[kabar]

Thanks. To me, this has always been the elephant in the room. We have a poor, third world country of 107 million people with a high rate of population growth located on our southern border. Many want to escape the hopelessness of their situation by coming to the richest country on the planet. They can do so by stepping across a largely undefended border. The idea that we can dissuade them from coming through sanctions on employers and complicated registration systems is irrational. It demonstrates a lack of basic understanding of the nature of the problem.

If Haiti had a land border with the US, does anyone think that we could dry up their desire to come to the US illegally? It is politically incorrect to point out the wealth disparity between Mexico and the US and the corrupt system that operates within that country and how that plays into the illegal immigrant problem. Until we secure our borders, they will come no matter what else we do to discourage them.

[Arizona Carolyn]

What is your solution? Or do you have one? Do you propose we adopt all 107 million of their poor and leave their countries to their rich?

All other discussions aside, we have not only an energy crisis in this country, we have a water crisis (the current flood on the East Coast notwithstanding).

Even the largest aquifer in the nation -- the one running under Illinois -- is depleating. We are touting ethenol as a solution to our energy needs -- ethenol from corn -- corn that is grown in the mid-west; the same midwest that had a drought last summer and the corn was barely able to grow as a result.

[rodguy911]

post #581--I know I have had a lot of special awards today but this one is so good snugs we have to do another. If you can just reprint all the copy, it's too good to paraphrase. Thanks kabar, great job.

[snugs]