Biggest story at bottom of the pile

[workin for wood]

I don't just sit here and write this because I am a trucker, but because this is a story that could possibly be the biggest tradgedy to hit the USA since Pearl Harbor...yes, bigger than 911 in some ways, and yet it is buried at the bottom of the papers and TV/radio. It's a story that if you really put thought into it affects people of all almost every country in the world, and that is the Mexican truckers entering into the United states. It's pretty much a slid in bill, passed off to the public as being a way to reduce the costs of general merchandise. Now we all know that that is not going to happen. The mexican will drive the trucks for 1/4 the pay, and any extra money will go into the pockets of the owners of those companies, which of course means money leaving our country. Lets forget about the fact that we don't know who these people are, and the shotty equipement, no hable anglais, imigrant and drug smuggling possibilities, but lets just focus on the economic impact of this situation. This will over time bring the possible loss of jobs in the USA, just drivers only, to be about half a million. That is a huge number, and where do these drivers go to work? These people can't compete with the mexican wage of 10-12 cents per mile, which is under 10,000 dollars per year. What does this matter to me, you might say? Where do you people work? And, perhaps some scrollers sell products at shows? See, if you work in retail of any kind, or if you do craft shows, you will have less customers because there will be 1/2 million unemployed people that usually have some extra spending money. Now, in retail, you sell less, there is cutbacks, so now you are laid off. You work in manufacturing? You know about companies leaving to go to cheaper labor countries..well, this bill gives you a bigger incentive to move to mexico because then you can use mexican trucks to ship here. See, mexican trucks can only take the jobs from there to here, and back, not deliveries that are from a state to a state...just like canadian drivers. But canadian drivers are not a threat to the USA because they make the same wages as americans, but canadian drivers will be affected too, as they will lose jobs because the mexicans will p/u the canadian freight here in michigan and bring it back to mexico. How about the ports? Oversea freight comes to port here in the USA, and so can only be driven by an american driver. What stops the ports from closing up and moving to mexico? Now the Mexicans can haul the freight at 1/4 the cost! They keep all the money, the ports get rich, the trucking companies get rich, manufacturers overseas get rich, we all go to the unemployement line. If you live overseas...perhaps your in england? This affects you, as our economy collapses, so will yours. We won't have the money to buy your products nor will we have the investment capital to float your markets. See, it's all a big circle. Any time even one person loses a job, regardless what that job is, we are all effected, and over time it can become quite a snowball. Trucking is the backbone of the economy, like a tree, everything else branches off of it. We have the most employed people of any industry, well over 50 million, when you count in delivery drivers, not necessarily tractor trailer drivers, but drivers non the less. I would not be opposed to mexican truckers, if they were charging the same fees. There are many other important issues to that haven't been worked out, but it's the economic issue that is the most important. Don't forget that when you see the mexican that took an american trucking job, he won't have healthcare either, but he will happily stop at an american hospital for free care on your pocket book. Write or call your congressman, senator, governor, newspaper, TV news and radio news people. Tell the politicians it has to stop immediately. Tell the news people to take the story to the front pages every day and educate the citizens of this country the truth of this nightmare.

There's so many intellegent people on this forum...thank you for reading and please put some serious thought to just how serious this situation has become. It is so mind boggling, you might have to wrap your head in duct tape so that when your head explodes, the doctors will at least have the pieces to put back together.

Foreigners please do the same. Write your congresses, presidents, prime ministers and anyone else. These people do have voices heard in this country as well and every voice makes a difference. This is like a pearl harbor performed by our very own government against ourselves!

[greg194799]

Thanks Jeff, made my call yesterday.

[stevebuk]

we have the same problem here in the UK, poles are coming out of the woodwork everywhere, and greedy boses are grabbing them and paying peanuts. I must admit, us brits are to blame, no-one nowadays seems to want to bother to do anything, with this 'New' societyand culture we have, everybody just dont give a damn, no respect, violence, guns, and a general dont care attitude.
its bloody frightening..

[Plaquerd]

Jeff
I agree 100% with what you are saying. I too am a trucker. Just look what exporting manufacturing jobs to China has done to the quality of the products (lead paint on kids toys, non-consumable additives in food etc.) I know it's not the same, but it's time to stand up and stop this exportation of our livelihoods. Just who is running this country anyway? The big corporations, that's who. They are all padding their pockets. Sorry for the rant.
Dave

[Mike Crosa]

This is an issue I believe comes from letting the politicians stay far to long in office. I am talking both parties here. Time to boot them all out get fresh blood in there and don't let them stay to long. We have to make them accountable. Our founding fathers never intended that a congressman or senator to be a career position but rather a position you take to serve your country for a few years and then bow out. Our only power is the vote and for to long we have not used it the way it should be used. We let the corporations with their dollars control the vote with their advertising blitzes and we listen to them. Cheap products coming into the country? That's fine. That's fine that is until the consequence hits home.

Hows the old saying go? Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me. We have to wake up as a country and take what is ours back.

Mike C

[workin for wood]

What I'm talking about certainly isn't just some conspiracy theory, as it has already begun. The tragic consequences are real, but fortunately they are likely to take at least a few years to really take effect, which means we still have time to nip this in the bud. Just having one person here make a call can make the difference. The teamsters already took the bill to court, but lost. The court simply see's it as if canadians can come, it's discriminating to not let mexicans come. Our problem is not mexicans, but it is their economic situation. If they were like canada in that they made the same wages, there would be no issue. Not to mention they have no health care and all the new mexican drivers will be draining our hospitals dry. Just because you are in a union doesn't make your job safe. There are hundreds of thousands of people that are completely aware of the consequences of the trucker situation and constantly contacting government officials. There could even be millions, but I think it'll take tens of millions of angry people to put a stop to it.

I am originally Canadian, and my US History isn't perfect so don't quote me...but wasn't it Jefferson that said this country needs a revolution every generation, or something like that???