By: Nicole Newby
A group of local citizens, including some SFA students, will stage its first protest against building a federal prison in Nacogdoches at 5 p.m. Tuesday downtown in front of city hall.
In response to the decision to build the prison in Nacogdoches, Dr. Paul Risk, a retired SFA agriculture professor, created the group Citizens Opposed to Prison Site. "COPS is a place where people can have a unified voice to speak out against it," said Whitson. "We are trying to preserve the oldest town in Texas," Currid said.
Nacogdoches is known for being the oldest town in Texas and the home of SFA, but a new entity may soon become another signature characteristic of the East Texas town.
The Nacogdoches Economic Development Corporation and the city and county commissioners unanimously backed a proposal for a private federal prison that would house illegal immigrants to be built inside Loop 224 on Northwest Stallings Drive. The prison would be owned by the Management and Training Corporation, which aims to provide the necessary skills for convicted criminals to become productive members of society.
The facility would provide some benefits for the community, such as 300 jobs and $11 million in annual salaries. In addition to the opportunities for employment specifically with the prison, construction jobs would also be created for the projected 14-month building time as well as opportunities for SFA internships. The city is also confident that the prison would bring in more tax income.
However, some are worried that the addition of a prison could negatively affect tourism in Nacogdoches, one of the town's primary industries. Other concerns include light pollution, property values, town safety and SFA enrollment.
"SFA is the pumping organ of this town. Do we really want to shift the attention to a prison?" said Ashley Whitson, Fairfield graduate student.
"The city voted and gave two days for other citizens to vote, but kept it quiet because they knew people would object," said Ashlee Currid, The Woodlands junior. "Even the people who sold the land didn't know who they were selling it to. They heard from a local that it was for a private prison."
Since the prison would be privately owned, it would not have to abide by the Freedom of Information Act, which allows citizens to know who is in the facility and why.
MTC's prisons have been known to be overcrowded and to not offer legal aid or medical care, according to various Internet reports. Also, instances of unsanitary conditions have been reported.
MTC is linked with prisons in Iraq and Canada, as well. "They are constantly breaking human rights laws," Whitson said.
There have been federal charges filed against the company for smuggling illegal immigrants using a company van to bring to the prisons. "The fact that a prison is a business-that is the problem," Currid said. "They give these people false hope who want to come to America for jobs and opportunities, and instead they put them in these prisons so they can make money off them."
COPS meets in Liberty Hall on Main Street They also encourage people opposed to the prison to write emails to city commissioners and to the local daily newspaper.
For more information about COPS, visit www.stopnacprison.com.
nnewby@thepinelog.com
© Copyright 2008 Pine Log
Showing posts with label Economic Developement. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Economic Developement. Show all posts
September 15, 2008
June 18, 2008
Our Troubled Country: Importing Poverty
Our Troubled Country: Importing Poverty
Frosty Wooldridge
June 18, 2008
Brian Williams reported to the nation last month that Detroit, Michigan high schools suffer a 76 percent drop-out/flunk-out rate for high school seniors. All totaled, 1.2 million eighteen year olds hit the streets functionally illiterate annually. In Denver, Colorado suffered a 73 percent jump of children living in poverty.
U.S. Representative Tom Tancredo said, "Immigration, both legal and illegal, is the cause of a significant part of Colorado's increase in child poverty."
The number of children under the age of 18 living in poverty increased from 104,000 in 2000 to 180,000 in 2006, in Colorado. Colorado led the nation in child poverty, yet features only 4.6 million people—except---that state houses 500,000 and as high as 695,000 illegal alien migrants. Colorado schools suffer 43 different languages, which cause havoc in classrooms. One in five teachers quits or transfers out of Denver Public Schools every nine months. (Source: Rocky Mountain News)
"It is irresponsible for the media and the governor to not recognize the fact that immigration is largely to blame for this increase," Tancredo said. "If Colorado were actually enforcing its own laws, we would reduce the number of people in the poverty category."
