to NAFTA and CAFTA which hurt workers here and abroad. </span></font></div>
<div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">if you are worried about the taxes these illegal immigrants may or may not be paying, there are a lot BIGGER sources of unpaid taxes out there - eg. GE, Bank of America who owe MILLIONS in tax money. </span></font></div>
<div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">and, yes, i believe we should be absolutely up in arms about the draconian, racist law passed in Arizona which basically makes it illegal to "walk while brown".</span></font></div>
<div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">this article is good and i leave you with a thought from it: <a href="http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/04/28-0">http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/04/28-0</a></span></font></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; "><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#333333" face="Verdana" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><br>
</span></font>"Instead of expressing gratitude for the back-breaking work migrant laborers contribute to our society, there is an increasingly virulent strain of racism that targets non-citizens. <br><br>Let us join the voices of compassion and oppose the mean-spirited actions that aim to scapegoat immigrants. Laws like SB 1070 demean us all."</span></div>
<div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br></span></font></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; "></span><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">thank you,</span></font></div>
<div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Catarina<br></span></font><br><div class="gmail_quote"><br></div></div>