Socrates Fortlow, History, and Anna Deavere Smith Essay

Socrates Fortlow, History, and Anna Deavere Smith - Essay Example In Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned, Walter Mosley responds to the feasibilities for a person who has been incarcerated for a long time to readjust and to play a role in the society. The main character, who is Socrates Fortlow, has been contending with the life after and outside of prison after his release. By means of a series of unified and interrelated events focused on Socrates and his outlook, the reader will stumble across a system of problems, interlocked and tessellated the forms the backbone of the story. Socrates lives in the streets of Los Angeles; and from this haven reflect are the upshots of urban dilemmas such as poverty, crime, discrimination, violence, and white racism. Although Mosley leaves out the limits of mystery in writing this book, he has manifested his knowledge and observation of what really happens in real life; things that are answered by the most common questions: What is my future? Where to go? What to eat? What about racial discrimination? How do I measure up against the White gangster on the streets? These are typical questions that provide answers to what make up human history. In the book, Socrates has to deal with the many complications of human existence, especially among the Blacks in urban Los Angeles. One particular contention that is being subtly reverberated is how the truth about the severity of street violence, discrimination, and white racism towards the Blacks are reduced by the transition of these real events into texts or videos or whatever medium used to record a historical event. History does not necessarily tell the real events that have occurred in the past. There could be a lot of things that will be lost in translation or be left out deliberately. Nevertheless, the perspective or context in which historical texts are written provide clue to the network of issues or problems that blighted the past, and which can still be in existence up to this moment. Socrates stresses the importance of studying history and literature because it is in the texts that careful thinking is carried out in order to ensure that the voice of the past will still be the voice of the present. The way we understand history is based upon the ideas that we read on historical books; and without the m, there is no reason for us to critically imagine about the past. While there are many media that could keep details of history such as videos and pictures among others, oftentimes, these media are misrepresented. This is the point that Anna Deavere Smith would likewise want to stress out: â€Å"the video of Rodney King Keating, which seemed to "tell all", apparently did not tell enough, and the prosecution lost, as their lead attorney told me, "the slam dunk case of the century. The city of Los Angeles lost much more† (Smith xxi). Smith believes in the power of literature to be able to reiterate perspectives of the past to the present. However, in the case of Keating, who was a victim of beating, the jury favors to convict him even though the video clearly evokes how he was beaten mercilessly. Smith argues that â€Å"what most influences my decisions about what to include is how an interview text works as a physical, audible, performable vehicle. Words are not an end in th emselves. They are means to evoking the character of the person who spoke them.† The most ideal thing of using literature as a first medium to record

Analysis and consideration prior to developing operations in Research Paper

Analysis and consideration prior to developing operations in Australian wine industry - Research Paper Example The recommendations given will aid the company to settle and establish itself without many problems. In addition, the techniques used to do this study include evaluation of other wine companies, government’s policies, and other deterministic factors. Here, competitiveness refers to the forces that are likely to hamper productivity while attractiveness refers to profitability of a business venture by a company. The continent has good climatic conditions for growing vineyards, a rich cultural heritage of wine making and skilled work force. Moreover, most of the wines industries and vineyards are owned by families, with a few commercial plantation and firms. Australia produces three percent of the world’s wine, and is the second to Italy largest wine exporter country (Allen, 2003, p.43). Primarily, the wine industry in Australia is experiencing rapid growth and international recognition in the present days (Gibson, 2010, p.301). This nation has some of the world’s most proficient winemakers, mainly based in the southern region. The industry highly depends on the export especially to the United Kingdom, Canada, and New Zealand. (Kym, 2004, p.264) The common regions of wine production are south and west Australia, Victoria, and New South Wales, which have a wide range of grapes produced. Australia is largely a tropical region; however, some parts such as the south have warm temperate and cooler climates (Gibson, 2010, p.301). Wine production is done in the cooler region of the country. Needless, other regions without the conducive climate for vineyards growing have used methods like irrigation that facilitate production of grapes. The Shiraz type of grape is the most common as it grows even in the warmer parts of Australia, while other types of grapes like the chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon have adapted well to the climatic conditions. In addition, the landscape has a system