However, Colorado Governor Bill Ritter (D) refuses to enforce H.B. 1023. The legislature passed that law in 2006 to fine and imprison employers of illegal aliens. Ritter won´t enforce it while Colorado taxpayers shell out $1.1 billion annually for all services for illegal aliens and their children.
The president of the Colorado Children's Campaign gave a lame excuse, "…changing demographics of the state." As in Detroit, Chicago, New York, Dallas, Houston and Los Angeles, political correctness disavows the reason for a total breakdown in U.S. schools and accelerating poverty.
"The research is clear," Tancredo said. "An increase in immigration leads to an increase in poverty. If we truly want to do something about poverty in Colorado and our nation, we must stop importing poverty. We must begin enforcing the laws, primarily against hiring illegal aliens, which will force self-deportation of others in that category."
How fast do immigrants and illegal migrants pour into the United States? For a stupefying understanding of the numbers, every 30 days, 182,000 to 200,000 legal immigrants and illegal aliens arrive in America. To give you an idea of how many people that represents: those immigrants fill two 100,000 seat Pasadena Rose Bowls. At the end of the month, they empty into the streets, communities and states of America at a cost of $346 billion annually to U.S. taxpayers. (Source: www.thesocialcontract.com) They overload schools, hospitals and prisons. Even the legal immigrants tap into billions of dollars for resettlement into this country.
During the next month, two more Rose Bowls fill up! Again, they empty out into America, month in and month out, year in and year out.
Across the nation, every aspect of immigration impedes America´s ability to solve poverty, create jobs, maintain living wages, sustain viable educational standards and keep pace with prison populations.
Both legal and illegal immigrants arrive from third world countries with cultures and educations that remain incompatible with America´s first world culture.
As those immigrants receive aid for their problems, The National Coalition for the Homeless, www.nationalhomeless.org reported 3.5 million homeless citizens struggled for survival in the streets of America in 2006. Of that number, 1.35 million consist of homeless children. Reports show 13 million American children suffer daily from malnutrition and hunger in America. A shocking 37 million Americans live below the poverty line, which is 12.7 percent of our population.
As reported by ABC´s Charles Gibson, an astounding 28 million Americans live on food stamps in 2008.
In my travels throughout Mexico, I witnessed our future. On the outskirts of Mexico City with 22 million people, in excess of two million people live in cardboard shacks. They squat for their morning constitutional with their chickens. They live in abject misery, filth, disease and hopelessness.
Guess what? They´re moving to America. Millions of them!
Third world slums began appearing along our borders (on our side) from Brownsville, Texas to San Diego, California in the 80s. They´re called "Colonias," which in Spanish means "new neighborhoods." They feature shacks, no sewers, no streets, no running water, no electricity, toilet facilities or waste pickup.
The New York Times, March 3, 1988, "Along the US Border, a Third World is Reborn," reported, "Colonias are rusted trailers and shacks nailed together from tar paper and packing pallets without indoor toilets…with mounds of uncollected trash that attract rats…the lack of sanitation has polluted the ground water to the point where many residents drink their own waste…the colonias feature Third World levels of hepatitis, dysentery, diarrhea, skin rashes, cholera and tuberculosis…they are contaminated, explosive, fecal, filthy, illegal, miserable, polluted, powder kegs, putrid, shocking, sick, stench filled, suffering and wrenching."
Since their appearance in the early 80s, according to the Times, the 1988 population totaled 185,000; the 1995 population exceeded 500,000; the 2005 population exceeded 1.5 million. At the current rate of growth, these human misery settlements shall reach 20 million by 2021. Little known to most Americans, Mexico expects to triple their population from 100 million to 300 million in this century. Thus, no end of the line of migrants plodding north to America in search of a better life!
I spent two weeks filming colonias in Texas. I haven´t been as sickened to my stomach since my travels in Asia. It´s worse than any description the New York Times or I could give you. Colonias represent human misery at its disturbing worst levels.
These slums represent a health hazard of unprecedented dimensions. Given enough time, large areas of southern California, Arizona and Texas will resemble the outskirts of Mexico City. Two decades of denial continues the expansion of American "colonias."
