Posted on 03/23/2002 4:28:39 PM PST by Love America or move to ......
Smart Border: 22 point agreement
U.S. - Mexico Border Partnership Action Plan
Secure Infrastructure
1.Long Term Planning Develop and implement a long-term strategic plan that ensures a coordinated physical and technological infrastructure that keeps pace with growing cross-border traffic.
2. Relief of Bottlenecks Develop a prioritized list of infrastructure projects and take immediate action to relieve bottlenecks.
3.Infrastructure Protection Conduct vulnerability assessments of trans-border infrastructure and communications and transportation networks to identify and take required protective measures.
4.Harmonize Port of Entry Operations Synchronize hours of operation, infrastructure improvements, and traffic flow management at adjoining ports of entry on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border.
5.Demonstration Projects Establish prototype smart port of entry operations.
6.Cross-Border Cooperation Revitalize existing bilateral coordination mechanisms at the local, state, and federal levels with a specific focus on operations at border crossing points.
7.Financing projects at the border Explore joint financing mechanism to meet the main development and infrastructure needs.
Secure Flow of People
8.Pre-Cleared Travelers Expand the use of the Secure Electronic Network for Traveler’s Rapid Inspection (SENTRI) dedicated commuter lanes at high-volume ports of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border.
9.Advanced Passenger Information Establish a joint advance passenger information exchange mechanism for flights between Mexico and U.S. and other relevant flights.
10.NAFTA Travel Explore methods to facilitate the movement of NAFTA travellers, including dedicated lanes at high-volume airports
11. Safe borders and deterrence of alien smuggling Reaffirm mutual commitment to the Border Safety Initiative and action plan for cooperation on border safety, established in June 2001. Enhance authorities and specialized institutions to assist, save and advise migrants, as well as those specialized on curbing the smuggling of people. Expand Alien Smuggling and Trafficking Task Force. Establish a law enforcement liaison framework to enhance cooperation between U.S. and Mexican federal agencies along the U.S. – Mexico border.
12. Visa Policy Consultations Continue frequent consultations on visa policies and visa screening procedures. Share information from respective consular databases.
13. Joint Training Conduct joint training in the areas of investigation and document analysis to enhance abilities to detect fraudulent documents and break up alien smuggling rings.
14. Compatible Databases Develop systems for exchanging information and sharing intelligence.
15. Screening of Third-Country Nationals Enhance cooperative efforts to detect, screen, and take appropriate measures to deal with potentially dangerous third-country nationals, taking into consideration the threats they may represent to security.
Secure Flow of Goods
16.Public/Private-Sector Cooperation Expand partnerships with private sector trade groups and importers/exporters to increase security and compliance of commercial shipments, while expediting clearance processes.
17. Electronic Exchange of Information Continue to develop and implement joint mechanisms for the rapid exchange of customs data.
18. Secure In-Transit Shipments Continue to develop a joint in-transit shipment tracking mechanism and implement the Container Security Initiative
19. Technology Sharing Develop a technology sharing program to allow deployment of high technology monitoring devices such as electronic seals and license plate readers.
20. Secure Railways Continue to develop a joint rail imaging initiative at all rail crossing locations on the U.S.-Mexico border.
21. Combating Fraud Expand the ongoing Bilateral Customs Fraud Task Force initiative to further joint investigative activities.
22. Contraband Interdiction Continue joint efforts to combat contraband, including illegal drugs, drug proceeds, firearms, and other dangerous materials, and to prevent money laundering.
Not as astounding as that he probably believes it.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats on Saturday marked President Bush (news - web sites)'s visit to Latin America by criticizing his record on Hispanics in the United States.
"The president's trip this weekend to Latin America is part of an orchestrated strategy to curry favor with Latino voters in the United States," Antonio Villaraigosa, speaker emeritus of the California state assembly, said in delivering the address.
"Our community knows the difference between rhetoric and results," Villaraigosa said. "They know the difference between pandering and producing."
California, the nation's most populace state with a large number of Hispanic voters, will be a key in this November's elections when control of Congress will be up for grabs.
Villaraigosa argued Democrats have a better record than Republicans on such matters as protecting Social Security, providing adequate funding for education and moving to reform immigration.
"President Bush has given vague assurances on the issue of immigration," Villaraigosa said. "But he won't join Democrats in supporting an earned legalization plan that will allow hard-working, tax-paying, law-abiding immigrants to emerge from society's shadows and enter the American mainstream."
He also said while Democrats "believe we need more Latinos in the nation's corporate boardrooms ... Republicans have tried repeatedly to eliminate programs that help provide Hispanic small businesses with access to capital."
During NAFTA's first seven years,
- ...the Earth never failed to orbit the sun.
- ... my heart continued to beat.
- ..."Friends" and "The Simpsons" are still good for laughs.