Cape May as a Summer Resort Town

Cape May as a Summer Resort Town Will Stevens A resort town is a town or city that relies heavily on the tourism as a main driver to its economy. Considered among the oldest resort towns in the United States, Cape May, New Jersey is situated at the southern tip of the state of New Jersey, and has provided beachgoers with a beautiful town since the mid 1700’s. Owing to its rich history as a whaling community, its role in both of the world wars, superior bird watching landscape, its recognition as a National Historic Landmark, and New Jersey’s large tourism industry, Cape May continues to enjoy success as a popular summer destination. According to The City of Cape May, the history of Cape May can be traced all the way back to the late 17th Century when the land was first settled. Its status as a beach destination began in the mid 1700’s when horse-drawn carriages arrived from Philadelphia. Over time, hotels were built and the Cape became the major beach destination for cities such as Philadelphia, New York, Baltimore, and Washington. It wasn’t until 1863, however, when the railroad between Philadelphia and Cape May was completed, that families began building summer vacation homes down the shore. Several fires have engulfed Cape May, and have resulted in the towns desire to maintain a â€Å"small town† feel and not have to compete with the high rise hotels that other resort towns have. This decision is crucial to the history of Cape May architecture and is the main reason why the city is considered a National Historic Landmark. The Cape May canal, Cape May Lewis Ferry, and the Cape May Coast G uard Station have also contributed to the history of Cape May. (City of Cape May) In Philippos J. Loukissas’ journal article about the impact of regional development, he states, â€Å"An increase in connections with the outside world also is assumed to have the positive effect of introducing new ideas into the community.† This hints at the importance of the Janelle model used be economic geographers, and can be applied to this history of Cape May as well. When the railroad between Philadelphia and Cape May was finished, this only further deepened the ties between the new places, and began the construction boom of vacation homes down the shore. Alternatively, the completion of the of the Garden State Parkway and the initiation of services on the Cape May Lewis Ferry have done wonders to connect Cape May and provide greater tourist exposure. The Garden State Parkway allows easier vehicle access with connectivity to the rest of the New Jersey highway network, and the Cape May Lewis allows Delawarean residents and travellers further south to access the Cape by way of the Delaware Bay. Tourism is obviously a major component of Cape May’s history, but it is also important to understand its role in New Jersey’s economy as a whole. In 2008, tourism expenditures in New Jersey were $38.8 billion supported by over 70 million visitors. Kenneth McGill even states in his report about New Jersey tourism that, â€Å"NJ Tourism is larger than the entire GDP of 120 countries.† And that, â€Å"1 in every 9 NJ workers owes his/her job to tourism.† McGill also states that New Jersey’s tourism industry is 2.1 times more concentrated than the US average, meaning that the percentage of workers directly or indirectly employed by the tourism industry is 2.1 times greater than the average US state. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the core tourism industry is the third largest private sector in the state, supporting over 350,000 jobs. Another staggering statistic presented by McGill is that other than investments and business travel, the in-state contribution t o the total tourism expenditure is only 20%, while the out-of-state contribution is more than 3 times that, at 64%, while Diane Wieland states that over 75% of visitors to Cape May County come from out-of-state. When comparing the tourism statistics of Cape May County to those of the entire state of NJ, it is clear that the economy of Cape May is heavily reliant on the activities of the tourism industry. In McGill’s report on the tourism industry in New Jersey, it is stated that 48.1% of the entire economy of Cape May County can be attributed to the travel and tourism industry. This is the largest percentage of all counties in the state, and shows just how important the industry is to southern New Jersey. McGill and Diane Wieland confirm the importance of Cape May as a summer resort town and popular vacation home destination in their statistics. McGill shows that over 50% of rental income of the entire state comes from Cape May County alone. Wieland also shows that nearly half of all rental and 2nd home properties in all of New Jersey are located in Cape May County. In fact, according to Wieland, 47% of all residences in Cape May County are considered 2nd homes or vacation homes. (Wie land) Tourism in Cape May is not limited to just beachgoers looking for a relaxing vacation. The Delaware Bay, especially the New Jersey banks, is world-renowned locations for bird watching. In Joanna Burger’s report on the affects of tourism on the local ecology, she mentions that the Delaware Bay area benefits from its low-lying mud flats and coastal marshes that are conducive to migrating shore birds. It was not until recently, however, that experts have realized that the millions of birds