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 Editorials | Opinions | May 2007 
From Yukon to Yucatán
 Bill O'Brien - PVNN
There are two "hot button" issues facing Texans today. One is controlling the border to stem illegal immigration, and the other is the Trans-Texas Corridor, the super highway/railway that will run between Mexico and Oklahoma. Although I am concerned about the former, the possibility that the latter will pass through my master bathroom prompted me to do some research.
Starting a Web search with the Texas Department of Transportation, I followed a trail that led to many paths including the White House Web site. Some sites are credible, and some are not, but what I found is astonishing. At first I thought it was some ultra right-wing John Birch Society conspiracy theory – I checked their Web site and they do have a lot to say about it, by the way – but I'm starting to believe that immigration and the TTC are both part of a much larger scheme.
While Gov. Rick Perry and the Spanish construction firm Cintra were planning the TTC, President Bush met with Mexican and Canadian leaders to establish the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America. Some people see this as part of a grand plan to create a North American Union, similar to the European Union. This is all happening at the executive level with little or no outside oversight. Major American and Canadian corporations, who will profit from lowered business costs and decreased regulation, are also involved.
The intention of the "prosperity" element is to greatly expand trade throughout the North American continent. Under the plan, goods will be shipped from Asia to Mexico's Pacific coast. The goods will then be transported throughout America and into Canada by Mexican trucking firms. That's where the TTC comes in. Of course the highway won't dead-end at the Red River. Other states have similar roads planned that will extend into Canada. Currently Mexican trucks are limited to a "commercial zone" along the border, but steps are being taken to remove that restriction.
Theoretically, by improving employment conditions and the standard of living in Mexico, fewer people will have the incentive to cross the border. But improving the conditions in Mexico by building the ports to receive the goods, and building the highways to ship them north, will take hundreds of billions of dollars in the short run. Almost half of that will come from the U.S.
To create greater economic parity, an identification system will be implemented that will allow Mexicans, Canadians and Americans to travel and work in any of the countries. Under this system, jobs in America would be open to any Mexican or Canadian citizen. This would result in lower wages and a decreased standard of living in America. Those who stand to benefit from this are our cousins to the south and multinational corporations, or, more precisely, the fat cats who run them.
The "security" part of the plan is to ensure the safety of North America by encircling the continent with a perimeter border protected by a concerted effort among the three nations. It is asserted that this outlying border would reduce the possibility of terrorists entering the U.S from Canada or Mexico. It would also allow freer passage across current borders.
During the run-up to the 2006 elections, while the Republican base clamored for increased border security and demanded an impenetrable fence, I couldn't help but notice that President Bush remained conspicuously quiet. I figured he just wanted to ensure a steady stream of "nannies" for his Highland Park friends.
The president speaks about the need for a strong guest worker program to benefit people on both sides of the border, an idea that I agree with. But I've never heard him – or anyone – talk about this plan for an NAU, creating one big happy enchilada from the Yukon to the Yucatán. My sense of American altruism is strong, but it stops short of giving away the candy store.
In the meantime, I will be converting my bathroom into a tollbooth. Bienvenidos, eh?
Bill O'Brien of McLendon-Chisholm is an emergency room nurse and a Community Voices volunteer. His email address is billobrien234@sbcglobal.net. |
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