Atheism/immigration

I as an atheist often hear the quote, "The fool has said in his heart there is no God." What else is the bible going to say? Of course a book that wants to promote the belief that its' God is true will call non-conformists fools. I wouldn't be suprised if the Qaran makes a similar statement. Atheists that the Christian bible disparage value the utilization of reason, not faith. They value the idea that any belief, religious or not, must be held under the microscope of observation and logic. If a belief cannot withstand that scrutiny it need not be held in esteemed. Morality, values must be based on this usage of reason and the needs of men and women because even if a God exists even such a being must utilize reason. Even if a God exists then a God would have to utilize reason is the formation of morality or it is just the whims of that God.


Letter on Immigration
On the question of illegal immigration from Mexico I have a suggestion. While enforcement is good along as conditions in Mexico are so poor that young Mexican men and women have a desire to leave to travel to better conditions in the US, we will have this problem. One thing I have learned in life is that when there is a great demand by people for a product or service, such as fleeing Mexico for the US, then people will engage in those acts. We need to help equalize the conditions in Mexico with the US, economically. This wouldn’t be about helping Mexico, but our own self interest. Along as the average job in Mexico for uneducated workers is a fraction of even a low paying job in the US then there will be demand to flee to the US. We need to mandate that all products exported from Mexico to the US, meet labor standards closer to that of the US. It does not necessary need to be the federal minimum wage but not so low that the incentive remains to leave Mexico for the US. Another advantage to this plan is that US companies knowing they cannot go to Mexico to just hire cheap labor because they realize they would have to abide to a higher standard of pay in Mexico if they wish to export those products back to the US. After all, for an American company to say Americans are good enough to buy their products but not good enough to actually make those same products is the height of unpatriotic. If the profits of America mean more to you then keep the US economy I have no sympathy for you. Indeed, minimum labor standards can be put on all products imported to the US. This would have the same benefits in increase labor standards throughout the world as in the US. NAFTA or North American Free Trade Agreement was an agreement that helped spur illegal immigration from Mexico to the US. One of the effects of NAFTA was that many thousands of Mexicans lost family farms in Mexico because they couldn’t’ compete. These same Mexicans are many of the same people now coming across the border. NAFTA has also turned a net trade surplus with Mexico by the US to a net negative. It has lowered wages in the US. NAFTA allows corporations to sue the national government of a NAFTA country in secret arbitration tribunals if they feel that a regulation or government decision affects their investment in conflict with these so called NAFTA rights. For example if a government wants to have minimum air pollution standards then that is reason to be sued because some fat cat somewhere can’t afford to but that second BMW. For example a Canadian group (NAFTA is also an agreement with Canada) sued the US because the US closed the border to Canadian beef after a cow in Canada was found with “Mad Cow” disease. We need a trade and immigration policy that works for the American people, not employers who want to exploit cheap Mexican labor either in Mexico or the US.