that pass through the Delaware Bay are attracted there by the abundance of horseshoe crab eggs in the springtime. The city of Cape May has taken advantage of this unique characteristic and has encouraged eco tourism to the area. (Burger) My own experiences have been greatly influenced by the touristic, seasonal nature of Cape May. My grandparents first purchased a property down the shore over 30 years ago, so the beach has been a big part of my family’s lives since before I was born. We have been taking weekend trips down the shore for my entire life, and I have spent the entirety of the summer, from when school gets out until Labor Day, in Cape May for almost 10 years. Our house isn’t big by any means, but it has enough beds that most of our family can be down simultaneously, and we have regularly had about 10 people on any given weekend. I can say with confidence that my family conforms to the typical summer vacationer stereotype. My grandparents will usually head down before Memorial Day to open up the house and get everything set up for the summer. Memorial Day is the first big weekend of the summer, and we are all usually down there. My sister and I are the only two that stay with my grandparents f or the entire summer, and we enjoy seeing our parents and aunts and cousins on weekends that they come down and visit. My sister and I also contribute to some of the tourism statistics that I stated earlier. Both of us have seasonal jobs that rely completely on the summer tourism activity in Cape May. My sister is a beach tagger, collecting money for the city of Cape May for people to use the beaches, and I was a lifeguard at a local campground. Both of these jobs are only sustainable during the summer months as the population of Cape May swells. Much of mine and my family’s experiences can be explained in Reiner Jaakscon’s article called â€Å"Second Home Domestic-Tourism†. Many passages from his article relate directly to my life and experiences down the shore. â€Å"The second home offers a sense of identity at many levels, approximating in microcosm a concentric-circles model of ethnocentricity.† (Jaakson 378) This is true with many small towns, but especially true with Cape May. It is nice to be able to identify with other people who have shore homes and also spend their summers down the shore; comparing experiences through a shared commonality and lifestyle. â€Å"The very idea of a second home that is used primarily, if not exclusively, for leisure and recreation has an element of make believe.† (Jaakson 379) The fact that it is the summer means that I have no other responsibilities other than to relax and enjoy myself. Because I am not in school five days a week means that my time sp ent in Cape May is used as a sort of escape from the real world where I can go to the beach and swim in the ocean and sleep in as long as I want and enjoy the hot summer weather. Our summer home provides me with a relaxing retreat from normal life, but it also allows our family to be much closer. â€Å"The second home provides for family togetherness of a different kind from that available in the city.† (Jaakson 379) This is especially true for my family. We are a very close family anyway, all living within 15 minutes of each other at home, but the closeness of our beach house allows us to have tighter bonds. â€Å"The smaller physical space and the immediate outdoors facilitate a closer family togetherness† (Jaakson 380) These two quotes from Jaakson perfectly encapsulate the dynamics within my family. While we live close together at home, we don’t visit each other often. It is a completely different story in the summertime. My sister and I are excited to spend time with our aunts when they come down and visit, and I enjoy spending time with my cousins when they are down too. Our summer home provides a platform for all of our family to c ome together and spend time with one another. Throughout its history, Cape May has evolved from a whaling community into one of the nations oldest beach towns. Its location at the southern tip of New Jersey and its long-standing popularity with Philadelphians and other out-of-state tourists have cemented Cape May’s position as one of the most popular summer beach towns in the country. Works Cited Burger, Joanna. Landscapes, Tourism, and Conservation. Science of the Total Environment 249.1-3: 39-49. Print. Cape May History. The City of Cape May. Cape May City, 2009. Web. 15 Apr. 2014. http://www.capemaycity.com/Cit-e-Access/webpage.cfm?TID=103TPID=10704>. Jaakson, Reiner. Second-Home Domestic Tourism. Annals of Tourism Research 13.3 (1986): 367-91. Print. Loukissas, Philippos J. Tourisms Regional Development Impacts a Comparative Analysis of the Greek Islands. Annals of Tourism Research 9.4 (1982): 523-41. Print. McGill, Kenneth. NJ Tourism: Holding Its Own During Difficult Times. VisitNJ.org. State of New Jersey, 2008. Web. 15 Apr. 2014. http://www.visitnj.org/sites/visitnj.org/files/tourism-ecom-impact-2008.pdf>. Wieland, Diane. Tourism Impacts in Cape May County. Cape May County. Cape May County, 2006. Web. 15 Apr. 2014. http://www.capemaycountygov.net/FCpdf/Tourism Impacts in Cape May County AVALON.pdf>. Wood, Ida Leigh, Jerry Tirrito, and Mariana Leckner. New Jersey Coastal Community Resilience Demonstration Project Report. NJ Sea Grant Consortium. N.p., Dec. 2010. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.