- ...the Major League Home Run record was broken twice.
- ...a domed team won the Super Bowl.
- ...a President was Impeached.
Did I miss anything?
Like "cause and effect?"
The nerve of Bush saying this is astounding. Utterly Astounding.
Or as some might say, "I know that NAFTA has created jobs - I've got three of 'em."
That depends on whom you are asking. If you ask INS Director Ziglar, Pres. Texmex, the Democratic Party leadership or Big Biz it is probably out of the realm of consideration. As far as I'm concerned, deportation is just the normal enforcement of the law, just like enforcing the speed limit, DWI Laws or State Criminal Codes etc.
El Pasoans tell state of inequality in wages
Gary Scharrer
Austin Bureau
AUSTIN - One way Texas can help lift the border out of chronic poverty is to pay higher wages for government construction projects in border counties, El Paso County Attorney Jose RodrÌguez and others told a state Senate subcommittee Monday.
The Senate Business and Commerce Committee is examining wage disparities that, for example, pay a carpenter $18.60 an hour for a government job in Austin, compared with $7.96 in El Paso and Laredo.
El Paso has gone into an "economic dive" during the past 50 years, the Rev. James Hall, pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Church and co-chairman of the El Paso Interreligious Sponsoring Organization, told the committee. In 1950, the average El Pasoan earned $104 for every $100 on the national scale, Hall said, and today, the typical El Paso wage has slipped to $57 for every $100 nationally.
Two of every three jobs in El Paso pay less than $10 an hour, which means less than the minimum living wage, Hall said. It's imperative that the public sector lead the way and set a trend for higher wages and benefits, he said.
In an amendment to a bill during the last legislative session, state Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso, got Texas to require higher pay for state jobs in border counties based on a complex formula of wages for similar work elsewhere in Texas.
The new law has increased the payroll on state highway projects by 3.5 percent in border counties, resulting in a corresponding decrease in road construction, Thomas Bohuslav, director of construction for the Texas Department of Transportation, told the commission. The costs of school construction also will dramatically increase, a spokesman for the association of builders and contractors said.
Sen. Troy Fraser, R-Horseshoe Bay, suggested that Texas taxpayers could save a lot of money if the state simply repealed its prevailing wage law, which now sets minimum wages for government construction projects.
EPISO and its sister organizations have made "living wages" a top issue and are still upset with Gov. Rick Perry for vetoing legislation last year that would have required border-area school districts to pay living wages at school construction sites.
"Any candidate who says they are pro family has to be in favor of living wages," Hall said after the hearing. "We're going to make it an issue in the fall (election campaign)."
The country's four poorest metropolitan areas are on the Texas-Mexico border.
"The state must take steps to reverse the negative economic consequences of maintaining a wage rate system for state public works contracts that discriminates on the basis of regional boundaries and prevents segments of the state from sharing in economic prosperity," RodrÌguez told the committee. "In the end, the state pays for its misguided policy through higher public assistance funding to economically depressed communities."
The state last year, for example, funneled $2.1 billion to school districts in the 14 counties touching the border because of low value tax bases in those property poor communities. It cost the state $621,546,714 to help finance public education in El Paso's nine school districts last year.
Gary Scharrer may be reached at gscharrer@elpasotimes.com From El Paso Times 3-19-02
This is one of the more amazing things they have going on at the border ---electronic swipe cards can be purchased and no checks are made at all on the vehicle entering the US. It is exactly like those swipe cards used in parking lots. This way they save a lot of time and aren't inspected ---they can bring in anything they wish as long as they have that card to swipe and open the barrier.
As El Paso expands toward the east, it's only natural that international bridges start handling more traffic. It's time for the Zaragoza Bridge to have a dedicated commuter lane.
The concept has worked well at the Downtown Stanton Street Bridge, which in less than two years has gained 4,500 registered users. Commuter lanes allow commuters to breeze through quickly, not wasting precious minutes in the normal, endemic traffic lines.
The commuter lane also eases the jobs of inspectors and has some salutary effect on the lines that plague international bridges and lead to long delays, increased air pollution, lost productivity and intense frustration. As the commuter lane Downtown becomes more saturated, some traffic will naturally shift to the east. That, combined with the city's growth, makes a commuter lane at Zaragoza necessary. Another plus is that the concept has the approval of Mexican transportation officials.
I believe you are referring to the siestas for INS personnel. we mustn't use to much anglo phrasing nowadays.
Stay well - Stay safe - Stay armed - Yorktown
There ya go, raining on the free trade parade. The congresscritters enjoyed NAFTA so much they are going to shove the FTAA right up our collective fourth point of contact for an encore. After all, us dumb peons laboring in the fields of the global plantation don't know whats best for us, our third way public/private godgov does.....BOHICA.
Regards
J.R.
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