D.C._Palms_N_Sports_Fan

I have to agree. Though I think my post reflects that agreement.

I also know, that unless one lives or works on or near the border, that we really cannot comprehend the problems we face down there with Mexico. I really do try to understand why we have such problems down there, yet almost no problems with Canada. Perhaps it is because Mexico at least in parts is more third world? My uncle (R.I.P.) was a U.S. Marshall and was stationed in El Paso, TX with his family for a while. They hated it there for multiple reasons, but one of those reasons was all of the problems that city faces being a border city.

Though I do not live in a border state, I can assure y ou the problems are much broader. They day laborer lines in some parts of the D.C. area every morning are just INCREDIBLE.

Further, I have some personal experience with it. Until a year ago I lived in what was a nice apartment complex when I moved in. Mostly middle class, working younger professionals, with some elderly thrown in. Decent racial mix, probably 60% white, and the rest split evenly between El Salvadorean / Mexican and African Americans. I lived there for two years. about 1 year and 4 months in there was a change in management. All of the sudden the entire complex was turning almost all El Salvadorean. Two of my neighbors were kicked out because they complained about problems with toilets that went unrepaired for months and the new manager blamed THEM and forced them out. The new manager was a El Salvadorean. I was told by one of my neighbors that was thrown out that when she complained about her toilet malfunctioning that nothing was done. One night when she was not home it malfunctioned and flooded her bathroom and that of the apt below. She was evicted for not properly caring for her unit. During a heated exchange with the manager, she was told on no uncertain terms that she was to leave because the manager "had people that needed a place to live".

In my final 8 months there ( the time that the new manager took over) the problems mounted. Trash went uncollected, problems with water and general maintenance. More and more El Salvadoreans were moving in, and most of them were illegal. I know this because the poor lone maintenance guy was also El Salvadorean and he told me this. Most of them could not read or write their own language, let alone english, so the bi lingual signs often went ignored. Basically everyone I knew there, and then some left within 6 months including me. The loitering problems became very bad. THere were some guys sleeping in the hall ways. People were urinating and even defecating in the laundry rooms. The complex basically refused to install locking exterior doors on the buildings, thus leading to even more problems. Those that moved in brought there friends and extended families, and some units which were to hold no more than 4 people were now holding 10 or more. My friend in the building next to me had 12 people living in a small two bedroom next to her. In less than 8 months the complex had about 90 % turnover. All of the good hard working young professionals left because of how bad things got. Since then it has stayed the same. They have been fined by the city numerous times for code violations ranging from loitering, to nuisance garbage, litter, to failure to maintain buildings...etc. THere have also been ALOT more calls to police to come to that complex. I know all of this because I have a friend who owns a house across the street from it. The only thing that seems to have gotten better is the large groups of people "hanging out" outside drinking. That used to occur nightly very close to outside of my apartment, and often would exceed 20+ people, and they would leave behind all kinds of garbage. I one time called the cops because of the noise and there were bottles being broken. It blew my mind to see such a large group of people, many of them adults, running from the cops like they were 15 year old s that did something wrong.

Anyway, my point in telling that little story was to illustrate that it happens far away from the border as well, and also to give my first hand experience in watching a nice place that I lived, turn into a pile of steaming dung. I really do not understand what it is. It is like those people just do not care about anything at all. Perhaps it is cultural? Maybe they are so used to living in such awful conditions that they really do not know any other way to live? I really do not have the answer. It made me sad to see, and did somewhat change my perspective on things of that nature. I have told many of my hispanic friends that story, and they all basically said the same things. That they were likely poor people who came here illegally, are poor, and came from much worse enviornments, and only care about getting money to send home, and care nothing for where they live, or even this country. Sad.. just sad. Those are the kinds of people I DO NOT want here, and fully support sending back to where they came from IF they are not going to respect our country, culture, and not pay their dues by being law abiding LEGAL citizens.

I was fairly surprised to hear that many of my hispanic friends, including some who are here on work visa, pretty much agree with me and most Americans views on such things. Some of them were even EMBARRASSED and said that that is NOT how most live where they come from. Even the maintenance man who was himself El Salvadoran told me that is not how most live down there, and that he was embarrassed by them and that they were lazy and did not want to really work, much less do so legally. He even told me that he tries to explain to them how things are here but usually they just blow it off and do not really want to hear it.

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