Who becomes the final victim? America and her citizens plunge into poverty via the addition of two Rose Bowls loaded with immigrants every 30 days, month in and month out until our poor and middle class cannot find a job, a home or a place to run from this madness.
Can anyone name a single, solitary reason for continuing this kind of national suicide? Who brings it to you? Your U.S. States Senate and House of Representatives!
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/65233
Author's Website
http://www.americanchronicle.com/
Frosty Wooldridge
June 18, 2008
Brian Williams reported to the nation last month that Detroit, Michigan high schools suffer a 76 percent drop-out/flunk-out rate for high school seniors. All totaled, 1.2 million eighteen year olds hit the streets functionally illiterate annually. In Denver, Colorado suffered a 73 percent jump of children living in poverty.
U.S. Representative Tom Tancredo said, "Immigration, both legal and illegal, is the cause of a significant part of Colorado's increase in child poverty."
The number of children under the age of 18 living in poverty increased from 104,000 in 2000 to 180,000 in 2006, in Colorado. Colorado led the nation in child poverty, yet features only 4.6 million people—except---that state houses 500,000 and as high as 695,000 illegal alien migrants. Colorado schools suffer 43 different languages, which cause havoc in classrooms. One in five teachers quits or transfers out of Denver Public Schools every nine months. (Source: Rocky Mountain News)
"It is irresponsible for the media and the governor to not recognize the fact that immigration is largely to blame for this increase," Tancredo said. "If Colorado were actually enforcing its own laws, we would reduce the number of people in the poverty category."
However, Colorado Governor Bill Ritter (D) refuses to enforce H.B. 1023. The legislature passed that law in 2006 to fine and imprison employers of illegal aliens. Ritter won´t enforce it while Colorado taxpayers shell out $1.1 billion annually for all services for illegal aliens and their children.
The president of the Colorado Children's Campaign gave a lame excuse, "…changing demographics of the state." As in Detroit, Chicago, New York, Dallas, Houston and Los Angeles, political correctness disavows the reason for a total breakdown in U.S. schools and accelerating poverty.
"The research is clear," Tancredo said. "An increase in immigration leads to an increase in poverty. If we truly want to do something about poverty in Colorado and our nation, we must stop importing poverty. We must begin enforcing the laws, primarily against hiring illegal aliens, which will force self-deportation of others in that category."
How fast do immigrants and illegal migrants pour into the United States? For a stupefying understanding of the numbers, every 30 days, 182,000 to 200,000 legal immigrants and illegal aliens arrive in America. To give you an idea of how many people that represents: those immigrants fill two 100,000 seat Pasadena Rose Bowls. At the end of the month, they empty into the streets, communities and states of America at a cost of $346 billion annually to U.S. taxpayers. (Source: www.thesocialcontract.com) They overload schools, hospitals and prisons. Even the legal immigrants tap into billions of dollars for resettlement into this country.
During the next month, two more Rose Bowls fill up! Again, they empty out into America, month in and month out, year in and year out.
Across the nation, every aspect of immigration impedes America´s ability to solve poverty, create jobs, maintain living wages, sustain viable educational standards and keep pace with prison populations.
Both legal and illegal immigrants arrive from third world countries with cultures and educations that remain incompatible with America´s first world culture.
As those immigrants receive aid for their problems, The National Coalition for the Homeless, www.nationalhomeless.org reported 3.5 million homeless citizens struggled for survival in the streets of America in 2006. Of that number, 1.35 million consist of homeless children. Reports show 13 million American children suffer daily from malnutrition and hunger in America. A shocking 37 million Americans live below the poverty line, which is 12.7 percent of our population.
As reported by ABC´s Charles Gibson, an astounding 28 million Americans live on food stamps in 2008.
In my travels throughout Mexico, I witnessed our future. On the outskirts of Mexico City with 22 million people, in excess of two million people live in cardboard shacks. They squat for their morning constitutional with their chickens. They live in abject misery, filth, disease and hopelessness.
Guess what? They´re moving to America. Millions of them!
Third world slums began appearing along our borders (on our side) from Brownsville, Texas to San Diego, California in the 80s. They´re called "Colonias," which in Spanish means "new neighborhoods." They feature shacks, no sewers, no streets, no running water, no electricity, toilet facilities or waste pickup.