The Minimum Wage Must Be Raised Essay -- Increase Minimum Wage Essays

"Los Angeles lawmakers Tuesday voted to boost the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2020, the largest city to try to help its lowest-paid workers survive amid the nation's growing income inequality." -- Michael Winter, USA TODAY May 19, 2015 Understanding the potential of an increase in today’s minimum wage is the key to understanding the above statement. As a financial mechanism in American society, the minimum wage has helped to sustain generations of workers. Yet, there are two sides to the debate over minimum wage increases. One side—the proponents—feel strongly that low-income workers need some incentive to earn a sufficient living. Conversely, opponents believe that changing the minimum wage does not always help workers and can hurt businesses. Nevertheless, the minimum wage should be raised in order to assist American families, aid economic recovery, and help people get out of debt. Background In 1938, Congress began the minimum wage at 25 cents per hour, according to the Fair Labor Standards Act (Sherk, 2013). By July 2009, the minimum wage had been raised to $7.25 an hour. Washington State boasts one of the highest minimum wages in the country--$9.19 an hour (Sherk, 2013). The number of Americans who earn minimum wage has always been in question. In 2011, it was reported that 3.7 million Americans earned minimum wage, and that is equivalent to just 2.9 percent of the working population in the country (Sherk, 2013). Next, it is important to note what types of workers get minimum wage earnings. According to Sherk (2013), there are two categories----young workers (still in school) and old workers (out of school). Moreover, these young adults are not likely to live in middle or high income families, and they are typic... ...ey, A. (2013). Raising minimum wage would ease income gap but carries political risks. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/13/us/politics/obama-pushes-for-increase-in-federal-minimum-wage.html Matthews, D. (2013). Four things to know about Obama’s minimum wage increase. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/02/13/four-things-to-know-about-obamas-minimum-wage-increase/ Sherk, J. (2013). What is minimum wage: its history and effects on the economy. Retrieved from http://www.heritage.org/research/testimony/2013/06/what-is-minimum-wage-its-history-and-effects-on-the-economy Wilson, M. (2012). The negative effects of minimum wage laws. Retrieved from http://www.cato.org/publications/policy-analysis/negative-effects-minimum-wage-laws Winter, Michael. "L.A. to boost minimum wage to $15", USA TODAY May 19, 2015

