What is up with Kalifornians, anyway?

They are close to the Mexico border. You can expect more immigrants in
California than Iowa.

Actually, we've got our share. There is a town about 15 miles east of
Iowa City called "West Liberty" that has quite literally been taken
over by Mexicans, in the last 9 years.

In my former business (newspaper distribution) I used to get out there
every few weeks, and it was an amazing transformation to observe.
First one of the stores posted their signage in Spanish, then another
-- then they ALL went Spanish.

This, of course, was quite a shock for a small farming community -- but
the turkey processing plant was like a magnet to the illegals. Hard
work, cash payout, no strings attached. They could make more in a day
there than in a month at home. Why the INS didn't just shut that plant
down, I'll never know.

The school system was the first to fail, naturally. Kids that don't
speak any English simply don't fit into a traditional school system --
especially one that doesn't fully appreciate the magnitude of the
changes facing it, and is slow to react -- and teaching simply stopped
happening. This was followed by gangs, and weapons, and (of course)
drugs.

A downward spiral set in, as everyone who could leave, did. Only the
stubborn, the very old, and those who were able to somehow capitalize
on the newcomers, have stayed.

The last time I drove through there, the town -- once a depressed
little farm community, like so many others in Iowa -- had been
essentially transformed into Little Mexico.

In fairness, in some ways it's now more vibrant -- but what a culture
shock for those who called it "home"! And the crime and education
problems are now deep-rooted, and not easily solved.

Anyway, Iowa has seen its share of illegal immigration, but NOTHING
like the LA Times described.

It's just so sad. California -- Southern California, specifically, was
the land of my dreams, as a youth. To see that area to thoroughly and
utterly ruined is just...wrong.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"