Perhaps Arnold should have included extraterrestrials among those not to blame for "Mexifornia's" fiscal woes. It would have made as much sense.

 Arnold does have a point. Witch-hunting Mexicans will not solve budget problems. At the same time he did say pursue reform and border controls. If restricting "freebies" to illegals discourages illegal immigration (I don't think it will) then go for it. At least the precedent of tax-payer entitlements awarded to people simply because they are not citizens will not be established.

Sam, I truly doubt extraterrestrials are to blame, but you're free to believe what you wish.

.

Actually, there *IS* one guy who entered the country illegally, who is somewhat to blame for the state's economic woes.  He's the current governor of California.

 At the risk of alienating some of the people I'm beginning to know on these "pages," there is plenty of blame to go around, beginning with a Federal government that for 20 years has ignored a growing and festering problem.  However, becoming hosts and hostesses, doctors, nurses, teachers, employers, etc., ad infinitum, is not going to begin to cure this national disaster.

Until we have the will and the backbone to (1) enforce our borders in any manner available and possible to us, (2) begin to rid ourselves (deport) illegal alien criminals, while attempting to collect funds from their countries of origin for their interim upkeep and care, (3) slap painful fines on those employing illegal aliens, (4) refuse medical aid except for true emergency situations, (5) refuse food stamps or any other method of public welfare, (6) refuse to house illegals at taxpayer expense, in short, refuse to become safe havens for illegal aliens, whatever in the world will stanch the flow? 

Real change must begin somewhere. 

 Gube - did I scare everybody off with my heartfelt preachiness?  Was afraid I might.  Just couldn't help commenting. 

 Major Grower Ends Crop, Lacking Workers
    By Michael Rubinkam
    The Associated Press    

Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania - Saying the nation's immigration system is broken, Pennsylvania's largest grower of fresh-to-market tomatoes announced Monday he will no longer produce the crop because he can't find enough workers to harvest it.

    Keith Eckel, 61, a fourth-generation farmer and the owner of Fred W. Eckel Sons Farms Inc., said he saw a dramatic decline last summer in the number of migrant workers who showed up to pick tomatoes at his 2,000-acre farm in northeastern Pennsylvania.

    He said Congress' failure to approve comprehensive immigration reform had hindered his ability to hire enough workers to get his crop to the market. Most of Eckel's workers came from Mexico.

    "There are a number of workers hesitant to travel, legal or illegal, because of the scrutiny they are now under," said Eckel, whose tomatoes have been shipped to supermarkets and restaurants throughout the eastern United States. "So there are less workers crossing state lines."

    Eckel, who planted 2.2 million tomato plants last year, said he also will stop growing pumpkins and will plant half as much sweet corn as usual, resulting in a loss of nearly 175 jobs.

    Eckel, one of the largest growers of fresh tomatoes in the Northeast, said it cost him $1.5 million to $2 million to plant and harvest a tomato crop - too much of an investment to risk not having enough workers at harvest time.

Pretty soon we import all of our produce from Mexico at lower prices..

http://www.truthout.org/iss...

 I never thought I would see the day when a gallon of milk would out-price a gallon of gas...yup bet...sign me up for four more years of this cr*#.....

Maggiepoo~ I worried about the same,and was laughed at...now that is 2.2 million tomato plants( countless tomatoes) that will not make it into cans,sauce,catchup,pizza etc... what's next? After watching "Fast Food Nation" I want my meat to be imported from Mexico~ their safety practices beat ours...that is what meat I am consuming.

 There is not an easy answer to this problem, but still I am convinced beyond any shadow of a doubt that if laws had been enforced 20 years ago after amnesty was first bestowed upon the millions of illegal aliens already here, we would not be in this mess.  Apathy among the majority of Americans was apparently rampant; thus millions more trekked their way here by hook or by crook.  Growers -- some growers -- probably came to depend upon these workers who would work for so much less than an American, and it was probably too good a deal to pass up.  Hence those American workers moved on to greener pastures.  Now the employers are crying foul.  If denied jobs, if denied all the rights of American citizens, this will pretty much take care of illegal aliens; they can become legal immigrants instead.  That's all most of us ask. 

In this case unfortunately no one was showing up to pick~legal,illegal or alien(the UFO kind). However we got here is a moot point,though a blast to debate I'm sure. I only hope we are not moving towards a perfect storm~weather ,workers, and worse economy. 

 With the North American Union the produce can be grown,shipped and sold for much less than today`s prices and it will come from Mexico. It opens the borders and streamlines the regs for commerence, everyone benefits. They do have to cross the borders to work as there will be no "borders" only commerence and Taxes!!! oh yea, the Taxes

 Mexico economy still strong: cenbank

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's economy has yet to suffer a significant slowdown despite a feared recession in the United States, as industrial output and investment stay fairly healthy, the central bank governor said on Monday.

Experts warn that a drop in the U.S. economy will hurt Mexico more than others in Latin America, but Gov. Guillermo Ortiz, at the Reuters Latin America Investment Summit in Mexico City, said recent data suggested Mexico is in relatively good shape.

"So far this year, we haven't really felt an important slowdown in Mexican economic indicators," he said.

"Figures for consumption, as well as investment, industrial production and foreign trade point to a first quarter with relatively strong activity," Ortiz said, although he predicted the period would be slower than it was a year ago.

Easter, a major Mexican holiday, fell this year in the first quarter, which will add to the slight cut in economic growth compared to the same period in 2007, when the week was in April, Ortiz said.

The central bank is under pressure to cut interest rates to shore up economic growth, seen taking a hit this year from lower demand from the United States, Mexico's main trading partner.

http://www.reuters.com/arti...