America's Insidious Descent Towards the Third World

Somewhere in the dark recesses of their souls, an increasing number of Americans fear the eventuality of an ultimate confrontation with Mexico over the disputed territories, formerly known as the Southwestern United States. But visions of the affair as a horde of brass-buttoned soldiers, marching on San Jacinto with bayoneted muskets to retake it, are woefully mistaken.

Were that the case, the overt threat would be obvious and recognizable. America could certainly rally and respond with sufficient force to decisively win the battle. But no such events are taking place. In their stead, a much less dramatic scenario promises far greater detriment to the country, though its protracted nature renders it less shocking, and therefore more likely to succeed. In fact, in many respects, it already has.

A far better picture of America's future can be seen in the formerly tidy and wholesome town of Lexington Nebraska, situated as it is in the prime of the Heartland. Over the years, it metamorphosed to a horrendous degree. No doubt, had its inhabitants been forewarned of its fate a mere two decades ago, none would have believed the transformation to be within the realm of possibility.

Once a prim and quiet farm town, Lexington's major industry was for many years a New Holland tractor factory, which brought to it the stability of America's former manufacturing prowess. Many of its residents were employed there, with decent paying and skilled jobs. But in 1986, New Holland outsourced, and the plant was subsequently sold and converted to a meat packing facility, whereupon the local workers were systematically supplanted by a massive importation of illegals.

Initial changes to the character of the town were subtle. Doors that once had been safely left open all night were now locked. Lawn furniture and bicycles no longer adorned the yards, since they might not be there in the morning. Nevertheless, the resilient townspeople made necessary adjustments and attempted to continue with their lives.

As the influx increased however, the degree to which the former charm of Lexington was eventually eradicated was astounding. Its fate should send shudders through the spine of any throughout the rest of the nation, who hope for a country to bequeath to their children.

Much of the town now reflects the squalor not previously seen this side of the Mexican border. Even in the town's modernized zone, which passes just south of Lexington near I-80, businesses reflect the ethnic tidal wave that has overwhelmed it.

It is all but impossible for American youths to gain employment at the local fast food franchises, since virtually all business behind the counters is conducted in Spanish, making it difficult to avoid disturbing notion that businesses might eventually post signs saying: "Americanos need not apply." The town has inarguably become Balkanized.

Yet Lexington is hardly an isolated example. Nor is it among the most severe that has ravaged traditional America. Rather, it is striking only in that it so starkly represents the plight of much of America's southern border, while being vastly separated from that region. If this can happen in Nebraska, no part of the country remains immune to the ravages of such an incursion.

A similar disaster looms over America's food supply, and may be much more far reaching since it is not confined to any geographical location. Its onset will not be heralded by guards showing up at the front door to enforce changes in the state food regulations, or demanding that hapless citizens only patronize the state store.

Rather, the entirety of available food will gradually degrade, and in fact already has, with the ominous collaboration of the United States Government.

For example, Americans are being purposefully denied the ability to know the origin of the beef they eat. "Country of Origin Labeling" (COOL), an essential facet of keeping America's beef producers competitive on the world market, has been systematically stonewalled at the highest levels of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

For some time now, the USDA, along with multinational corporate interests, have worked feverishly to eradicate quality differences between domestic and foreign beef supplies, while preventing consumers from knowing that those differences exist. While free trade advocates rightly decry "protectionism," the current agenda demonstrates nothing short of protectionism for the foreign beef producers.

From the recent pet-food catastrophe, to the revelations of toxins in Chinese made toothpaste along with seafood imports that were produced in the most unsanitary of conditions, Americans now face renewed risks to their health that many decades ago had been eliminated from domestic production. Yet as time goes on, the food and health industries reflect less and less of America's formerly high standards.

If pragmatism prevails above all else as the ultimate driving force behind the "global economy," the food supplies and commodities of other nations will never be lifted to America's former standards. Instead, America's food supplies, and in consequence its entire standard of living, will sink to that of the rest of the world.

It is of little comfort that such incidents are at present fairly isolated. At one time they would have been unheard of. A dangerous first step has been taken in the direction of acceptable risk and degradation where none would have been allowed in the past. Eventually all supplies will decline in quality as producers seek to compete against ultra-cheapened imports.

It is easy enough to allow these problems to expand, and then declare them "unmanageable," as is reflected in the callous indifference of the government to the southern border invasion and the importation of sub-standard beef.

