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 Editorials | Letters
 You Talkin' to Me?
We get a whole lot of letters about what we do at BanderasNews, and sometimes we even get some really cool ones that remind us why we do it!
I enjoy reading your Banderas News... looking forward to our trip in February.
- Joan Lunde
I have been reading Bahia de Banderas News for some time. Thoroughly enjoyable and informative for people who live outside the country where their heart remains. It's always a pleasure to read about Puerto Vallarta and surrounding area.
- Francisco Trevino
We are writing to you from our home in the UK although we have always felt Puerto Vallarta to be our spiritual home since our first visit 10 years ago! We try to come over twice a year, always to the Hotel Mercurio, where the wonderful owner Paul Crist and his staff greet us each time with such warmth and affection. It is so good to receive your news letter as it is always so interesting and informative.
We are always amazed by the amount of charitable work that is done, far more than in most countries! Should we ever get the opportunity to have extended stays we shall certainly look to helping these wonderful causes. Thanks again!
- George Debenham and Margie Guppy
I have been watching your videos on BanderasNews for many months now and I always look forward to the next installment of Banderas Beat. I am so impressed with the professionalism and the vast variety of subjects you cover in the short but enticing video. In fact, I almost feel like i know you from watching these so often.
My wife and I have traveled all over this world but find Vallarta as our favorite spot in all of the world. We have been to Vallarta 20 times and hope to make it our winter home when we retire in the next few years. The warmth of the people, the vibrant pulse of the nightlife, the variety of tastes and smell from the local restaurants and the great climate make this the perfect destination.
I find myself totally entranced in Vallarta. I read every website and article I can find on the town. I research new adventure opportunities, new restaurants and clubs and love to read profiles of local residents. I have made so many friends and acquaintances down there during our various trip. I guess you could say I am obsessed with the town, but can you blame me.
Please keep up the great work and pass my kudos to the entire staff at banderasnews.com. It is one of the most up to date and easy to read websites on Vallarta.
Sorry to ramble on but I have so much passion for Vallarta that it hard to contain it sometime. Again I want to thank you for the great job you do on your videos. Looking forward to future installments.
- Ed Bushman, Dixon, IL
Mexico Housing Vs. Income
I was reading your article regarding The Housing Boom In Mexico, and how many people, especially from the US are taking advantage of the fact that buying your own home is now easier and cheaper than in the US.
That particular point is very true. The big problem here in Mexico is that many construction companies and real estate agencies know that, and they are driving home prices up from what they used to be before, but not so high so that potential home buyers in the US can still see that homes are cheaper in Mexico.
The consequence: Homes are now more expensive for the Mexicans who STILL live and work in Mexico. Click HERE for more »»»
- Carlos Renteria
Republican vs. Democrat?
Most of the editorials I've read on BanderasNews are views from the Democratic party or left wing. Does this mean that there are NO Republican or conservative residents that will speak out from Vallarta? If there are some conservatives out there, please speak up.
I for one still believe that The Republican party stands for smaller government, tax breaks and independent thinking... not socialistic rule! Hopefully there are some like thinkers there in Vallarta that will voice their opinion in this forum.
- Vedna Garcia
Dear Mr. President Felipe Calderon,
I am a Canadian and want to write a open letter to you, because I really care for the Mexican people.
I will start with my own company,which employed Mexicans at all their four manufacturing plants in the United States. Unfortunately, the company got sold to a American fortune 1000 company, and as it is a public company, all Mexicans were fired. The reason? Because they were illegal.
The company suffered as production went dramatically down, the local labour could not work as hard as the Mexicans. This only illustrates the fact that Mexicans are the most hardest working people, if given a chance they are honest and industrious, as often proved that all workers who worked at all four plants had not a single criminal offense in the last 10 years.
Mexico has a unique position, all of its Northern neighbours need consumer goods and these neighbours have to look across the oceans to China to meet all its needs. Mexico is a warm country and ideal for manufacturing all types of goods. Why should we have to buy from China? Mexico can provide agricultural products and industrial goods.
I will give a simple example of how Mexico can meet the Canadian and Americans' requirements for the winter season. My company manufactures Fire logs, these can be manufactured from all agriculture biomass and waste products.
Mexico is rich in Agriculture biomass, i.e., Sugarcane bagasas, recycled coffee grounds, shells from nuts, waste bagasse from Maguey and oil-based waxes. Mexico can provide manufactured fire logs for Canada and US. This is a single example, Mexico can become a manufacturing paradise for North America. It is high time a country so rich in oil and minerals can help it's people.
The government of Mexico should embrace this opportunity and take the right steps, so the hard working people of Mexico do not have to become illegal workers in other countries, and we do not need to buy goods from China.
