and tighter border security by the USA. Well, as I have said in other rants, I am convinced that if the USA adopts a policy of strict border security that actually stems the flow of illegal aliens into the USA from Mexico, change will come about in Mexico in rapid order. You see the USA is like a steam valve for a boiler whose fire is raging. The fire is the unrest of the Mexican citizen, poor, fairly uneducated, without good medical benefits, with little or no prospect of a good life. When they get to slip into the USA illegally to reap all that they can from our bounty, it eases the pressure in Mexico, but only somewhat because all the while the Mexican government is corrupt and continues to rape the bounty of its own country for the chosen few. This leaves most people in abject poverty. They have in the past gotten quite sick of this and the result was revolution. This is what Mexico fears today.
Now if you think a modern day Mexican revolution is far fetched, just read this article: Riot police battle protesters in Oaxaca at CNN.com. Revolution, if only on a local scale, has been going on since last May in Oaxaca (and yes I know how to pronounce it). Should the steam let off valve, the illegal path into the USA, be shut off, or even just tightened quite a bit, it is quite possible that such a protest would become nationwide in Mexico. This would in effect be a revolution, probably a major one.
While I know a lot of folks are afraid that Hugo Chavez, Fidel castor, and other nefarious scoundrels will have a big effect on the protesters or revolutionaries, and they fear that Mexico may become communist or akin to an enemy of the USA; I am not so fearful. Mexico has had revolutions before. Its base is rather conservative by today’s standards, heck even by the standards of 50 years ago. What the Mexican people, want is not a dictatorship to oppress them, but rather a way of life in which they have a chance to better themselves. Mexico has lots of resource in oil, tourism, land, and some exports. The country could easily support itself with some hard work, so long as honest leadership is in place; leadership that actually wants to improve the life of the average Mexican.
This is the direction I think the USA should take. Assuring that the government of Mexico actually look out for its own people and solve its own problems, with help if needed, but with the majority of the work done by Mexicans for Mexico under a republican form of government wherein all are represented fairly. I think building that fence, and enacting strict border security, will accelerate any such planning on our part to sway Mexico into the right direction. The sooner the fence goes up, the closer Mexico will be to revolution. The closer the Mexican government gets to believing that one is on the way, the more they will do to placate the people in order to prevent a full scale revolution, because if they do revolt, the Mexican government will not win by force. In fact chances are they will be to scared to use it in today’s world of instant global media accounting.
Best regards,
Glenn B
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Ebay amazes me...
...in that if you have something to sell, just about anything to sell with certain exceptions, it gives you easy access to a worldwide market. I don't want to get into an argument about what they allow and do not allow to be sold on their site. Leave it to say I would like them much better if they allowed folks to sell firearms through their service, but they choose not to allow that. Nor will they, I think, allow folks to sell things like their immortal souls, Nazi memorabilia, or kiddy pornography. Now on two of these three last, I cannot blame them, and I'll give you a hint - I agree with them about not selling kiddy porn. They are their own business and they allow and disallow what they choose.
Still though, despite a few such regulations, you can sell lots of different things, or buy them too. I have sold such silly things as: a shaving kit (red cross issued in WWI), military patches from WWII, some old books, a couple of limited edition hunting books, and old fishing reel in need of repair, and so on. I got almost everything I sold at local 'tag sales' which are basically open house sales of the contents of a home either due to divorce, moving, retirement, or death as in an estate sale. Two of the books I sold I sold for hundreds of dollars each; the thing is I bought them for $5 each. That is great, and the saying is true: "One man's trash is another man's treasure"; but just not all the time. Sometimes the trash you find or buy to sell on Ebay just does not get sold. In my case, I hold onto those things for a while if I have room, then I try to sell them again several months later. That often does the trick and again I have some treasure even if only a few bucks worth. If not, well then I trash the item literally.
I made my latest sale, I think of only a total of about 39 sales over a few years. I placed a camera lens up for sale yesterday afternoon. I got back on the computer, I think, less than 2 hours later, and had already received an email that the item had sold. It was a Nikon camera lens, and therein lies a lesson at least for me. I probably under priced it even, and even though it was never a very expensive lens, I probably could have sold it for more than I did. Ebay is of course famous for being an auction middleman, but they also offer a "buy it now" feature so the seller can set a price at which the item automatically sells. I did that yesterday and someone bought it almost immediately. I guess the fact that Nikon recently announced that they are no longer going to make film cameras may have had an effect, the collectors will be looking for Nikon film cameras and accessories. h well.
Today, I may just have to go out to a tag sale or two if there are any local to me. I sometimes go to these now and then as a sort of diversion, and as sort of a treasure seeking expedition. I have been lucky a few times. Those two books I mentioned above were a great buy/sale for me. So was the fishing reel I got for $12.50 and sold for $125.00. As a matter of fact, I am pretty sure I got that shaving kit I mentioned for $1.00 or $2.00, I sold it for $75.00 on Ebay. I imagine someone with the get up an go could make a business out of going to tag sales and selling on Ebay; many probably have already, at least those with more get up and go than me.
Hmm, all of this talk of treasured trash has my blood going, I think I am off on a treasure hunt. Later for you guys. Bye.
All the best,
Glenn B
Still though, despite a few such regulations, you can sell lots of different things, or buy them too. I have sold such silly things as: a shaving kit (red cross issued in WWI), military patches from WWII, some old books, a couple of limited edition hunting books, and old fishing reel in need of repair, and so on. I got almost everything I sold at local 'tag sales' which are basically open house sales of the contents of a home either due to divorce, moving, retirement, or death as in an estate sale. Two of the books I sold I sold for hundreds of dollars each; the thing is I bought them for $5 each. That is great, and the saying is true: "One man's trash is another man's treasure"; but just not all the time. Sometimes the trash you find or buy to sell on Ebay just does not get sold. In my case, I hold onto those things for a while if I have room, then I try to sell them again several months later. That often does the trick and again I have some treasure even if only a few bucks worth. If not, well then I trash the item literally.
I made my latest sale, I think of only a total of about 39 sales over a few years. I placed a camera lens up for sale yesterday afternoon. I got back on the computer, I think, less than 2 hours later, and had already received an email that the item had sold. It was a Nikon camera lens, and therein lies a lesson at least for me. I probably under priced it even, and even though it was never a very expensive lens, I probably could have sold it for more than I did. Ebay is of course famous for being an auction middleman, but they also offer a "buy it now" feature so the seller can set a price at which the item automatically sells. I did that yesterday and someone bought it almost immediately. I guess the fact that Nikon recently announced that they are no longer going to make film cameras may have had an effect, the collectors will be looking for Nikon film cameras and accessories. h well.
Today, I may just have to go out to a tag sale or two if there are any local to me. I sometimes go to these now and then as a sort of diversion, and as sort of a treasure seeking expedition. I have been lucky a few times. Those two books I mentioned above were a great buy/sale for me. So was the fishing reel I got for $12.50 and sold for $125.00. As a matter of fact, I am pretty sure I got that shaving kit I mentioned for $1.00 or $2.00, I sold it for $75.00 on Ebay. I imagine someone with the get up an go could make a business out of going to tag sales and selling on Ebay; many probably have already, at least those with more get up and go than me.
Hmm, all of this talk of treasured trash has my blood going, I think I am off on a treasure hunt. Later for you guys. Bye.
All the best,
Glenn B
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