I don't think a wall is going to help much. What we need are national laws and local ordinances created and enforced that prohibit illegal immigrants from existing in the US. If we don't encourage and support them, they won't want to come here illegally and will attempt to do it the legal way. This is an interesting editorial about the mayor of Hazleton, PA and what he's doing to his city. I think this is the direction this country's leaders should be headed:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ucg...

Do all you can to shut down groups like the ACLU, thats a start,,,,,,vote out all the liberal democrats in our state legislature, elect only Conservative mayors, support the minute men on the border,,,,things like that,,,,, will people do it, no,,,,,they wont,,,,the liberal media brainwashes the weak minded,,,,,,,, take a look at this story,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
http://www.minutemanproject...

I agree with anonymous Oct 11 :)  !!!
The ACLU's first mission statement was communist (just look it up, it's directly from Hitler's mantra) and their actions just back it up.  Under a nice name (Americal Civil Liberties  Union) lies a snake who ultimately wants to undermine the Democracy and very society that America is.  All of the Democratic leaders are in the ACLU's pockets and move at the whim of the organization.  One surprisingly honest Senator actually admitted that his goal was Socialism.  
Conservative leaders are not perfect, but they are more on the line of what America was founded on.  Small government, small taxes.  Personal responsibility.  Obey the law.  Term limits.  and of course--Safety and Security!
Have a nice day, and Go Minutemen!!!

Its funny that people blame the illegals for bringing drugs to America.  The illegals bringing them are not the ones using them they are bringing the drugs for a sick American culture that demands them and creates a multi billion dollar industry for it.   Believe me If people in America did not want cocaine or weed there would be no demand.  How can you blame them for making a quick buck isn't that the "American way"? Most of the "thousands a  day" coming here don't want to stay here at all, talk to them they will tell you they plan to go home after they provide cheap food for lazy Americans by working the fields and sending money home.  You right we should close the borders but were just a few hundred years too late.  Closing the borders in 1492 would have been a blessing and saved all the True Americans which also were people from Mexico from the Holocaust of Europeans who complain about people of brown color now.   If you think the Mexicans are to blame from all the drugs and violence just go hang out in Oildale for awhile and see how your people treat each other.  Minutemen what a racists joke!!!

Anonymous, October 18 wrote:  "Minutemen what a rascists joke!!!"

How is abiding by the law racist?

I really do not understand this argument, calling the minutemen evil names, only to call away from the basic fact that as Americans, we live under a society of laws.  This is in order to keep things from spiraling into anarchy.

Why is it that when people stand up for the laws of this country, they are called names (and these names are actually heeded by the lesser minded)?

The Minutemen do not ask that NO one be allowed to cross the border.  They ask that the immigration laws that we have in place be abided by.  We have a civic duty to uphold and assist law enforcement in upholding the laws of this country.  That is just part of being American.  Somewhere this was lost along the way.  (Probably between the free-love, no responsibility 60's and the everyone is angry 90's.)

Why is it racist to ask that immigrants simply follow the laws?

The people that choose to break the laws in order to come to this country do so in blatant disregard for our laws.  This means that they also have no regard for the other laws, either.  Traffic laws, voting laws, shoplifting, etc.  Just ask a law enforcement officer, they'll tell you.  When we allow them (and help them) break the immigration laws, how can we expect them to abide by any other laws?  We have told them through our actions that we don't really enforce our laws and they aren't important anyway.

Oh, and those that do not qualify for legal immigration (due to felonious activity) are among those that cross the border illegally.  We have many multiple offenders that cross back and forth, wreaking havoc on both countries.  It has been said that Vicente Fox emptied his most hardened prisons over the border because he could not afford to keep them himself.  And what about the gang activity that came directly from those immigrants?  That cannot be denied, either.

The people that cross illegally steal from your kids and mine.  They steal medical care, steal welfare and food stamps, low cost housing...  all from your taxes, and making it impossible for LEGAL needy citizens who have paid their taxes to seek and attain the help they need.  The illegal immigrants are stealing your financial aid for colleges, and because of the high dropout rate, are contributing to the raising cost of higher education for those of us that are having to pay out of our pockets.

Other countries (Mexico included) have serious immigration policies.  Some require you to have a sizeable amount of money in your savings account (New Zealand requires 1/2 million dollars if you want to become a resident).  Some never allow you to own businesses or property (Mexico).  Some take years of going back and forth for 6 month stints before you are even considered.  ALL will kick you out (some violently) if you are caught there without the proper paperwork.  How is it that WE are "racist" because we want our immigration laws followed by ALL immigrants?  It's not about race--it's about America protecting its borders.  It's not about Mexico--it's about ALL other countries' illegally entering our United States.

If you think that these lower paying jobs would not be taken by Americans, you simply need to ask around.  High School students are struggling for jobs, and most would give their eye teeth to pick berries in the summertime.  High School dropouts and people looking to supplement their income would do the same.  History proves that the jobs do not go unfilled--but you're right, they will go unfilled if the producers do not want to file the proper paperwork on their employees.  This is why we are stuck with the "need" (tongue in cheek) for illegal immigrants--to allow the producers to continue with their own illegal activities.  Heck, by eating the very produce that is picked by illegal immigrants, we are all contributing to the illegal activities, aren't we?  
Back to the subject--this scare tactic that we will be paying a dollar more for a head of lettuce is ridiculous.  The ACLU forces the living wage be paid to these immigrants.  But the difference?  They pay no taxes, yet receive all of the benefits that our taxes provide.

