Welcome to Mexico! Opps, I mean Dallas. (population, market)

[GoPadge]

Socketz is right. Many countries will accept US dollars, and I'm pretty sure they have no fear of being over taking by the US. What makes things interesting is the exchange rate. If you know what a Dollar's worth in Bongos, (Navy slang for what ever the local currency's called) you can usually get a better deal with one or the other currency.

[skrappile]

The question is, what country would be *worth* being taken over? Probably not the ones you mentioned that aren't afraid of it...
I'm not paranoid about being "taken over" but I am cautious. Too many people that would love nothing more than 'take down the only remaining superpower' and see us 'go down'. I think you're just sticking your head in the ground and living in a much too politically correct environment if you don't hear the chants of Hispanics on marches, yelling "conquistador" or hundreds of millions of fundamental Islamists yelling "death to the west and America"... in Iran, Sauid Arabia, Pakistan and other Middle Eastern Countries. (Please don't write back on who is to blame for this hatred... makes no difference now, this is the reality we're in, let's go from that point on not backwards to assign blame...regardless of who you think is to blame for this hatred, you live here, so my presumptious assumption is you want to live...)

I prefer every country having strict border enforcements and legal immigration only (so that everyone gets a fair shake) and each country keeping their own, unique culture and traditions. People can visit each other's country, learn how great some of the things are, how different, and 'bye-bye', will visit again next year. You like it so much, you want to immigrate, great, go the legal route and add to the culture you chose to be a part of. Keep your traditions in your own house and family if you like, but don't be offended by the majority (after all you, you chose to be here), and adopt the American Spirit. If not, why are you here??? I just don't get it! Common sense has fallen by the wayside....

In terms of non-extremists, I don't really fault the illegals who are here (if I were in their shoes, I'd probably be here, too, trying to make a better life for myself and family), I fault our politicians in both parties who only care about themselves and making as much money as they can and having power. They probably care less about America and its traditions than the illegals themselves.... sad!

just my 2 cents...

[socketz]

I think the politicians may care about the issues surrounding illegal immigration, but they are too caught up in their own career to take the steps neccesary to control borders. It is political suicide to do so.

El Paso had a great Governer (Mexican-American gentleman) that just moved into the Senate (name escapes me). He did a great job getting El Paso back under control and left office there thinking his experience on one of the nation's toughest borders could be put to use at a national level.

Wasn't the case. He's handcuffed because there is little to no support for strict border enforcement policy. Folks on capitol hill want to get re-elected you know...

Fundamental Islam maniacs should really not be grouped in with illegals that merely are trying to get over here to make $20 a day to send home to their families in Mexico - it's a Red Herring to group the 2 together. Fundamental Islamist want to destroy the lifestyle we've created/enjoy as Americans. For them, a much more harsh and expeditious form of control needs to exist.

It's much harder to hate some poor guy that works for a couple dollars a day doing manual labor to support his family as opposed to someone who wants to destroy your life because your life is not in alignment with their religious perspective of the world.

[skrappile]

Socketz, sorry for lumping, didn't mean to. And as I said, I think there are two groups of illegal Hispanics; ones that just want a better life and work here (majority) and a group who thinks California should be Mexico - that's the group that was yelling "conquistador"... you didn't address that part in your post.

When I mentioned the two groups (extremist fundamentalist Islamists) and the group that yells "conquistador" - it was to demonstrate that we cannot afford to ignore these groups or stick our heads in the sand and pretend it's just a small annoyance!

That's all.

[Zhang Fei]

Originally Posted by newportbeachsmostwanted

Some pizza parlors in Dallas will now accept -Yes, Mexican currency. Owners say they are trying to meet a growing demand. But, how long will it be before the entire currency is replaced with Pesos? Not long, according to recent Hispanic growth rates. Apparently, Dallas has been "annexed" by Mexico! It is only a matter of time until Spanish is declared the State's official language, and there is no distinction or border at all between Mexico and the state of Texas.

http://www.khou.com/news/state/stories/khou070106_tnt_pizzapesos.13e17c78.htm (broken link)

Illegal aliens should be deported and border controls should be tightened. But the fact is that Texas is right next to Mexico - which means that a lot of Mexican tourists will show up just to shop* and sight-see. It's a real convenience for tourists if they don't have to do a currency exchange just to buy pizza. A lot of tourist areas and border towns in foreign countries accept currencies other than their own. I'm glad it's finally caught on in Texas. Some of it might also be related to the fact that the peso is stabilizing. Holding pesos for any length of time used to be a real adventure.

