Member Quotes & Ideas
Quotes
“I entered through the hills, got chased by immigration and hid in a dark room for hours. As a kid, all I knew is that it was worth it. I was going to "EL NORTE" to AMERICA for a better life. “

“I have worked since I got here. I went to school and worked part time. I worked as a housekeeper in a hotel, helped mom with her work, you name it I did it. “
“I think that we all have to understand that you are talking about human beings not criminals. We have been in this country legally or illegally most of our lives. We love this country and we have worked for it. It is time for us immigrants to step up and say "WE ARE HERE", we have been here and it is time to get recognized. We are not asking for a reward. We are asking for what is fair.”
“My first time to Mexico, I never felt more at home. Not just because my future family made me feel that way, but because I saw my heritage in the faces of the people.”


“The one thing that inspires me and continues to motivate me to do more is the fact my grandfather made that bold move to seek opportunity in this country. Ever since I realized the true reality of such a move from him failure has never been an option for me.”

“puedo decir que desde el primer dia que comence a trabajar lo hago con el mismo esmero gracias a mi esfuerzo y dedicacio puedo decir con orgullo que soy el primer hispano en esta compania que tiene un puesto asi .


‘”I joined MATT because for the first time I saw an organization that is advocating equality and not trying to "turn the tables" against everyone else. Cultural Diversity is what makes the United States great, and because we all work together, the United States is still the envy of the rest of the world. We need to not let this fact fade.”


“Ideas are the beginning of a respectful and open channel of communication between two nations who so desperately need each other. We have so many common interests and this opportunity to share our views are just a click away.”


“I would even give a percentage of my paycheck along with millions of Mexicans to help open jobs in Mexico.”


“I believe that America is a country of laws and also a country of compassion and that most Americans welcome any and all ‘legal’ immigrants from all over the world with open arms…”


“Mexico should allow or give their people the chance to come to the US, as in getting their permission papers and the US should shorten or make their legal residents/citizenship process easier and less expensive for people. Once they do become citizens, they no longer become a "burden" as some have labeled them that. “


“I believe that we must put in place a program that will raise the standard of living in the northern hemisphere of this continent, and we must do it soon, or risk losing our competitiveness to Europe and Asia.”


“The economic integration of our two nations has already taken place. The social and cultural integration is taking place right now while we speak. The next and most critical step will be the political integration...which will probably take place in the next 75 years. Mexico, Canada and the United States will become one federated bi-lingual nation. The people are always ahead of the politicians.”


“Best of” Ideas
"North American Countries, Canada, United States and Mexico need to join in a union like Europe did. For economics, defence, policy ect. We need one common currency, like Europe did. The Euro. North America could become a very, very, big economic block. The Nations could keep the individuality like European Nations did."
“The key on both sides of the Rio Grande is education. With education, a middle class will arise between the rich and poor of Mexico. With education including a foundation in the English language for those who venture into the United States whether legally or not, stand a better chance of faring well. Mexico and the United States must actively invest in mutual educational opportunities. Over time, the issue of immigration becomes subtle through proactive educational initiatives.”
“FACT: Electricity in Mexico cost 20 cents per kilowatt hour...more than double the US price. Mexico needs cheap energy. Mexico has a tremendous history of agrarian know how. Both Mexico and the US are starving for Ethanol. Ethanol can be made from a lot of things including corn and sugar cane. Can Mexico become a top producer of Ethanol?”
OK, so walls (or fences) it is. But I have what I think is a better idea. We seem to be missing the larger picture. We are trying to move people in one direction or another--sometimes against their will. Why not appeal to the freedom of the human will? So here's my idea: Instead of a wall or security fence with armed forces guarding the border:
1) Establish a viable, all-along-the -border industry that actually invites the people we often refer to as "illegals." An industry that BOTH nations need, producing a mutually shared product: ELECTRICITY. And utilizing a decent program of letting the market determine the costs of the product as well as its development. I know there are many solar and wind energy producers popping up in the border states. What would it be like if we SHARED the borders (North and South), and mutually put our heads and hearts together and produced both wind and solar power (throw in nuke if you want to) so that we provide employment at the borders, and electricity for all three nations 50/50 (depending on the border). We need electricity, and we need to relieve ourselves of dependency on foreign oil. Why not work with leaders in energy production toward an electrical cooperative where we share not only our need for electricity our also interdepency upon each other as neighbors.
2) Along the borders (north and south), there would not be a fence or wall so much as there would be solar and wind farms, which of course would require security. Border Patrol, US Customs, INS checkpoints would all be more manageable and friendly in this more controlled environment where the workers would more gladly come, sign up, become documented, and share their earnings in the local burgeoning economy.
Critical to this idea is the following:
Those in the US who are currently undocumented who would desire to work in any capacity (or who are directly related to someone working or benefiting from) this program would be given three options:
1) Begin the process to becoming a citizen including all the initial documentation work;
2) Agree to a 3 year temporary work/guest visa; which would also require basic documentation; or
3) Be immediately identified and deported back to their country of origin.
That's my idea. A farm, not a fence. More manageable immigration naturalization; more positive product as a result. Let the market determine the wages, no less than the minimum wage (US).”
“I believe that we must put in place a program that will raise the standard of living in the northern hemisphere of this continent, and we must do it soon, or risk losing our competitiveness to Europe and Asia. The Europeans came up with the idea of a European Union where the more prosperous nations of northern Europe would commit a small percentage of their GNP to their poorer neighbors to the south so that these nations could invest in their infrastructure, health, and educational systems in order to allow these poor countries to begin to provide meaningful and good paying jobs to their citizens. These poorer nations then lifted themselves to the same standard of living as their northern neighbors, and everyone benefited. I was living in Spain in the 50's, and I remember that a great many Spaniards had to emigrate to the northern European countries in order to support their families. They mostly emigrated as " illegal " immigrants, and were probably treated as badly or worse than we treat our " illegals. " This is no longer true. Spain is now a truly advanced country, and its citizens no longer emigrate; rather, Spain now imports immigrants, mostly from South America, to do the jobs that Spaniards no longer want. I'm throwing the above in for discussion; perhaps a " North American Union " wouldn't work for us, but what we have in place now is unsustainable.”
“I think a fair solution is for people to buy work permits. 30, 60, 90 days at a time. They buy these temporarily until they get a legal work visa. This will be a source of revenue for the U.S. to help offset the cost of money going back to Mexico and not being spent here, the cost of births, medical treatments and education. When Immigration officials shows up at work sites, and workers do not have a permit, the companies who hire them without a permit should be willing to buy the permits for them. If there are 300 illegal workers without a permit, the company can pay for 300 work permits so the illegal workers can keep working, and there will be no disruption.”