Thursday, December 21, 2006

My personal foreign aid program..

I just returned from my vacation in Mexico to catch some pre winter warmth, feel a soft warm breeze and once again smell the sea . I spoke Spanish to the locals and the staff at the hotel though many also spoke English. When I travel I try and speak as much as I can in the native language of the country. Unlike many illegals in this country who despite being here for even ten or twenty years have never picked up any English. A situation made easier for them by federal and state policies that print forms in Spanish which does not encourage illegals to assimilate into the American mainstream.
The resort I stayed at was an all inclusive resort right on the water. I spread my money around generously in tips. The people there worked hard and the service was good. But, I also looked at from a different perspective. I was not there to exploit the situation of those residents of Mexico. It was cheaper for me to spread some of my money there than exploit the locals so much that they find it better to come across the U.S. border illegally and settle in our communities increasing, school and social service taxes. It's my personal foreign aid program and if more tourists did the same perhaps the illegal immigration problem in this country would start to diminish.

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