Building a Business

The concept of dating and matchmaking has evolved since the dawn of the technological age. With the emergence of the Internet and the World Wide Web, people have been trying to adapt their lifestyle according to the concept of the internet. Electronic messaging and online chatting enabled business organizations to establish online dating services for people who for some important reasons are always hooked up to the internet having no time or perhaps, really unable to build up romantic relationships in the real world. Online dating services such as eHarmony, match.com, Yahoo! Personals, American Singles, etc. reinvent the face of dating and matchmaking by allowing online users to become members of their company with the promise of finding the right match for a romantic relationship. The good thing about online dating is that people can choose who they want to get to know better just by looking at personal profiles posted with pictures, personal interests and hobbies, etc. However, mee ting someone through the internet takes time and communication is limited within the range of the computer.Moreover, people can easily pretend to be someone they are not, without anyone knowing. (Dunn) Although competing against these reputable and conventional online dating services is far-fetched because of their worldwide popularity and established client base, other dating alternatives such as dating through the phone are still more convenient and personal. Why should we spend our time sitting in front of the computer waiting for online dating services to pick out people who are compatible with our profiles?The thing is even if online dating services generate a list of thousands of people who are compatible with our profiles, are we going to spend our time getting to know all these people, when time and effort should be spent on building a stable relationship that will last longer? Dating by phone is the closest alternative to personal dating. People can speak directly to each o ther without limits. Moreover, personal communication allows people to communicate clearly and talk about everything they are thinking of.Conversing through phone is also easier and more convenient because people are able to talk through their mobile phones while at the same time go around for other chores or activities that they want to attend. The concept of dating by phone sprang up because it seems like everyone is looking for love. If we watch television, read magazines, or just to talk to other people we know, there will always be a topic or theme about dating, matchmaking, love, relationships, and even marriage. Although there are many other phone-dating services online, such as MegaMates. com, tango personals, Live links, etc.there are still other additions and improvements that can be done in order to reinvent the existing phone-dating services available at present. The concept of dating by phone shall be established by developing a phone dating service company. It shall st art as a small company that will be made available online, by telephone and mobile phone, or by personal membership, not only in a particular country but also internationally. The company shall be called â€Å"Let’s Talk About Love,† starting up with a small staff that handles personal membership, phone calls for subscriptions, and sales and advertising.People who are interested to become a member have the option to visit the company to fill up membership forms and finally for an audio recording over their profile that shall be available for match seekers who subscribe to the company as well. For callers, an 1800 number shall be made available for them. Once they call the company, they shall be asked to prompt in details such as being a first time user, answering of survey questions and audio recording their profile by phone as well.Online users who visit the website and are interested to join as members are able to fill up forms over the internet and send audio record ing of their profile or to call the number of the company if they are unable to do the recording through the computer. The profiles answered through the forms and the surveys shall be kept in a single database in the computer for future reference and for matchmaking purposes. Once the company finds a match, members shall receive a call in order to listen to the audio recording of the matched person on the other line.If the person wants to get to know the other person on the line, the personal number shall be given so they can start conversing after the first call. Members can also choose to receive a list of compatible people with their profile. They can choose whose audio recorded profile to listen to and whose number to call. If the other person agrees to communicate with them, then they will start up a two-way conversation over the phone. The good thing about this concept is it leans toward the human element of personal communication. Listening to the other person speak allows pe ople to understand and get to know what kind the other person is.In contrast, reading profiles over online dating services is impersonal and ambiguous. â€Å"Let’s Talk About Love† is different from all other phone-dating services available online for people who are looking to establish romantic relationships. The usual phone dating services are only existent online and profiles are seen only through the internet, numbers to call are made available directly to them. â€Å"Let’s Talk About Love† aims to make phone dating services more personal by allowing members to do audio recording messages of their profiles, and communication is simply done by calling. This medium becomes more personal.Moreover, the company wishes to incorporate new mobile phone technologies available nowadays. The company operates for both telephones and mobile phones. To make it more personal the company plans to team up with mobile phone providers and service network providers such as AT&T, Nokia, Samsung, T-Mobile, Cingular, etc. to make â€Å"Let’s Talk About Love† services more personal and closer to face-to-face interaction. The company plans to offer personalized telephone units and mobile phones from these companies directly to members for advertising purposes and to get large companies to invest in the business.Selling phones and mobile phones from mobile phone companies allows users to purchase a phone, which is directly connected, to â€Å"Let’s Talk About Love. † For instance, just pressing the numbers 1-4-3 directly connects the caller to the voice mailbox for new messages from the company and their phone-dates. The 3G technology is also popular nowadays. Selling mobile phones with 3G technology and telephones with screens for live phone chats allows callers to see whom they are speaking to. (â€Å"3G Phones†) This is a great way to improve the usual phone dating service available for people.Aside from talking to t heir phone-dates, members may also get to see them. All they have to do is to purchase 3G phones manufactured by popular mobile phone companies that are tied up with â€Å"Let’s Talk About Love† in order to get full services from the company. Perhaps, partnership with mobile phone companies will allow them to produce a â€Å"Let’s Talk About Love† mobile phone edition, maybe packed with â€Å"Let’s Talk About Love† logos, wallpapers and ring tones with love themes, or mobile phones with red or pink casings, etc. This is a good form of advertising both for mobile phone companies and â€Å"Let’s Talk About Love.† Partnership with service network providers such as T-Mobile or Cingular will follow the same concept. For online advertising, teaming up with search engines such as Google or Yahoo! , like what T-mobile have done (Boswell). Once an online website is established over the Internet, teaming up with search engines allows the company to be visible for online users. Once online users search for tags such as love, dating, relationships, marriage, etc. the search engine will generate â€Å"Let’s Talk About Love† website as one of the top results.Of course, banner advertisements and pop-ups is also a good way to advertise over the internet. Works Cited â€Å"3G Phones. † 2008. Retrieved from three-g. net. 27 Apr. 2008 . Boswell, Wendy. â€Å"T-Mobile and Google Team Up. † 30 Jul. 2005. Retrieved from About, Inc. 27 Apr. 2008 . Dunn, Susan. â€Å"The Pros and Cons of Dating Online. † 2007. Retrieved from SelfGrowth. com. 27 Apr. 2008 .

