My brother-in-law came to the US so you could hang out on the corner
I'm back.At some point today I need to call my sister and wish her and my brother-in-law, T. Feliz Cinco de Mayo. My brother in law T. is Mexican and before he married my sister, was incredibly illegal. He's kinda new to the family so my feelings about him and his immigration status haven't fully gelled. All the protests and chatter about immigration has gotten me to think about something a bit more local, the friendly drug dealers on the corner.
Some folks feel sorry for the guys on the corner. They can't find work, some say. It's hard for them because they are disadvantaged, others say. Huh? I'd like to think that even a substandard American education and having English as a first language trumps the education and English skills of the average guy crossing the Rio Grande. Of course, some of the guys crossing the border have some marketable skills like carpentry and other building trade skills, which for one reason or another aren't taught widely here in the US. Tracking? Is that what it is called when you gear a kid towards shop class and not the academic classes? Do they still teach business in high school? Are there still any shop classes where students learn to fix a car? Or has this gone the way of the dodo because of testing and liability insurance?
One could argue that the immigrants are taking jobs away from the guys on the corner by taking lower pay. Oh, last I heard a drug dealing foot soldier makes less than minimum wage on the corner. So I suspect it may be something else.
Anyway. Happy 5th of May, where we celebrate the kicking of French butt by Mexican boots, or we celebrate margaritas and nachos, one of the two. Be you native born American, Mexican, Salvadorian, or what ever, enjoy the day.
posted by Mari @ 5.5.06
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