Posted on 08/27/2010 1:11:33 PM PDT by epithermal
YAKIMA, Wash--Just before 5 in the morning 39-year-old Rafaela Hernandez gets a ride to work. Like many campesinas, farm workers, she's in the fields by 5:30. This week she's picking pears. She heads home around noon.
Sometimes the schedule changes or there's no work at all depending on the crops, but for the most part, from June until November, this is her life seven days a week. She says its pesado, duro, hard and heavy, work. But as she sees it, it could be worse.
"Here at least we have work, food, en Mexico there isn't any", said Hernandez.
10 years ago Hernandez came to Yakima from Cuernavaca Morelos, Mexico. She and her oldest children walked for three days to reach the border. At the time she had a brother who lived in Yakima and told her there would be opportunities for her to work and educate her children. She herself has never gone to school.
"School for them at least. Having my kids go to school is the most important to me."
Hernandez lives with her six children and three grandchildren in a trailer in Toppenish. It's about 800 square feet for the 10 of them.
During the summer she waits for a call telling her si hay trabajo, if there's work. When she does have work, her $575 rent eats up about half of her paycheck. During the rest of the year when there are no crops to pick, she relies on public assistance to house her family...but not because she wants to. Hernandez says she would like to work all year, but because of her children, she doesn't have the option of moving from city to city following crop harvests.
She does occasionally take the oldest ones to go picking with her. She hopes a taste of a farm worker's life will keep them focused on school.
"I like to help her sometimes because I feel she's tired from the bags", said her twelve-year-old daughter Yennifer Hernandez.
Rafaela said sometimes when things get really tough she thinks about returning to Mexico. Her brother has left Yakima and she has no family here besides her children. But she knows that moving back would limit opportunities for the kids…not an option as far as she's concerned.
"Everything I do is for my children and so I tell them to enjoy because we suffered a lot to come."
Free education for the children and a welfare check. These illegal immigrants add so much to our society.
The uterus, when improperly used, is the most destructive force known to mankind.
If conservatives want to win this battle, we need to frame this debate as what it is: a humanitarian crisis, caused by and aided by Mexico's government. Mexico needs to brought to heal, or be conquered and the government replaced. They are treating their own people like slaves.
is it any wonder that:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/census/2010-08-27-1Akindergarten27_ST_N.htm
Kindergartens see more Hispanic, Asian students
?
I agree. The Mexican people are willing to work, but their government has abandoned them. I have often wondered why the Mexican government doesn’t assist their workers with starting their own fruit farms. Then their people could stay home and in a generation or two compete on the world market.
What causes a revolution, one that will remove corrupt officials?
When conditions become intollerable, men will rise up and say “enough”. When they find that life is truly unbearable, they will develop a spine - and heaven forbid the fool that stands in the way when a man has had enough.
But, the USA is a ‘relief valve’ that allows misery to be perpetually ‘bearable’. Mexico’s gov’t knows this, and encourages people to leave and go to the USA. This makes their misery ‘bearable’ and ‘profitable’ to them.
Put a lid on this pot, and seal it down - and it’s going to blow - violently. But, when the dust settles; those who survive will be able to pick up the pieces and hopefully put a better system in place.
The uterus, when improperly used, is the most destructive force known to mankind
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
hmm 39, 6 children, 3 grandchildren.
Probably has enough left in her to drop 3 or 4 more.
However, guess if the daddy’s of all the children and grandchildren chipped in with $10 a day (you know, skip the cigs and brew) she could live pretty decent.
She now lives with her 6 children and 3 grandchildren. I count 6 citizen anchor babies in her family alone.
Yes, she wants to work; yes she wants to feed and educate her children; how about doing it in her own country.
From this story, she awaits a call to work IN SPANISH--been here for years, speaks little or no English, is ignorant as sin, and has added 10 people to the welfare and free education roles. Only education isn't really free. Working and property owning US citizens are franking her.
I refuse to roll over for law breakers like this family or for racist pimps who want to call me names.
Let Moochelle Antoinette buy lobster and cake for them./s
vaudine
Of all the things I’ve read on the ‘net over the years, the one I wished I’d saved was this: an article that described how many layers of bureaucracy and how many bribes had to be made to public officials in order to open any kind of business. It was such a detailed piece, I felt sorry for the Mexican people after reading it. It certainly explains why such a high percentage of them (once they save up a little money) are entrepreneurs once they get here.
Both of these gov’ts (ours and theirs) have a LOT to answer for, IMO.
Wow, I’m just so broken up about the plight of the poor, illegal immigrants sapping the life out of our nation. Boo-freakin’-hoo.
The corrupt Mexican government has no reason to reform as long as it can pawn its unwanted and jobless off on us.
During the rest of the year when there are no crops to pick
What did seasonal workers do before welfare? I suspect they saved up their money during the picking months to tide over for the other months.
This illegal, law-breaking insurgent and her children are stealing food from the mouths of our own children, who really belong here. If it were up to me, I’d round her and her leechbrood and ship them back to Mexico. Absolutely no sympathy here. GO THE HELL HOME, your problem is not my problem, nor my concern!
I call BS.
I’ve heard that productive migrant workers actually make reasonable money.
Such a heart warming story, the only thing missing is an address to send a check.
Off-seasons were when she added the 3 extra children....
Maybe reasonable money for a family size of 1 or 2 - but not for multi-generational litters of ninos.
So of course she depends on us taxpayers to pick up the tab.
Deport her NOW and her anchor babies too !
“They are treating their own people like slaves. “
While at the same time Mexico accuses the USA of violating their ‘human rights’ and now has invaded NY with their own officials to protect them...
NEW YORK, New York - In a series of events which has caused wide notice and a storm of protests, the government of Mexico, through its consulate in New York in the United Nations, has announced it will begin patrolling the New York City borough of Staten Island to “safeguard” its nationals there. The actions of Mexico come after a series of incidents the Mexican government terms “bias attacks.”
Ironically, these so-called “hate crimes” have been perpetrated by blacks and Asians, indicative of rising tensions between various ethnic groups in the U.S. The Catholic Examiner and NBC New York both reported the Mexican government’s intention to mount surveillance, patrol and police in and around the Staten Island community of Port Richmond, which in recent years
has seen a large influx of Mexican illegal immigrants.
Mexican officials have set up a neighborhood office and local phone hot line for their nationals to report “bias incidents”-regardless as to whether they are in the United States legally.
The actions of the Mexican government have caused Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly to order what many observers say is the most concentrated
police mobilization since the World Trade Center disaster.[snip]
“We will act decisively in order to protect our citizens and will actively promote that those guilty of these vicious attacks are brought to justice expeditiously. We are working hand-in-hand with local authorities on all levels,” said Consul General of Mexico in New York, Ruben Beltran in an email to the Staten Island Advance.
http://towncriernews.blogspot.com/2010/08/dont-like-ny-mosque-how-bout-mexican.html
__________________
“I have often wondered why the Mexican government doesn’t assist their workers with starting their own fruit farms. Then their people could stay home and in a generation or two compete on the world market.”
Mexicans used to be small family farmers. NAFTA destroyed that, just as it has our own small family farms. Now
they’re all coming here.
And if it’s not the actual American system (which we are not living under currently), the American people will wind up as slaves.
We NEED the freedom to tell other people with different opinions to buzz off, not give them control over our lives through various bureaucracies.
lets ask her husband...Oh wait!..no mention of him
Wrong! All that does is give justification to the welfare we give them and strengthens the call for amnesty.
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