- Anthony J. D'Souza
Americans cheered when the Berlin Wall came down. Why is it that now many Americans want to build a wall across our Mexican border? First of all, who is going to build the wall? The Mexicans? Most of us come from other places, or at least our grandparents did. Immigrants are hard-working people who do jobs that "we" Americans do not want to do. Immigrants built this country in the northern industrial cities, along with African-Americans in the South. Why don't we just make the honest, hard-working, non-crime-committing "illegals" legal? Seems so simple. I worry more about our "northern" border more than the U.S.-Mexican border.
- Gayle Corso
Hola! We have been coming to Puerta Vallarta for some 10 years or more and we want to thank your wonderful city and people for the many acts of kindness, friendship and honesty that we have experienced while in your city and surrounding areas. We get to come back again this February to stay for a month, which we really look forward to. Hats off to ALL for a wonderful job, you are FIRST CLASS.
- Floyd, Brenda, Charlene and Ardell, North Dakota, USA.
Help for Veterans in Banderas Bay
This is a plug for David Lord, you have all read his page...
 I left Vietnam 36 years ago with a medical discharge and a plane ticket home... but no benefits. I tried a couple of times to get some help, to no avail.
Living in Mexico, David Lord is the National Service Officer for the Military Order of the Purple Heart, working for Veterans in Mexico and Latin America. I met David Lord 2 years ago and he could not believe that I had no Benefits with my disabilities. Well now I have them... it didn't happen overnight, but he filed the papers and sent them to the right people. Bam! So it does work.
Did you know that Veterans married to locals, if they pass, the spouse is eligible for benefits? If you have a mental disability you still need to go to counseling... we have it here. Also we have the American Legion Post 14 at Basillo Badillo #286 helping veterans everyday, stop by for info and contacts of other Vets that can help with many different problems.
- Ron Abbe
It is one thing to be skeptical. It is a very good thing. It is quite another to be cynical. Doug Thompson ("Abandon Hope All Ye Who Vote Here") shades into purple prose with his overly simplistic use of "lust," "greed," "not up to the job." Okay, he has been to Washington. I have worked in local politics. Maybe he knows more than I. Or maybe, instead of cynical despair, he could pick one thing to make the system better and urge his readers to work on that. We need creative skeptics. We do not need sloppy cynics.
Robert Stanley
Beverly Shores, Indiana, USA
I cannot tell you how much I enjoy Banderas Beat (in addition to your whole site.) When I am bored at work and need my PV fix, I watch Laura's video and it puts me right there! Seeing people walking down the same streets that I have for years, and seeing people sitting on sidewalk benches, the same ones I have, just makes me want to get on a plane and come down. Not to mention, wishing that I could retire NOW and relocate there for part of the year. I have friends who live in Puerto Vallarta year round, and Banderas Beat and your various articles make me feel that I am almost in the same city. Keep it up - and thank you!
- Paul Denton, Toronto
Did Paul Kengor have the nerve to actually say that the “U.S./Mexico Border Fence” is a symbol of FREEDOM? (See: Paul Kengor's America's "Berlin Wall"?)
Completely ridiculous. Institutional racism is in its last throes in this country and in 50 or less years when this fence is torn down like the wall in Berlin, people Kengor will eat their words. For instance, the quote by Reagan that a border fence is “hardly the same thing as building a Berlin Wall, which imprisoned people in a social system they didn’t want to be a part of.”
This is absolutely ignorant. Why would honest, hardworking people struggle so hard and risk so much just for a small chance to enjoy the lifestyle we as Americans have been blessed with if they chose to be a part of the system that they are living under? It is greed and racism that keeps us from letting people into this country, simply because they were born a few miles south of the border.
Just like the Italians and the Irish 100 years ago, someday they will have their equal rights and citizenship, no matter how hard people rail against them. The “border fence” is a symbol of oppression, not freedom.
If anyone wishes to discuss this issue they are welcome to contact me personally at ben_w_425@hotmail.com.
I was so happy to read that once again the "Blu Suit," (see: Rain or Shine Vallarta R.I.S.E.s to the Occasion) with all it's stars and sweat and ability to get others to fork out their money, was once again the hit of the Charity Bingo Night at The Lazy Lizard.
 Since the very first night that I came up with the idea, I thought what fun it would be to find someone with an astonishing smile and model the swimsuit for charity. The R.I.S.E. organization to be exact.
Since it's inception the suit has raised almost $3000 pesos on it's own. Not bad for a simple piece of spandex. So it is with much sadness to have to announce the end of the Blu Suit Auction. I have been informed that the powers that be, you know who you are, are just to uptight about a simple little bathing suit. What a shame.
I find it amazing and sad that this easy and simple, not to mention profitable, auction item will no longer be available. Maybe next year we can find another location that has a little more imagination and tolerance.
