Sorry, no sale

The Arizona Republic has seen fit to inform us in a front-page article today that America's evil and unfair enforcement of its sovereign borders (something every country, including Mexico, has a right to do) is causing all sorts of havoc with the Mexican economy, and is a prime cause of suffering for millions of Mexicans who depend on the money sent home by illegal aliens for their main source of income.

(By the way, it remains a felony to be in Mexico illegally. Who has the harsher policy?)

Oh sure, the worldwide recession is also cited as a reason for the current hard times there, but the main thrust of the piece obviously targets the fact that it's getting a lot harder to sneak into and remain in the U.S. these days, largely due to increased border enforcement as well as stepped-up raids by local law-enforcement.

The article comes complete with the obligatory photo of a visibly pregnant 21-year-old woman with her toddler child looking forlornly into the camera, as if her situation is somehow completely the fault of the American people. Sorry, but our immigration policies just aren't responsible for her current position in life. We beg to differ with the Catholic Church, the 800-pound gorilla of morality and family life in Mexico, but if one can't afford to have multiple children at such a young age, then perhaps one shouldn't do so until such plans become financially feasible.

The Federation for American Immigration Reform's Jack Martin is quoted as outlining what we've been advocating for quite some time - that this turn of events will hopefully force the Mexican people to do what they've been putting off for generations - deal with their corrupt and incompetent government:

"[Martin says] the decline in remittances may force Mexico to create jobs at home and tackle income inequality, describing the cash transfers as a "crutch that the Mexican government has leaned on for quite awhile."

Absolutely. As we've noted on a number of occasions, Mexico is a country incredibly rich in natural resources, and enjoys a hardworking, friendly population. There is no reason whatsoever (aside from generations of entrenched governmental stupidity) why it can't easily be self-supporting.

The reporter, Chris Hawley, is also apparently extra-careful to choose a town to profile that's located out in the middle of Nowhereland, as if this further tale of hardship will somehow gin up some extra sympathy for illegal immigration:

"Some areas of Mexico can fall back on fertile farmland or factory jobs when remittances drop.

It's not clear what else could save Pacula.

The town is so geographically isolated that getting there requires a one-hour drive on a rocky dirt road that hugs a sheer mountainside."

We hearken back to the sage advice of the late comedian Sam Kinison, who once commented that Africans in similar circumstances should maybe consider moving to where jobs and food are available, instead of continuing to live in an area that isn't economically viable without outside dollars rolling in to prop it up. That's certainly what we would do, if we found ourselves in that predicament.

Perhaps this latest crisis, which is mostly of their own government's making, will convince the Mexican people to finally clean house once and for all and install some competent leadership that will allow them to join the rest of North America in peace and prosperity.