Quit calling law abiding citizens names.  They have an obligation to uphold the laws of the country.  If you do not agree, then change the laws the RIGHT way.  Not by calling names and spewing hate.

And to your comment about 1492--that is funny.  Before that, it was the Mexicans that slaughtered the Native American population in order to "take over".  So, in all rights we should all just go back to our respective countries and be at peace.  
This isn't about people of "brown color"--where did you get that?  It is simply about EVERYONE abiding by the laws.  Heck, last time I looked, we pasty white people were killing ourselves trying to get brown--via tanning beds, self-tanners, and long days lying on the beach.  It's not about color. 

Before you say that America was borne of immigrants, remember that as an immigrant to America in the early days, one had to be sponsored by an American.  That American was to take you under their roof and assume responsibility for you, find you a job (the job was to be secured before you came to the Americas), and teach you how to behave in this new society.  It was not a free-for-all, and those that came without this in place, were sent home directly.  If they refused to return, or came illegally again, they were jailed.  So... let's just not go there.  :)

I agree with "anonymous" above (I always sign my real name at the end) about the law of Supply and Demand. However, he/she, like President Bush, needs to do some serious research with Source Authorities regarding the proposed "guest worker program" because Mexicans will do work that Americans don't want to do. Now, here's the real skinny on those figures:

According to the PEW Hispanic Institute here are the jobs breakdown for all illegal immigrants

44% work in the Service Industry

20% work in Construction (they are all over Tehachapi)

18% work in Sales and Administrative Support

5.5% work in Transportation

.075% (yes, less than 1%) work in Agriculture

What they forgot to tell you is that 20% of the above are known for committing Rape, Murder, Child Predators, Drug Dealers, etc. And, 1 in 5 is a hard core criminal.

In addition to all of the above, it is now widely reported that Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, has set up training camps in his country to house terrorists from many Arab countries and  teaching them the Spanish language and customs so they can blend in with the millions now flowing across our southern borders. Don't you think they should be stopped?

Lastly, Chavez is squandering his country's oil wealth for his own quest to become King of Hispanica. The Venezuelan economy is in shambles. I have a friend there who is a top flight computer programmer and he makes all of sixty dollars ($60.00) per month. Doesn't this give you some pause for thought?

Jim Richards

.075% if you think that is correct for the people working in the fields then i give you a challenge.  Drive around on any work day to the fields, vineyards, citrus groves, any place of Ag including packing houses and do your own head count see if you come up with .075% you will prove to yourself that the Pew institute is WRONG.   As far as the taxes do you know that years ago the IRS went to all illegal work areas and issued Tax Payer I.D. cards to see to it that (as we all know) the IRS gets its share.  This is why the I.D. program the republicans want to give you is such a joke to the people demanding action now.  Do you really believe the farmers and packing houses are absorbing the Taxes in each check they pay out.  And why do you think they are benefiting from all these wonderful social services you seem to think we have?  Have you been on welfare and tried to live?  If they are illegal then how do they get service?  America does not even care about its own citizens much less an illegal. 
As for the Minute men being racist, then why are they not up on the Canadian Border?  Don't all you people remember that most all of the people responsible for the 911 attack came here via the northern border?  
You cannot hide behind the Law saying its the Law and you must abide by it.  Do you always think the Law is right?  In America a few hundred years ago it was the Law to own a slave was that right?  You know what the slave owners said "its the law and i will have one."  Well you are all slave owners now of an entire population of abused underpaid illegal immigrants.  Thats how adding by the law can be racist.   
Everyone needs to understand that most all of the people coming here from the south are just people (human beings) trying to make a better life for themselves and families.  Most of them are law abiding citizens the percentage of criminals is no more than in the general population of America.  You are just being sold otherwise by a racist agenda wake up! were all people.
As for the Mexicans killing Indians comment, you can try to change history to suite your argument but its simply not true.  California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas were all Mexico before the U.S. trumped up another fake war to take it from Mexico.  In the time prior to that Most ALL of the American Indians inhabited the area east of the Mississippi River.  There were tribes in the Western united states and its true that they suffered under the Spanish Christian missionary policies, however the majority of the American Indians lived in the East.  The only reason the American Indian has been sold as  Western folklore is because American does not want to admit that its fathers wiped them from the face of the east and drove the survivors west.  The great American Holocaust. 
America and those in charge of it simply loves cheap illegal labor.  If the rich were not benefiting from it there would have been a huge wall years ago.  Were all playing right into their game, lets fight amongst each other about the differences and who gets the scraps from the rich table so we wont realize just how much were being screwed by the administration.  
Everyone should just sit back pop open a beer, change the channel to Fox News to see where all your and your children's tax money is truly going, and enjoy the "American dream" because the people you here are worried about wont ever get anything close to it.  I promise.  And while were fighting among ourselves over the scraps on the bottom of the floor Bush and his oil and defense contractor buddies are counting future oil revenues and contracts to make more weapons of mass destruction and "rebuild Iraq".  Wake up people were all people and the Mexicans are not your problem why cant you see that?

The wall is needed.........How can we secure the border if the border isn't secured???. The wall is a deterrent that will greatly discourage many illegals from attempting to come to America illegally. The wall will free up border patrol agents to patrol the wall and look for the criminals that are criminally vandalizing the wall by cutting through it or climbing over it. The wall is not the fix-all but its a great place to start.............good post yasobich.............