Contempo Magazine Blog

Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator John Cornyn was in the Valley recently and received endorsements from Pharr Mayor Palacios and other local democrats. Other prominent local democrats such as McAllen Mayor Richard Cortez were in the crowd standing with John Cornyn but as far as we know made no specific endorsement apart from general support. A source which will remain anonymous has told Contempo that threats to hold up Federal funds for levee repair may have played a role in the recent events.

A review of contributors to the campaign of John Cornyn has shown significant contributions by the Boeing Corporation which is the lead contractor for the U.S. Mexican Border Fence. Senator Cornyn voted for the Border Fence and as far as we can tell has not been helpful to legislation proposed by our local U.S.  Representatives,Cuellar and Hinojosa,in pushing for legislation which would call for removal of environmental waivers and a more careful study of all border control alternatives. Mr. Cornyn also voted negatively for the immigration reform jointly recommended by both Senators McCain and Kennedy last year and voted no on establishing a new guest worker program bill. He has been an advocate for free trade with all Latin American countries.

A recent Rasmussen poll and a study by the Lake Partners Research Group indicates that there is a now a close race between the incumbent and Democratic challenger Rick Noriega of Houston.   47% of likely voters favor Cornyn while 43% favor Noriega. Noriega has been an outspoken critic of the construction of the Border Fence.

When I was a graduate student in Boston in the late 1970’s, I was amazed at how entrenched being Irish was into the local community identity. One of the most important events of the year was of course the St. Patrick’s Day Parade when every local politician became Irish for day.  There was open discussion on the street at how evil the British government was and always rumors about locals supporting the IRA. Most of the talking was done by people whose ancestors had come to the United States more than 100 years before and they had no first hand knowledge of Ireland at all.

This has always contrasted in my mind with way Mexican Americans relate to Mexico.  Mexican-Americans do take great pride in our Hispanic heritage in terms of language, literature, music, food, and family traditions.  But at the same time we have always kept a distance from being Mexican. Specifically, before anyone gets excited, I am referring to the concept  of being an advocate for the so-called socialist movement of Mexican nationalism. Growing up we often heard the phrase “De Aqui or De Alla” referring to whether someone was Mexican-American or Mexican.  Just like the Irish we have had to prove ourselves in the past to be true Americans but unlike the Irish we seem to take no real interest in the internal affairs of Mexico. I must admit I sometimes watch satellite Aztec television from Mexico City with my father and see political discussions by reporters, so-called philosophers, and  politicians debating what the peasants think. To be honest it feels like we are watching another planet. What has evolved is two peoples with relatively the same cultural and lineage but two vastly different concepts of government and expectations of government.

Is this because we feel that the government of Mexico is so corrupt that it is hopeless or is it just that we feel so American that what happens there does not matter.  In the late 1990’s, Mexican reformers where concerned that Mexicans living in the United States who had dual citizenship would be a threat to the traditional ruling parties if they voted in Mexican elections. The reality is that Mexicans living in the United States even if given the chance to vote in Mexican elections do not participate in significant numbers. Is that because they feel they cannot make a difference or is it because they believe they have joined a greater cause in being American? When you think about this, the complaints that some have that the United States will someday become like Mexico because of immigration seem ridiculous. Its clear that Mexicans come to United States to be Americans not Mexicans.

This raises the question to what extent should Mexican-Americans care about what happens in Mexico or other Latin American countries. Will caring about what happens in Mexico make us any less American?Is the way Jewish Americans for example have influence over Israel something that Mexican-Americans should copy?Should Mexican-Americans try to influence Mexico positively or just be concerned with our own domestic issues?

Lets not forget that in Mexico and other Latin American countries there are many who call immigrants to the United States as traitors or worse so it is possible that even if Mexican-Americans wanted to be involved they might not be always welcomed. Do we have any right to influence Mexico or do we have to duty to try? If we try we will be Imperialist Americans or just global citizens trying to help our neighbors.

For too long gasoline in the United States has been artificially lower  then Europe especially given the fact that much of Europe is a net exporter of oil and gasoline. As reported by MSNBC the middle class of India who drive cars and need petroleum products now exceed the total population of the United States. In a few more years China could double or triple the actual demand of oil now being used in the world. Even if the United States could reduce its oil usage the rest of the world will continue to thirst for more.

The largest oil company in the world, Exxon/Mobil is said to be stopping attempts at further exploration and is going to begin a slow sell off of it’s assets. For several years this corporate giant has actually been reporting less production yearly. Almost all the oil producing countries of the world report that they are now at maximum production.

The United States has not built a nuclear power reactor, a refinery, or substantially increased production of oil for many, many years. Even if we began an emergency drilling program and radically abandoned all environmental concerns experts have predicted it would take 10 to 12 years to see significant yields. We are not only buying raw oil but increasingly buying refined gasoline from abroad. Most of Europe now gets a majority of its everyday electrical power from nuclear power plants.

Realistically its seems to me that gasoline will float up in the United States to European prices of 6 to 8 dollars per gallon. The days of cheap gasoline are likely gone for ever. However if we rely just upon conservation its very likely this will kill our economy because a growing economy demands power at an affordable price. Changes will need to made in our way of life, some compromise will be necessary on environmental concerns, nuclear power plants will need to come online because wind or solar alone cannot suffice but they do need to be maximized, and more money into clean coal burning power plants must occur. Technological innovation will be spurred on by making alternative power sources price competitive to fossil fuels. It is time the government stop talking about temporary measures and admit to the public that the gasoline price hikes are not a temporary aberration.