The New York Times, March 3, 1988, "Along the US Border, a Third World is Reborn," reported, "Colonias are rusted trailers and shacks nailed together from tar paper and packing pallets without indoor toilets…with mounds of uncollected trash that attract rats…the lack of sanitation has polluted the ground water to the point where many residents drink their own waste…the colonias feature Third World levels of hepatitis, dysentery, diarrhea, skin rashes, cholera and tuberculosis…they are contaminated, explosive, fecal, filthy, illegal, miserable, polluted, powder kegs, putrid, shocking, sick, stench filled, suffering and wrenching."
Since their appearance in the early 80s, according to the Times, the 1988 population totaled 185,000; the 1995 population exceeded 500,000; the 2005 population exceeded 1.5 million. At the current rate of growth, these human misery settlements shall reach 20 million by 2021. Little known to most Americans, Mexico expects to triple their population from 100 million to 300 million in this century. Thus, no end of the line of migrants plodding north to America in search of a better life!
I spent two weeks filming colonias in Texas. I haven´t been as sickened to my stomach since my travels in Asia. It´s worse than any description the New York Times or I could give you. Colonias represent human misery at its disturbing worst levels.
These slums represent a health hazard of unprecedented dimensions. Given enough time, large areas of southern California, Arizona and Texas will resemble the outskirts of Mexico City. Two decades of denial continues the expansion of American "colonias."
Who becomes the final victim? America and her citizens plunge into poverty via the addition of two Rose Bowls loaded with immigrants every 30 days, month in and month out until our poor and middle class cannot find a job, a home or a place to run from this madness.
Can anyone name a single, solitary reason for continuing this kind of national suicide? Who brings it to you? Your U.S. States Senate and House of Representatives!
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/65233
Author's Website
http://www.americanchronicle.com/
May 1, 2006
About the Texas Border Coalition
"In 1998 communities from throughout the Texas Border Region came together to form the Texas Border Infrastructure Coalition (TBIC) to develop key recommendations for the 76th Texas Legislature...Today, the organization is known as the Texas Border Coalition (TBC)"
The Vision and Mission
Vision
Mission
Founder
"Mike A. Allen, featured right, founder and former chairman of the Texas Border Coalition, has announced he will resign from the organization in order to focus on medical treatments for an undisclosed illness. Allen is also stepping down from the McAllen Economic Development Corporation, but he will remain on the South Texas College Board of Trustees."
http://www.edinburgpolitics.com/2007/05/21/mike-allen-resigns-from-texas-border-coalition-to-battle-illness-will-remain-on-stc-board-of-trustees/
Committee Members
Transportation Committee
Chair, Honorable Judge Jose “Pepe” Aranda, Maverick County
Immigration and Ports of Entry Committee
Chair, Ms. Monica Stuart, Private Sector
Workforce and Education Committee
Chair, Ms. Wanda F. Garza, South Texas College
Healthcare Committee
Chair, Mr. Jose Rodriguez, Attorney, El Paso County
Lead Council on lawsuit against federal gov.:
Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law, California baised defender of leftist causes.
http://www.centerforhumanrights.org/
Members
City of Alamo
City of Brownsville
City of Del Rio
City of Eagle Pass
City of Edinburg
City of El Paso
City of Harlingen
City of Hidalgo
City of La Joya
City of Laredo
City of McAllen
City of Mercedes
City of Mission
City of Pharr
City of Port Isabel
City of Rio Grande City
City of Roma
City of San Juan
City of Weslaco
Cameron County
Dimmit County
El Paso County
Hidalgo County
Maverick County
Starr County
Terrell County
Val Verde County
Webb County
Zapata County
Special Interest Groups
Chamber of Commerce
Alamo, Browsville, Corpus Christi, Del Rio, Dimmit County, Donna Tourist Center, Eagle Pass, Edinburg, Greater El Paso, Harlingen Area, Hidalgo, Laredo Webb, McAllen, Mercedes Area, Mission, Pharr, RGV Partnership, Roma, San Juan, South Padre Island (SPI), Weslaco Area
Brownsville Economic Development Council
Donna Economic Developmnent
Edinburg Economic Development Corporations
Laredo Development Foundation
Lower Rio Grande Development Council
Maverick County Development Council
McAllen Economic Development Corporation
Middle Rio Grande Development Council
Mission Economic Development Authority
Penitas Economic Development Corporation
Pharr Economic Development Corporation
Rio Grande City Economic Development Corporation
Roma Economic Development Corporation
San Benito Economic Development Corporation
South Padre Island (SPI) Economic Development Corporation
Mercedes Economic Development Corporation
Weslaco Economic Development
Port Isabel Economic Development Corporation
http://www.texasbordercoalition.org
The Vision and Mission
Vision
TBC vision is to be recognized leader and authority for the Texas-Mexico region in order to bring attention to the infrastructure needs of the communities along the border.