More alarming still is that the law itself changing, ever more resembling its role within third world tyrannies. No longer the "glue" by which a free society retains its cohesion, the law is ever more being used as it is in the "undeveloped world" where it is a means of manipulating and controlling the masses. The total lack of enforcement of America's southern border is itself reflective of a banana republic.

"Justice" has been totally abominated, with honorable border guards serving jail time while border-jumping criminal thugs go free, the legal fate of each no longer determined on basis of any harm they might have inflicted on decent society, but rather on the threat they pose to the established order.

Fortunately, Americans yet have time to fix things. If they fully awaken to the impending danger, they will realize that they still retain the option next election cycle of "throwing the bums out."

"Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it." So read the Declaration of Independence, a document written only fifteen months after the citizens of another Lexington, realizing that no other justice was to be forthcoming, took matters into their own hands.

... a study regarding the impact of the meatpacking industry on crime completed in Garden City, Kansas, prior to IBP’s arrival in Lexington, revealed large increases in the city’s crime rates shortly after the plant opened there. Garden City shared a similar pre-IBP population with Lexington, and each city had similar demographics prior to the arrival of IBP in each respective location. He said the research indicated that crime rates had increased considerably in Garden City after the IBP plant arrived. Given the similarity between the cities Clark assumed that crime rates would also increase in Lexington (Clark interview).

Clark further explained that he and Sheriff Reiber knew that the existing Dawson County Jail in Lexington would not accommodate the changes that were about to take place in the city. At the time, the jail was roughly 50 years old and contained only about 26 beds. Therefore, law enforcement officials in Dawson County began planning the building of a new jail before IBP even arrived in Lexington (Ibid.).

Dawson County’s new jail opened its doors in July of 1993, currently contains 126 beds, and costs approximately $1.2 million to operate annually. According to Sheriff Reiber, the entire jail and law enforcement center cost the county $4.5 million to build. The law enforcement center became the headquarters for the Dawson County Sheriff’s office (Reiber interview).

Sheriff Reiber provided me with population statistics for the jail from 1989 to 1996. The Dawson County jail houses both “contract” and “non-contract” inmates. Extra holding space in the jail allows Sheriff Reiber to hold Federal inmates as well as inmates from other counties for a contractual fee. Non-contract inmates, however, are solely from Dawson County. Figure 9 only accounts for non-contract inmates from Dawson County as this research is primarily concerned with prisoners connected to crimes committed in Dawson County. Figure 9 shows that in 1989 there was an average of 12 inmates housed in the Dawson County jail daily. By the mid-1990’s however, the average daily non-contract inmate population hovered around 45.

Once crime rates began to increase in Lexington during the early 1990’s, local law enforcement agencies required increased budgets to provide adequate law enforcement personnel to police Lexington and the greater Dawson County area. Sheriff Reiber explained that the budget for the Dawson County Sheriff’s office (excluding the jail’s operating costs) was approximately $400,000 in 1990. Now, 15 years later, the Sheriff’s budget has doubled to $800,000. Much of the increase in budget paid the salaries of new deputy positions as high crime rates demanded increased numbers of law enforcement personnel to police Dawson County. In 1990, Sheriff Reiber kept about 12 deputies on staff. Today he has a total of 18 deputies patrolling Dawson County (Reiber interview).

Sheriff Reiber further explained that he has also received some aid from the Federal government in the fight against crime in Dawson County. In order to fight against gang, drug, and other violent criminal activity, Reiber has kept a special investigator on his force since the early 1990’s. The Federal government provides funding for the gang, drug, and violent crimes investigator through a “Byrne” grant. Unfortunately, the Byrne grant for Dawson County will most likely run out in November of 2005, leaving Sheriff Reiber uncertain how he will be able to continue funding the position. He explained that Byrne grants are being replaced in Congress by Homeland Security grants. He further explained that the shift in funding could ultimately hinder his ability to fight drug and gang activity in Lexington and Dawson County (Ibid.). With Dawson County’s high rate of drug trafficking and its gang presence, the prospect of losing a gang and drug investigator is unsettling to say the least.

Chief Clark reported that he also had increases in budget and personnel as well as Federal aid for crime fighting due to increased crime rates in Lexington. With budget statistics provided to me by Lexington’s City Treasurer Barb Mills, I made a graph displaying the Lexington Police Department’s budget from fiscal years 1983-1984 through 2000-2001 (Figure 10). Throughout the 1980’s to fiscal year 1990-1991, the police department’s budget was at or near $400,000, much like the budget for the Sheriff’s office in 1990. Also similar to the Sheriff’s budget, the police department’s budget had doubled to $800,000 by fiscal year 2000-2001.

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