Wow, I didn't mean to dictate to Mexico how their economy should work at all. I don't think a lecture on how the U.S. does not have the right to dictate to any country was appropriate Walter. My comment was that if 10 million citizens of a country are unhappy enough with their country or its economy to flee to another country then they should work to change it from within their own country - 10 million people is a lot of power to bring about change. Things could be better in Mexico if 10 million stayed to bring about change instead of leaving to work elsewhere. Things will never change at that rate. Instead, they flee to the U.S. because our economy is more conducive to economic success. Did I word that wrongly again?

By the way, if the U.S. should not dictate (as you wrote) how a country should manage their economy, how can it then be held responsible if it is not succeeding? I don't get your message Walter - responsible but not responsible? Personally, I think the U.S. needs to get out of the business of other countries completely. No one is ever happy and you cannot please everyone. I just don't get your response based on what I wrote. I didn't advocate getting involved at all. Far from it. I advocated native Mexicans changing things within Mexico - their own country:

>>I pay taxes and pay for medical care. I think Mexicans should be trying to change things inside their country instead of coming here.
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That comment above is not telling Mexico how to handle their affairs but to note that if 10 million people flee to the U.S. then something needs to change. 10 million people don't leave because they are happy in Mexico. But 10 million people working together can make a change in Mexico. I think 10 million allows for a little finger pointing...

>Ouch, ouch... Here goes the finger pointing again. The US does not have the right to finger point any nation which works differently. First the canadians, now the mexican. How much do you know about the economical model of mexico? Is the US giving mexico a chance to become an economical power? I think not. You'll have to accept that mexico is a very different country with its own rules and won't let it dictate by the US how to handle internal afairs. I find this attitude very arrogant, dangerous and concerning. About 70 years of history is scattered with disasters where the US government is getting involved in dictating other nations (middle america). Don't go there.

The comment below bothers me somewhat Walter. Yes, I was in East Berlin myself in the mid 80s before the wall came down. I spent a week in the city on U.S. flag orders and more time in the West. I traveled around a no mans land being followed by two officers the entire time. I stood at Checkpoint Charlie with a weapon pointed at me the entire time. Inside the city of East Berlin I spoke with a man who was separated from his wife one day while at work. He had not seen her since the day they enforced the wall. I smuggled out messages to family members for a few people (safe to say that now). I watched
family members stand on scaffolding to try to see their family on the other side. I toured the Russian cemetary with an archway built from marble taken from Hitler's bunker. I attempted to shop (nothing to buy) and to eat in a restaurant (nothing to serve).

>The only one who can do something about it is the US government itself. Of course it is difficult to close the borders, but not impossible. Have you been in eastern germany when it still existed. Those borders were rather effective. Just lay some minefields, throw up some barriers (the chinese did this with the chinese wall), use modern technology. There is no valid reason why the US could not close the borders with mexico. The fact that it is not happening is due to the policy of your government: the US economy needs them.