Mission
To make recommendations to the Texas Legislature to help the entire Texas-Mexico border region to continue to grow and prosper economically. To that end, the TBC will work to:
Provide a better quality of life for the residents of the Texas-Mexico border region by providing economic development opportunities and sustainable incomes in a healthy and safe environment.
Make the flow of goods and products between Texas-Mexico as efficient as possible by advocating for the necessary funding needed in the border region.
Advocate federal and state investments and incentives in Transportation, Immigration and Ports of Entry, Workforce and Education, Healthcare and other areas considered vital to the fulfillment of the mission of the TBC.
Founder
"Mike A. Allen, featured right, founder and former chairman of the Texas Border Coalition, has announced he will resign from the organization in order to focus on medical treatments for an undisclosed illness. Allen is also stepping down from the McAllen Economic Development Corporation, but he will remain on the South Texas College Board of Trustees."
http://www.edinburgpolitics.com/2007/05/21/mike-allen-resigns-from-texas-border-coalition-to-battle-illness-will-remain-on-stc-board-of-trustees/
Committee Members
Transportation Committee
Chair, Honorable Judge Jose “Pepe” Aranda, Maverick County
Immigration and Ports of Entry Committee
Chair, Ms. Monica Stuart, Private Sector
Workforce and Education Committee
Chair, Ms. Wanda F. Garza, South Texas College
Healthcare Committee
Chair, Mr. Jose Rodriguez, Attorney, El Paso County
Lead Council on lawsuit against federal gov.:
Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law, California baised defender of leftist causes.
http://www.centerforhumanrights.org/
Members
City of Alamo
City of Brownsville
City of Del Rio
City of Eagle Pass
City of Edinburg
City of El Paso
City of Harlingen
City of Hidalgo
City of La Joya
City of Laredo
City of McAllen
City of Mercedes
City of Mission
City of Pharr
City of Port Isabel
City of Rio Grande City
City of Roma
City of San Juan
City of Weslaco
Cameron County
Dimmit County
El Paso County
Hidalgo County
Maverick County
Starr County
Terrell County
Val Verde County
Webb County
Zapata County
Special Interest Groups
Chamber of Commerce
Alamo, Browsville, Corpus Christi, Del Rio, Dimmit County, Donna Tourist Center, Eagle Pass, Edinburg, Greater El Paso, Harlingen Area, Hidalgo, Laredo Webb, McAllen, Mercedes Area, Mission, Pharr, RGV Partnership, Roma, San Juan, South Padre Island (SPI), Weslaco Area
Brownsville Economic Development Council
Donna Economic Developmnent
Edinburg Economic Development Corporations
Laredo Development Foundation
Lower Rio Grande Development Council
Maverick County Development Council
McAllen Economic Development Corporation
Middle Rio Grande Development Council
Mission Economic Development Authority
Penitas Economic Development Corporation
Pharr Economic Development Corporation
Rio Grande City Economic Development Corporation
Roma Economic Development Corporation
San Benito Economic Development Corporation
South Padre Island (SPI) Economic Development Corporation
Mercedes Economic Development Corporation
Weslaco Economic Development
Port Isabel Economic Development Corporation
http://www.texasbordercoalition.org
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