Debt Free

According to an article in today's Washington Post here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/11/AR2006071101534.html

Mexico's President Elect, Felipe Calderón, wants increased Canadian and U.S. development efforts in Mexico. Increased development in our neighbor to the south is all well and good, but in lieu of stepped up enforcement of immigration statutes and more traditional illegal immigration prevention efforts? Not for my money. Several factors must be addressed and their risks mitigated before increased development in Mexico will be a viable solution to the Mark Spitz invitational that occurs at our southern border every day.

First and foremost, the level of endemic corruption in Mexico must be dealt with. As in so many countries, corruption in Mexico is the way to get things done. Mexico has elevated corruption to the stereotypical. This must be curbed or else development funds and investment will be diverted to less productive and more nefarious destinations. Mexico must be ruled by the law, not the law enforcers.

Next would be at least a small measure of assistance in decreasing illegal immigration emanating from south of the border instead of the outright assistance, or in many cases, tacit approval, with a wink and a smile, the issue receives today. Come on, please, for too many years it's been the same story. “We're doing all we can.” If that's the truth, Mexico is truly an impotent embarrassment to itself.

If these issues can be addressed in Mexico, additional development efforts, can, indeed help to stem the flow to the promised land. Mexico has the hard working, talented people and natural resources to have a booming economy. If such an economy was forthcoming, we would have both a powerful trading partner and a much better neighbor.

Note: This does not mean we need an superhighway from Mexico to Kansas, allowing Mexican trucks to race across our (by then almost nonexistent) southern border chock full of Chinese cargo. If plans of the Security and Prosperity Partnership of the Department of Commerce come to pass, and they are very well on the way, construction begins next year. Once completed, Mexican trucks will travel unimpeded from the Mexican port of Lazaro Cardenas to a Mexican customs office in the new Kansas City SmartPort. It'll be like our own little EU, right here in North America. Maybe we can all use the Peso as our unified currency to really become a close knit economic unit.

In case anyone is balking at the security implications of such an arrangement, fear not, everything will be securely checked by the infallible, new electronic “SENTRI” system. Don't worry, nothing can get through. That says nothing of the security Although we'll lose thousands of high paying longshoreman jobs in our ports, think of all the new Mexican customs office positions we'll have in Kansas.

It would also be just a bit beneficial if American firms couldn't hire illegals with impunity. Kudos to Colorado for it's latest efforts to curb this process. Now that a new immigration bill is burning up his desk, hopefully Gov. Bill Owens will sign it and the citizens of Colorado can stop footing the bill for so many social services provided to illegals at the expense of their tax dollars.