If any of the others of you have questioned the taste of the "Blu Suit," let me just ask you: "When was the last time that you raised 3000 pesos in a few minutes of effort and fun for our ever so needy children?" Think about it.
Sincerely,
Len, owner of blu by len
To the Editor: I have never seen the American people come together like they did on the immigration vote.
The phone calls imploring senators to vote against the bill were so numerous that they actually shut down the congressional phone system.
This reaction was not an anti-Mexican statement but rather it had a great deal to do with the lack of trust Americans have in their government. First with NAFTA, then CAFTA, we were assured it would benefit the American worker only to see thousands of jobs go south of the border.
Then we were bamboozeled into a war in Iraq with assurances that there were weapons of mass destruction. We witnessed American credibility tank all over the world while we spend billions in an effort to prop up the credibility of a loose cannon president.
The American people sat by witnessing a government that was consumed with the issues of foreigners and the problems in other countries while our own infrastructure was falling apart. Add to that a national debt that is out of control and you can see why Americans have lost patience and are asking when are American citizens going to be the concern of our government.
- DP Bowlin
U.S. Should Follow Mexico's Lead? - To be completely fair with the illegal Mexican aliens who are flooding our country, I propose we institute the immigration laws now in effect in Mexico.
Those laws include:
• There will be no bilingual programs in the schools, no special ballots for elections and all government business will be conducted in Spanish.
• Foreigners will not have the right to vote, no matter how long they are there.
• Foreigners will never be able to hold political office.
• Foreigners will not be a burden to the taxpayers. No welfare, no food stamps, nor any other government assistance programs.
• Foreigners can invest in Mexico, but it must be an amount equal to 40,000 times the daily minimum wage.
• Foreigners may not protest; no demonstrations, no waving a foreign flag, no political organizing, no badmouthing the president or his policies. If you do, you will be sent home.
• If you come to Mexico illegally, you will be hunted down and sent straight to jail.
It seems to me that what's good for the goose should be good for the gander. Let's institute the immigration laws of Mexico now.
Dale P. Bowlin - Hendersonville, CA
U.S. Helped Southwest When It Took Over - Why do many U.S. citizens of Mexican lineage not realize that if the “gringo” culture and economic/political system of the U.S. had not taken over what is now the Southwestern portion of the U.S. - if this Southwest were still under Mexican sovereignty - then they would be living under the same conditions as Mexicans now living in Mexico?
When some U.S. citizens or legal U.S. residents of Mexican lineage march waving the Mexican flag and/or belong to La Raza; when they show allegiance to Mexico rather than the U.S., do they not realize that if the Southwest were still Mexico - then they would be part of the horde of Mexicans desperately trying to enter the remaining United States?
- Georgia Groves, San Jacinto
Why was Señor Arellano extradited to the United States, holding him in a Mexican Jail for an extra two years after serving his entire term and then released by the Americans? (See: Accused Mexican Drug Figure Pleads Innocent in US) It seems a tremendous waste of public funding that could have been used on education for children.
Could it be that Señor Arellano was innocent all along and the Americans knew of this fact? The two Federal Agents that arrested him in 1993, have themselves been arrested for violating the civil rights of the prisoners they handled, fined Five Million US Dollars and jailed. This information was known before bringing Señor Arellano to the United States.
What is wrong with this picture? Perhaps the Americans can spend more money separating families in the United States and denying medical treatment to the ill and elderly who have worked their entire lives for this country without papers, who only do the dirty work for less than minimum wage.
- Angelica Profaci
Get Sensible on Immigration: As a recent transplant to Chico, I'm seeing what I saw on the East Coast: Mexican laborers doing the tough jobs like ditch digging. Possibly some of these laborers are undocumented. Everyone knows we have broken immigration policy and that Congress and the president keep flip-flopping about ways to fix it.
The pro-immigrant argument stresses the historical contribution of aliens to our labor force and our present need for hard workers who take jobs Americans shun. The angry anti-immigrant argument stresses loss of American jobs, rise in gang violence, importation of drugs and the threat of "terrorism." (The anger is not directed toward light-skinned, English-speaking illegals).
We need reason and creative imagination to do what's best for America and find a path with least collateral damage to family breakups and avoiding more deaths in the deserts.
In my opinion there needs to be amnesty for those who have proven themselves to be good and productive while technically in illegal alien limbo. There should be a reasonable path to citizenship for those who have been here for years. Most importantly, the governments of the U.S. and Mexico must get to the roots of desperation that force so many to risk horrible deaths in the desert just to get here.
Reps. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) and Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) are working on the issues and I hope their bipartisan bill will provide a first step to help fix our broken system.
— Larry Castagnola, Chico
I just returned from PV a few days ago. Beautiful city, great buses, clean, interesting, good food... BUT, my reception at the airport was very bad. A large number of men promising free taxi rides to Las Tules and a taxi fare that ranged from $15 to $20 (It cost me $17.50 US). The return trip cost what the trip was worth: $4.
