Do You Hear That Sucking Sound?

[xoxoxoBruce]

DULCE PINZÓN is a photographer/artist who's latest exhibition is photographs of Mexicans at work, around NY City. She has them dressed in superhero costumes while doing their daily jobs. Why? Because she feels they are the real superheros, making everyone elses life more comfortable.

You can see the pictures at the link but here are the captions;

Juventino Rosas from the State of México works cleaning fish in New York sends home $400 per week
Federico Martínez from Puebla has worked as a chauffeur in New York for 4 years sends home $250 per week
Minerva Valencia from Puebla works as a babysitter in New York sends home $400 per week
Adalberto Lara from the State of México has worked in construction in New York for 4 years sends home $350 per week
Álvaro Cruz from the State of México Works as a cook and runs with the team "Los compadres" of N.Y. for 7 years Sends home $300 per month
Paulino Cardozo from the State of Guerrero Works as a loader in New York Sends home $300 per week
Román Romero from Tlapa, Guerrero works as a nightwatchman in New York sends home $800 per month
María Luisa Romero from Puebla employee in a laundry in Brooklyn , N.Y. for 4 years sends home $150 per week
Ernesto Méndez from México City works as a prostitute in Times Square for 2 years Sends home $200 per week
José Rosendo de Jesús from Guerrero works as a union organizer in N.Y. for 5 years sends home $700 per month
Noe Reyes from the State of Puebla Works as fast-food delivery boy in Brooklyn sends home $500 per week

From just 11 of the 10 to 16 million Mexicans here, that's $3,000 a week or $150,000 a year, that's not being spent in this country...... that's not being invested in this country.
Right up there with walmart for sucking the country dry.

[Elspode]

And yet we're all oppressive, racist jerks, trying to keep 'em down. Sheesh.

xoxoxoBruce]From just 11 of the 10 to 16 million Mexicans here, that's $3,000 a week or $150,000 a year, that's not being spent in this country...... that's not being invested in this country.

Well, at least their not putting it up their noses or smoking it to the benefit of some Columbian drug dealer. What about someone who puts all his money in an off-shore bank? What about someone who invests in a foreign country? Should they be prevented from doing this?

What about the business owners who hire the illegals under the table and thus avoid paying payroll taxes? (the john's who hire the prostitute being the exception) Aren't THEY the real root of the problem?

The Mexican workers did the work for the benefit of the people here in the US. What they do with their wages surely should be their own business. My Swiss Uncle once sent me $3,000 to help me get through a rough time. Was he being a traitor to Switzerland?

[mrnoodle]

Originally Posted by marichiko

My Swiss Uncle once sent me $3,000 to help me get through a rough time. Was he being a traitor to Switzerland?

No, but if he went across the border to Austria solely to get money to send back to Switzerland, Austria would suffer. Particularly if Austrians remained unemployed because others were taking the jobs.

Does Austria border Switzerland? I can't remember.

[Hippikos]

Poles are in Europe what Mexicans are in the US. Personally I think they´re a blessing.They work hard for a low prices enabling us to compete with low cost countries. In my company I have several Poles working, therefore keeping my production in my own country instead of having to outsource it, including loss of jobs for my local staff...

Originally Posted by mrnoodle

No, but if he went across the border to Austria solely to get money to send back to Switzerland, Austria would suffer. Particularly if Austrians remained unemployed because others were taking the jobs.

Does Austria border Switzerland? I can't remember.

Yes, Austria does border Switzerland. But the fact remains, my uncle took $3,000 he could have spent in Switzerland and, instead, sent it to a family member in a foreign country.

[Elspode]

So...how much of our money can we send somewhere else before we have a financial collapse? And will the US be such an attractive place to look for work if that happens?

[limey]

Would Americans do the jobs that these immigrants are doing? but I think Marichiko's point has more point - what about all the Big Money that is banked, stored, spent abroad? Really Big Money ....

[bluecuracao]

Why single out Mexican workers' wages? Lots of other countries get lots of money from the U.S.

These people earned the money they made. It's theirs--they can do whatever they want with it.

[9th Engineer]

O still don't see why we need to argue over whether how they spend their wages is detrimental to the country if they broke the law to get here. Everything after the boarder crossing is a mute point, wouldn't matter if they donated every cent to the Red Cross...

[bluecuracao]

Besides the mention of the prostitute, I don't see where it says that they are law-breakers. Mexican does not equal "illegal immigrant."

[Aliantha]

I think every country has issues with people who are in a country either legally or not, sending the money they earn back to the family they've left behind in another country.

This issue is very contentious over here also, and from my own personal experience, not one that's easily solved.

[Tonchi]

And back to the very real fact that the economy of Mexico would have cratered by now if 20% of their citizens were not working in the USA and sending that money home to be spent. For that reason and not in the least out of concern for their citizens and the problems they suffer trying to get to and stay in El Norte, the Mexican government wants to get them here more easily and keep them here. If they stayed in Mexico they would be homeless or unemployed and possibly starving, a visible proof of the failure of society and services there. So expect even more vocal demands and denunciations from the new President of Mexico about our need to "reform our immigration policies", he has to make sure this pipeline is not cut off

[9th Engineer]

I've debated the point of this thread quite a few times, but never outside the context of illegal immigrants. Once you start including honestly legalized Mexicans in the group the argument breaks down totally since it's pretty damn hard to say we need to stop citizens from spending their money in foreign countries. It's just too easy to back the other debater into a wall at that point so I made an assumption for the sake of argument I guess

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by bluecuracao

Why single out Mexican workers' wages? Lots of other countries get lots of money from the U.S.

These people earned the money they made. It's theirs--they can do whatever they want with it.

The only reason for singling out Mexicans, in my first post, is this photographer/artist had gathered the information as a side effect of her project. It's one of those things where you're reading something, and information that applies to something completely unrelated, jumps up a hits you in the eye.

Keep in mind, she is Mexican, they could be lying,....uh, exaggerating, how much they're actually sending, to impress the chica.....or each other. And even if these 11 people are here legally (I'm betting they are not), it's not about them....it's a indicator of how big a drain the millions of others are.


Mari, when he starts sending you a check every week, then it's a drain on his country. If you had 10 or 15 million uncles over there, it would become a big drain on their country.
The other problems you mentioned are part of the big picture also, as are the millions of Social Security checks that are being sent out of the country every month, but that doesn't negate this one.


Limey, would Americans do these jobs that would pay them enough money to live in NYC(expensive) and have enough left over to send $500 a week home? Absolutely.


Aliantha, you're absolutely right. Many countries have this problem and it's not easily solved. That said, first the problem has to be defined in size & scope, then solutions defined & implemented, but nothing happens until the citizens say they are mad as hell and not going to take it any more.
I always assume the leaders(politicians) are at least as lazy as I am, which tells me we have to light a pretty big fire under their butts.