Xenophobia

America is going through another cycle of Xenophobia, this time centered on Hispanics and the Southern Border. Every generation or so something terrible happens, and the natural scapegoat are ̃Those other guys, the aliens.'. This has been going on since before there was a United States of America.

During the Colonial period, minority religious families were shuffled off to the interior, away from "Gods People", and closer to the heathen Indians. At one time "Irish need not apply.", followed by Italians, Eastern Europeans, and who can forget the "Yellow Peril".Time after time immigrants arrived, were despised, worked hard and finally were accepted by society, all except Black Folks, who didn't want to come here in the first place.

This Generations hysteria is centered on Hispanics coming across our Southern border. It's a group that is easily demonized, add 9/11, Terrorism and drugs and you scare the devil out of everybody. Every time in the past this has brought Political Demagoguery, Repression, and limitation of Civil Liberties. We are shown a tsunami of Brown poor people, Terrorists and Drugs pouring across an unguarded Southern border. and told, "Drastic action must be taken or the Country will be lost", another round of fear is created. It's a theme we have seen again and again throughout American history, and it's getting old.

The reality is, for Terrorists, it's far easier to enter the United States from Canada than Mexico. South of the border, Islamists are scarcer than hens teeth. A Terrorist would stand out like Jessie Jackson at a Klan meeting. In multi-cultural Canada, as long as they ended their sentences with "Eh", terrorists would have no trouble blending in. Besides it's a lot easier to take a boat trip, or walk in the cool woods, where no one is watching, than cross the hot Sonoran desert with the Border Patrol waiting.

As long as there is a demand for drugs they will be supplied one way or another. If we can't even keep drugs out of prisons, how can we expect to keep them out of an entire nation.

The question is what to do about the people who are looking for work, willing to do low pay back breaking jobs no one else will fill. Studies show most immigrants are coming here looking for a job, and not Government benefits, as some charge.Lets face it we need these people. America is getting old, and needs new blood to pay for the baby boom, when it retires in the near future. Without them the Hotel Industry in California, Nevada, and much of America would be devastated. Crops would not be picked, food prices would skyrocket and a drastic labor shortage would harm the economy.

The problem is we need a system that matches Mexican workers with employers who need them. Until the 1960's we had the Bracero program for farm workers. It worked well, but was killed off by Political Correctness. The answer is not a Billion Dollar fence along the border, it would be far cheaper to set up employment agencies in border towns. They would conduct Police record checks, then match the honest workers with employers who need them here. To make this work, employers who hire illegal aliens outside the system would face tough and certain Draconian punishment, while using the employment system would be easy and economical. Employers would rush to join up, and jobs would dry up for those outside the system, giving them the choice, join the legal system or go home.Provisions should allow those here who have been honest contributors to the Nation, and others a pathway to permanent residence, and if they meet the requirements, eventual citizenship. This solves labor shortages here and gives Mexico a pressure valve for its unemployed workers, who only want an honest job.

In addition without the people crossing the border looking for work, it will be harder for Mules to smuggle drugs without being detected. There are simple, common sense, logical, solutions to the problem, however, unless the Media stops whipping up hysteria, they will never be considered.