Posted on 06/20/2012 7:14:57 PM PDT by moonshinner_09
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Five Albuquerque-area residents were named in a recently unsealed federal indictment connected to what authorities say is a multistate scam abusing New Mexico's law that allows illegal immigrants to obtain driver's licenses.
(Excerpt) Read more at palmbeachpost.com ...
This is probably a case when you do. New Mexico clearly does not have the will or capacity to govern itself.
This giant shortcoming was first brought up in the debates over whether or not to admit NM to the Union. Still holds true today.
It is not the will or capacity of state officials, it is that of the people of the state itself, in that they demand this of their government officials. I know, been there, lived through it for many years.
Cattle ranching and farming are among NM's biggest industries, and ranchers and farmers depend on cheap Mexican labor, and have for hundreds of years.
When it became 'round-up time' I saw it first-hand. Most of the Mexican's had been working in the US on those ranches for most of their lives. Every year they walked in from Mexico, traveled through the mountains and arrived 'on-time' to do their jobs. After it was over, they walked home - some of them over 200 miles.
But, now they drive in... with state government 'assistance' - demanded by those who elect whom they elect.
Over the years there have been all sorts of 'government programs' that supposedly assisted this process 'legally.' The Bracero Program in 1942 was the first of many, and at age 7 or so (1948) I saw many an SP train-load of Mexicans moving into the US from Mexico, and later hauling them back.
Check out THIS LINK.
I worked on the ranches at round-up myself - and have to say, Mexicans where a minority of the crews. We would have 15-25 Americans and perhaps 5 or 6 Mexicans... most of which could out-ride and out-rope a lot of the guys, including me.
But, since those days, when Mexicans hardly ever went outside CA, AZ, NM and Texas - we've been flooded with 'Mexicans' (most of which are not, because many come from Central and South America) and they've imported more crime than they have labor. Worse, they've come to stay, and make a mess of themselves. Oh yes, a few have become Americans legally, serve in our military, and many become conservative Americans that vote Republican. But, they are in the minority! So if it were up to me, I'd build a wall the size of the Great Wall of China to keep them out. But big agri-biz would have a fit, and have me strung up! LOL
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The Governor of NM, Susanna Martinez, has tried to have the legislature pass a new law stopping licenses for illegals, but since the legislature is controlled by Democrats, nothing gets done.
It has nothing to do with NM citizens wanting this program to continue. In poll after poll, NM citizens say they want this repealed. The legislature’s phones were crashed, as was the email server due to the volume of phone calls and emails about this issue during the last legislative session.
About ten years ago, some DMV workers in Phoenix got busted for issuing licenses to illegals, so I wonder if this is the same scam. Curious that the AP left that little detail out of the article.
Those people were far different from what comes across the border now. Never once was anything ever stolen back in the 50's when I worked on farms and ranches with Mexicans. Now-days, that's no longer true.
“Every year they walked in from Mexico, traveled through the mountains and arrived ‘on-time’ to do their jobs.”
One time I was driving over a rough mountain road going into the Gila Wilderness in an old Datson pickup, carrying my burro in back. I came around a curve, and there was a Mexican kid, wearing a sarapi poncho and sombrero, with the baggy white trousers and leather sandals, and he was driving a pack train of burros, walking behind them. I have no idea where he was coming from, what he was doing there, or where he was going, but I thought I had traveled through a time warp into the 1800s.
What is it about the Fed that makes you think it would do a better job? Are you talking about the same Fed that is suing Arizona for enforcing immigration laws? The biggest problem with NM state government is the same problem a lot of states have, Democrats.
Had I read your post more carefully I’d have given a different response, sorry.
You are correct in what you say about folks coming over the border now vs. in days gone by. I have some good friends that own a spread in AZ and they say the same exact thing. They live fairly close to the border and are increasingly frightened, but as they say, even if they were to attempt to sell off, who would buy with border violence the way it is?
Loved your recount of the kid with the burros. There's a story about that - we saw them often, back when. He was likely the son of one of a bunch of vaqueros who came from his part of Mexico - often from the same family, brothers, uncles, etc. A few big ranches (Ladder and Armendaris) had well-known families that worked with them every year - often several generations of... and they were quite good at what they did!
Since you saw him alone, he was either returning to Mexico to wait until after round-up - or returning months later to load everything and return home with his vaqueros. They usually traveled together to the ranches, and returned to Mexico together - the burros would all be carrying a load of gear.
The 'gear' consisted of saddles, boots, clothing, ropes, tools, musical instruments - all the belongings they wanted around them while working the cattle. They always came 'loaded for bear' - some had guns, and took great pleasure in their marksmanship - and all loved to sing songs (sometimes dance) in the evenings around their camp fires.
That era is more or less far gone now, sad to say. But I hear a scant few still make the trip every year to a few ranches close to the border - but most arrive in their pickup trucks.
(My cousin married the 'Armendaris Cowboy' - when the ranch was owned by the Victorio Land and Cattle Company - so got to see a lot of this first hand, long ago now. Nowadays, Ted Turner owns it, along with the Ladder ranch too! The other local ranchers/residents hate his guts. He made an absolute mess of himself - and the ranches - another long story.)
I am referring to the original problems NM had and has - ditchbank politics, the Major Domo system. It has never been abandoned or replaced. Democrats stepped in to take advantage of what was already there and established over several centuries.
“...ditchbank politics, the Major Domo system.”
Wouldn’t that be ditch bank and majordomo? And the old Mexican families here would use the term jefe, or El jefe. I get your point, but New Mexican’s love their corruption and connections, and the Fed isn’t going to change any minds.
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