I was listening to Edd Hendee on Friday morning and heard him talking about the Billion Dollar foreign aid package to Mexico. (I can’t recall if it is 1.5 B$ or 2.5 B$; whatever it is it is substantial.)

If we did it right, if the Mexican government really wanted the money, it could be utilized to solve a lot of our problems.

Here is what I propose:

Let’s be really generous and give them 5 Billion. Before you start screaming, keep reading. 

Put the money in escrow for a year. In other words, the money is not payable for 2008 until January 15, 2009.

Every time we (the U.S government or some local government within the borders of the U.S.) have to pay a Mexican citizen’s bill, the bill amount is deducted from the 5 Billion.

That means everytime we find a Mexican citizen illegally here in the U.S. and deport them, we “deduct” $10,000 from the 5 Billion (for all of the associated fees).

Everytime we arrest and put a Mexican citizen that is here illegally in one of our jails, we deduct the price of the court proceeding as well as the cost of incarceration

Everytime an undocumented Mexican citizen seeks medical care and they cannot pay the bill, the bill amount is deducted from the 5 Billion.

I think you get the idea.

In the end, the Mexican government will probably owe us money.

It would be interesting to see if this is done, how the Mexican government would handle this: would they decline the money out of hand? Would they want their citizens to continue here and wire home money or would they want to take a chance at the 5 Billion? Would they post troops at the border to keep their citizens in Mexico? Would they “punish” those citizens caught and thereby costing the government money?

In the end, I think if something like this is done, it might help stop the illegal exodus.

What the “human rights” and “Mexico First” activist must realize is that the Mexican Government doesn’t care about their own citizens: they care about money. That is the way it has always been and will be until the citizens of Mexico stay in their own country and change their government.

That my friends, may be the dirty little secret as to why the Mexican government does not want their own citizens in their own country.

By the way, I think this should be done with every foreign aid package for every country, not just Mexico.

Talk about about being kicked when you are down. just when the Republican party needs incumbents to stick around, the moderate wing of the party seems to be leaving in in droves. 

Five more Republicans join exodus from House of Representatives 

Five more long-serving Republican congressmen have confirmed they will not run for reelection this year, in a week of retirements capped by the announcement Wednesday by Representative Tom Davis, a former top leader in the House of Representatives when it was under Republican control. The retirements bring the number of Republican incumbents who will not be on the ballot in November to 28 out of the 200 elected only 14 months ago. This compares to only six Democrats who will not be seeking reelection, greatly increasing the number of open seats that are more vulnerable to takeover by the other party.

I just noticed that the story above came from the World Socialist Web Site. That does not detract from the truth of the story. For those that do not want to get their eyes dirty going there, maybe the links below are more palatable.

House Republicans Face Late Exodus

A wave of late-breaking retirement announcements have left beleaguered House Republicans swamped in recent days as five members have told House leaders they will not seek re-election this Fall. The announcements bring to 27 the number of open seats Republicans will have to defend throughout the year, and some believe the end is not yet in sight.

In the past week alone, Reps. Jim Walsh, Ron Lewis, Dave Weldon and Tom Davis have all announced they will not seek another term next year. Missouri Republican Kenny Hulshof, who represents a district just north of St. Louis, said he will run for governor, a seat that came open when incumbent Republican Matt Blunt surprised political observers by withdrawing after just one term.

GOP Retirements Make Dems Giddy - And Donors Angry

(The Politico) Williamsburg, Va. - A spate of Republican retirements in the last week has buoyed House Democrats who are gearing up for the first defense of their majority since bouncing Republicans from power in 2006.

Maryland Rep. Chris Van Hollen, who chairs the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, told members Wednesday night that the field of competitive races has expanded to almost 70 seats, the overwhelming majority of which are currently occupied by Republicans.

(SNIP)

Many of the retirement decisions were so abrupt that the lawmakers were still accepting campaign checks from corporations, colleagues and private citizens as late as the last week in December, according to Federal Election Commission data.

Tom Davis and the ‘Dying Breed’ of Moderates

What’s behind the exodus of centrists? Part of it can be explained by the pressures of constant campaigning. Most moderate Republicans reside in swing districts, so they have to raise money constantly and fight to stay alive every two years. The decennial redistricting process often results in the dismemberment of these kinds of districts, so some centrists could find themselves running in unfamiliar territory in 2012. And they regularly encounter primary challenges from conservatives, sometimes backed by well-funded groups like the Club for Growth.

But disillusionment in the moderate GOP ranks goes beyond their re-election worries. Since the party took power in 1994, the House Republican Conference has been dominated by conservatives. Many centrists believe there is a glass ceiling for them within the party, and that their leaders too often push them into taking tough votes.

The point is that these retirements come when the Republican party needs unity amongst the elected ranks in case Hillary or Obama becomes the next President of the United States. But like cowards, these Congressmen now find themselves in the minority and decide to take an early leave. I would have thought that with the pending nomination of either Romney or McCain as the Republican Party Presidential Candidate these guys would have stayed around.  I suppose not.

Many of you know my feelings towards the Republican party, not amiable at all, but I must say that I have a glimmer of hope for the party knowing that there are some “Conservative” members of the party that “forced” these guys into taking “tough votes”.  Maybe, just maybe, there is some hope that the Republican Party can return to the “Party of Reagan“.  But then again, that depends on what ”We The People” demand from our elected representatives.

Note:  Please do yourself a favor and follow the last two links.

(Cross posted from Squawkboxnoise.com)