Posted on 05/03/2006 5:11:53 AM PDT by conservativecorner
The boycott of U.S. businesses dubbed "A Day Without Gringos," and aimed at supporting migrants in the U.S., appears to have had little impact, the head of the American Chamber of Commerce in Mexico said Tuesday.
Monday's protests were timed to coincide with "the Great American Boycott" in the United States, where hundreds of thousands of immigrants stayed away from jobs and schools across the country.
"Even though we don't have conclusive numbers, I think there wasn't a lot of negative effect," Chamber President Larry Rubin said by telephone from Washington, where he and other business leaders are lobbying for comprehensive immigration reform. "We basically ... think it was more symbolic."
Rubin said the boycott unwisely targeted some of immigrants' best allies — U.S. corporations that have actively lobbied Congress for immigration reform, including legalization for many of the estimated 11 million undocumented migrants in the United States.
It was hard to measure the boycott's impact because business is normally reduced on the May Day holiday. Businesses in Mexico City appeared to be operating as usual Monday, with customers streaming into Wal-Mart stores and McDonald's restaurants — though there were reports of people passing out leaflets and briefly blocking the entrance to at least one U.S.-owned store.
In some Mexican cities, however, the boycott campaign was felt.
Several hundred pro-boycott protesters in the border city of Tijuana blocked traffic on a bridge leading into the United States, waving flags and shouting slogans and forcing many drivers to turn back. The action converted the world's busiest border crossing into an empty parking lot for about two hours.
In the central city of Toluca, 35 miles west of Mexico City, a group of Mazahua Indian women entered a McDonald's on Monday with homemade food, encouraging customers to eat it instead of ordering hamburgers.
Now if only we could get a day without the OBL.
Monday was my day without migrants. It was amazing. I came home from work, and the yard wasn't mowed, the bushes weren't trimmed - laundry hadn't been done, the house hadn't been cleaned.
I was very upset that none of those things had been done while I was away - then it dawned on me that I was the one who had to take care of it all anyways.
LOL
If we could just extend it to *365 Days Without Criminal, Illegal Aliens*, I'd be a very happy camper.
I never missed 'em. Let them stay away.
Please go home now and come back when you get your papers squared away.
"...a group of Mazahua Indian women entered a McDonald's on Monday with homemade food,..."
Mmmmm, I'd bet that was some good eats: fried dog, roasted salamander, boiled scorpions, braised beetles, BBQ donkey, and side salads with ecoli-coliform bacteria dressing. Yummy.
We briefly fostered a little 7 year old girl before sending her home to Mexico (long story) and after being in the US for two years she was worried that there wouldn't be any Walmart for her to go to. She had a whole list of brand names which we had to confirm were available in Mexico. Fortunately we found a Walmart within 20 miles of her home. I think that made it a lot easier for her to make the trip home.
A one day boycott is meaningless. So you don't buy milk and bread for one day, you're going to buy it the next day anyhow.
The only boycotts that really work are long term ones at a specific target.
What nest of Rubins is this guy from?
Hmmm...your papers please?
My company had their bathrooms cleaned... Our cleaning service must hire legals.
A day w/o Tennessee Bob? LOL
That should solve all her problems.
I did all my hurricane 'stocking' on Monday.
The illegals said they would bring our economy to it's knees. This is a position no Conservative Republican would ever support.
Americans believe that capitalism builds the economy and the American worker is the force that runs the engine.
Since the 1900's Americans have been blessed because of companies employing them, that is how we all are able to save, buy, and support OUR families, work is a 4 letter word that we are priviliged as Americans to have the opportunity to do.
Wages have steadily increased as price of products has increased referred to as the cost of living increases.
Yet there are some on the illegals threads who will argue that illegals are good for the economy because they accept LOW WAGES, SLAVE WAGES.
That is as an un-American debate as could be argued.
Why for so many decades have corporations raised their prices and ultimately raised wages to accomadate cost of living is it suddenly okay to DROP wages for the illegals while keeping the prices of goods and services as high and still raising them? How can they honestly justify that?
We as Conservative republicans have always supported Capitalism, Entrepreuners are the real reason capitalism exists, there can be no capitalism without the worker.
One supports the other, and fair wages and wage increases have been the norm than suddenly a group of greedy pro illegals are arguing and attempting to support justifying employing and paying below standard wages to the illegals.
I would bet they are even IMPORTING the illegals illegally.
They do not care about the average American worker anymore, why? Because they have outsmarted themselves, gee we can outsource jobs and pay the workers less, than suddenly they realized with all the tariffs and shoddy work that occured because of outsourcing they decide we better take the jobs back to America were now the worker is accustomed to the wages they had been earning BUT that wasn't how the corp's see it, after a taste of cheap labor, we better IMPORT CHEAP LABOR and bring it TOO America where we can keep an eye on it. SELFISH?You bet, the employer doesnt care what it costs the taxpayer he doesnt care the social costs in OVERCROWDING the U.S. he doesnt care whether taxpayers are stuck holding the bag and subsidizing the employers employees, So a new breed of capitalism has suddenly raised it's ugly head.
The old capitalism as we once knew it was the American way and what this country was built on that is why we supported it, some mavericks have decided it just wasn't working for them anymore.
Enter low wage slaves again. Shame!!
Yeah. Some people just don't appreciate the finer things in life.
(Don't mean to be telling this gal her business but I think she would have done better skipping McD's and going to some type of vegetarian/natural foods restaurant. You know, homogenized prunes on a steamed spinach leaf. That kind of thing.)
I made several LARGE purchases yesterday, and waited to make sure that they were bought on Monday just to show the illegals that we do quite well without them.
We have 2 Mexican restaurants in my small town of less than 10,000. They chose to close on Monday. I think they are paying for their choice because I noticed hardly any cars out in the parking lots yesterday. Pissing off middle America is not exactly a smart move.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.