* One of the major reasons Mexico is an economic outhouse is because it has big tariffs on a lot of imports (which means they are cheaper in Texas). Combined with investment restrictions, corruption and a host of banana republic policies supposedly designed to protect the locals but in fact designed to monopolize Mexico's resources for its long-established leading families, this has led to economic malaise and a flood of migrants north.

[socketz]

Very well put Zhang. This was the point I was trying to make, but you expressed it much more concisely. This applies to CA as well or any state bordering a foriegn country with high tariffs and taxes. Canada is another good example.

[lifertexan]

The uproar over the pizza place taking pesos is amusing but misplaced.The pizza places are not catering to illegals,since they get paid in US dollars ( I've yet to hear of an American employer pulling out pesos to pay his "wets").The pizza chain in question is popular with legal Hispanics,and they did this to give them a way to use the pesos they have left over from trips to Mexico.And it isn't a promotion so much as an outgrowth of catering to legal Hispanics who have a moderate amount of unusable currency available.

Illegal immigration is very easily stopped if desired.You simply make the punishment for the employer extremely severe,and criminal,and the market for illegals will dry up in a hurry.But be careful what you wish for.Does anyone really think that that 3BR,2 bath 2000 sq ft house is going to cost $200,000 if you have to start paying every worker that sets foot on it $20 an hour instead of $ 20 a day?G Gordon Liddy makes the point that the claim that these guys are doing jobs Americans won't do is false,that if you pay them enough money the Americans will take the jobs.While this is true,it is only one side of the coin.The other is that somebody is going to have to pay the much higher wages paid to legal Mexicans and Americans,and that somebody will be the American consumer.Everything from the clothes you wear,to the food you eat,to the house you live in will skyrocket.Maybe the people in government who turn the other way and tacitly allow illegals in are smarter than those that oppose illegals realize.Even the US economy as a whole will suffer,and those ramifications will be felt nationwide.US agriculture cannot compete with places like China in the cotton market by paying union wages to it's workers in the field,and it's doubtful the new home market,a major drive of the economy,would survive intact having to sell basic homes at $500,000 instead of $ 200,000.And you won't get that steak at anywhere near the same price if all the meat production workers start getting union wages.The US economy is so tied into cheap,often illegal labor that losing it will have far more devastating and far reaching effects than the people calling for deporting all illegals realize.

[socketz]

"Illegal immigration is very easily stopped if desired.You simply make the punishment for the employer extremely severe,and criminal,and the market for illegals will dry up in a hurry."

But you know this would be political suicide, so I doubt it will ever happen.

Your right in drawing the ironic parallel between using low cost labor to lower costs, which is something we demand as Americans (find someone willing to pay $30 per hour to get their lawn mowed)....We do this with Foriegn manufacturing as well. We cry that everything is going overseas to be built, but we insist on paying less than $30 for a Linksys Router or a Harddrive for our PC. It doesn't go both ways.

I read somewhere that the average assembly line worker in China has a Masters Degree and makes less than $100 a week. He's happy making that...is he 'under qualified' and 'abused'...not really, he may also have 10 other jobs lined up doing the same thing....he's happy for the most part. Putting food on the table.

How can we compete ? Our Auto Unions pay HS Grads 25-40 dollars per hour and try to charge more for the cars, but it doesn't work.

[lifertexan]

But you know this would be political suicide, so I doubt it will ever happen.

Yes,it would be.But it still is the cheap and easy answer.No Border Patrol could ever be as effective as the prospect of an employer going to prison.

How can we compete ? Our Auto Unions pay HS Grads 25-40 dollars per hour and try to charge more for the cars, but it doesn't work.

Welcome to the worldwide economy.There really isn't much we can do.Next on the agenda is a N American economic union much the same as the EU.The idea of a single country throwing up a fence around itself and becoming Fortress America won't work anymore.We will have to adjust,probably painfully.And it may well be we are trying to run off a potential major asset in our path to globalization.

[GoPadge]

Originally Posted by lifertexan

The uproar over the pizza place taking pesos is amusing but misplaced.The pizza places are not catering to illegals,since they get paid in US dollars ( I've yet to hear of an American employer pulling out pesos to pay his "wets").The pizza chain in question is popular with legal Hispanics,and they did this to give them a way to use the pesos they have left over from trips to Mexico.And it isn't a promotion so much as an outgrowth of catering to legal Hispanics who have a moderate amount of unusable currency available.

I concur. The chain doesn't hurt anyone by taking the pesos, and it does provide an additional, if very small boost to the US economy. The patrons are spending currency here and not on their next trip to Mexico, so the stores profits should go up. The chain pays local distributers for it's supplies in dollars, so orders should go up. The bank gets a cut for exchanging the pesos into dollars, so bank profits should go up.