Mexico and its Importance to US Bilateral relations Essay

Mexico is an important asset to the United States, is shares 1,954 miles of border with the United States, and has become an important economic trading partner with the United States. Relations between these two nations are paramount, but we must address a list of issues that need answers, economic reform, homeland security, drug control, migration and even the environment. Every day over one million people cross the border legally, in 2012 two way trade totaled over $500 billion dollars. Mexico has remained one of the biggest tourist destinations for American travelers, and America major source of tourism for Mexico. Cooperation between these two nations is important, it is also important for the United States to help streamline diplomacy with Mexico. In 2010 the Executive Committee for 21st Century Border Management was created to help create advancements in creating a modern, secure and efficient border. This Committee was created to spur ideas on ways to help secure the border, as well as create a better way to manage the legal crossing taking place every day. The attacks September 1 1, 2001 led to the closing of many border crossing, putting a strain on the already verworked crossings, with the implementation of this program new ways are being explored on how we should run these border crossings as well as exploring the re- opening of certain closed crossing points. Cooperative activities between the U. S. and Mexico take place under a number of arrangements such as the U. S. -Mexico Border 2012/2020 Program the North American Development Bank and the Border Environment Cooperation Commission; the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation; the Border Health Commission. These agencies help cooperate with Mexico in regards to the serious environmental issues that have risen ue to population growth and industrialization. In 2008 we began the Merida Initiative seeking to cooperate with Mexico as well as other South American countries in an attempt to curb the growing trend of drug trafficking crimes. Mexico suggested that it was a shared problem because the majority of the money flowing into Mexico was from American drug users. Although as of 2012 congress has appropriated nearly 1. 9 billion dollars to the Merida Initiative. Beginning in 2010 the Merida Initiative took a four pillar approach to break down its attempts at disrupting the drug trafficking and violence problem. The first pillar aims to disrupt the capacity of organized crime to operate and the second pillar focuses on enhancing the capacity of Mexico’s government and institutions to sustain the rule of law. The Merida Initiative’s third pillar aims to improve border management to facilitate legitimate trade and movement of people while thwarting the flow of drugs, arms, and cash. Finally, the fourth pillar seeks to build strong and resilient communities. Despite the major advances we have made with mexico regarding trade and the furtherance of our partnership as nations, it must be noted the major issues we still ace. The Drug Cartels in mexico currently run a 20 plus billion dollar a year industry. important area of discussion is the immigration issues that have faced the united states from mexico as immigrants attempt to flee mexico for a variety of reasons. Mexico is also a major recipient of remittances, in 2012 the state department estimated over 22 billion dollars’ worth was sent from relatives living in America. Immigration has become a hot point in current affairs, it is time to analise some options for the future in regards to immigration and options regarding drug rafficking issues. In may of 2013 Obama announced the formation of a bilateral forum on higher education, innovation, and research. With this forum the United States and mexico will encourage typically underprivileged students to attend college and secondary schools providing them access to these schools as well as secondary training programs in STEM fields.. This forum is our first step towards making mexico an economic power as well as a place that can welcome advancing technology. Recommendations. Increasing the funding that is appropriated for the Merida Initiative, this funding hould be sent towards furthering the security checkpoints at Mexico’s borders. Updating x ray machines as well as non-invasive body scanners. Money should also be spent in an attempt to inform the Mexican community of the intentions to curb the trend of drug cartel control. The Merida initiative should focus primarily on the first pillar, of disrupting organized Criminal Groups. Scrapping all additional plans for continuing the fence on the American Mexican border. Rather Funds should be appropriated in designating a committee to explore further partnership with Mexico regarding immigration. America needs to accept that Mexican immigrants as a majority are good people looking for honest work. This should no longer be a crime, The process of obtaining a green card should be streamlined, making it accessible to anyone who seeks it out. This policy has to go hand in hand with near total elimination of drug violence. Mexico needs to be regarded as a safe place where both American and Mexican nationals can come and go across the border freely and without safety in question. Mexico should not be treated as a third world nation, we have the potential to help them become a eautiful place to visit. It Just requires some creative policy ideas to meet our goals. Drug Reform has not had much success, in part to the weak policies that have been implemented.