WHY? I could get no proper answer when I left the airport. Please install meters on the taxis or make it clear what the rates to hotels are and get rid of those guys promising all sorts of things. I did not know they all represent time-share organizations. Get rid of them! They make the start of a nice holiday very unpleasant.
- Kenneth Williamson
Comparison is an Unfair Leap! I was flabbergasted at a recent column comparing Mexican illegal immigrants to German Jews of the Holocaust. This is the type of shoddy logic and mismatched comparisons we don't need. German Jews were legal members of that society for hundreds, even thousands, of years. They paid taxes, voted, participated in civic life. They were discriminated against - and killed by the state - because of anti-Semitism and hatred.
Mexican illegal immigrants came here illegally, knowing they were breaking the law but rationalizing it because they didn't have economic prospects at home. They don't pay income taxes, they don't vote, they take jobs away from American minorities and blue-collar workers who have done those jobs and would continue if they weren't being undercut by cheap wages. Our social systems - schools, health care, criminal justice - have been overtaxed and are deteriorating because of the huge strain put on them by millions of people coming here illegally.
If you feel sorry for them because they don't have jobs in Mexico, ask why Mexico doesn't solve that problem for its own people. They could get in line, legally, like the millions of other immigrants who want to come here but are turned back because of the glut of Mexican workers we have here. Do not insult those opposed to illegal immigration by comparing their position to that of the Nazis or the good Germans. It is completely different. Our government has failed us by not protecting our borders, and our businesses have taken advantage of us by promising low prices obtained through illegal employment. Many citizens did not want this but were helpless to stop it. Now we are stuck with a huge problem and are frustrated. Don't call us racists just because we are fed up with ineptitude and opportunism.
- Kathi Twomey Wahed
Good Day Puerto Vallarta! We miss you! I, too, have just returned from my first trip to Mexico and found Puerto Vallarta and its people, to be wonderful. I took along with me my two daughters, 35 and 37 and my granddaughter, 18. We never once felt threatened and we fell in love with everything about the people and the climate. None of us wanted to come back home and my granddaughter is making plans to return to Puerto Vallarta to live for at least a year - either finishing her studies there or going to work. We will all most definitely be back with the rest of our family members. I have never felt more at home anywhere - including where I live now. Thanks so much for the great hospitality!
- Wanda
Dear Banderas News: I am terribly concerned to the unfortunate fact that most Americans are blind to the fact that our government is out to harm the American public, unless we pull together as one. Allowing the government to collect and store personal info and track every move we make throughout our daily lives puts awesome power into the hands of our socialists bureaucrats. Since they have our social security numbers, they can look up our entire history, I do believe that is enough. So the question we must ask is what can we do as a taxpayer, do we just continue to sit and let this happen?
Ben Franklin said "those who give up essential liberty for temporary security deserves neither liberty nor security." Do we fit into this category? Do we let the North American Union elite take our freedoms? no public debate will ever be won against globalism without definitive and defensible proof in our position, concrete things that can bring actual results. Someway lets make a stand before it's to late!
- Ghostly Vision
Some people in the United States are all upset because Mexico is trying to help their people by providing a way to contact authorities if they are found in danger while crossing into United States. The fact is that Mexican people will continue to penetrate our country and no one, not even the Mexican government, can stop that. Let’s remember: Spanish people were in America hundreds of years before all other Europeans. The Spanish were the first Europeans to arrive in this “new world!” Yet some folks fail to understand Mexican culture.
In Mexico, human life is valued beyond us. Unlike Texas and other states in our nation, Mexico doesn't practice capital punishment, killing citizens. When a Mexican citizen is to be executed outside Mexico, their country protests the execution.
Also, Mexico didn’t help in our war with Iraq because Mexico won't go out to fight other peoples’ wars (killing innocent women and children) without all the facts. Now we know what the Mexican government knew - that the United States Government didn’t have all their facts together. Most citizens now regret going to war in Iraq because Iraq didn’t have the weapons that were the reason for the attacks.
While the U.S.A. is fighting other countries all over the globe, Mexico is making peace with all. In spite of this (recently), some United States officials and news media have been insulting and humiliating the Mexican people and their government. It reminds me of the Holocaust; sore losers with their scarcity mentality will always say that the other (more productive) peoples are taking all the jobs. And the cycle continues. All the same, we should never underestimate Mexico’s military power here and abroad.
- Samuel Cavazos - Weslaco, TX
These letters are vital to us, as they keep us apprised of what our readers are thinking, and place us in a much better position to direct our future efforts accordingly. Please keep them coming to SoundOff@BanderasNews.com! -thx |
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