Poor South

Maybe it's just me, but it seems the further South I get, the less money people have. Ok, wait, that's nothing new. I've known this all my life. That's the way it is and probably will be for a long time, but lately it's just slapped me in the face. I'm comparing apples to apples, not apples to manzanas. The sad part isn't necessarily that people have less money (i still don't have any money), but the fact that many people are complacent.

The folks I'm comparing are my college friends. My argument is full of holes, but just listen, por favor. I have friends in Dallas, none of them Mexicanos, who have pretty decent jobs, own a business, are in graduate school, or do something else. Even the unemployed fools seem to be doing ok. My one unemployed friend still goes out, buys things, plays on the computer (he's in debt, but he will be able to get out of it).

In El Valle my friends are struggling. I have a married couple friend in debt up to their necks - they both have college degrees and good jobs (not sure if they will be able to get out of debt). I have a lawyer friend who is doing ok. I have some other friends who have good jobs, but can't seem to scrape together enough money for a vacation. Chingado, I don't have a job right now and I've been traveling across the state like a madman.

Is it that down in the Valle - where I am right now, we don't know how to save? Maybe, we don't know how to manage our money? Maybe we value time and family much more than we do money and material possessions, but can't there be a balance?

I dunno. I was talking to my brother - the pelado who's got his law office and he was telling me that he hates to say it, but he thinks the raza in the valley is just getting lazy. He makes this comment, to which I said, "you're crazy" and "that's not a fair statement" because of his experiences working on immigration matters.

He says, in Austin, the Mexicanos show up with their paperwork, their money, a job, and other information needed to move forward on their case. In McAllen he says, nombre, the raza says it's too expensive, they don't want to work, and half the time they don't have any of the paper work needed. Again - we're not comparing Apples to Manzanas. We're comparing Mexicanos to Mexicanos. I dunno - maybe it's our culture down here that breeds complacency. Maybe it's the church. Maybe it's the water or the budlight. Quien Sabe. Maybe it's just me.

I love it down here, but we definitely need changes. Something needs to happen. Ok - I'll probably be in Austin again tomorrow.