So holiday sales are looking to be flat nationally? Guess where they are not?

[UTUSN]

Regionally, along the Southern border, where the stores are packed to the gills with PRE-WALL, legally-VISITING, tourist-Mexicans, spending, this old article says (in Texas), "bought about $3.2 billion worth of goods — roughly 19 percent of all retail sales along the Texas border and 1.9 percent of the state’s retail sales,".

This would be despite our national leaders' determination to shoot ourselves in the foot with all manner of ill conceived, self-imposed, WASTEFUL, restrictions: The wall, all manner of laser documents and gadgets that will go unused, tons of cash for the Border Patrol---palatial headquarters, SUVs, dune buggies, river boats, horses, cameras, pilings and herms and speed bumps, and billion-dollar contracts for sweetheart corporations.

Oh, and those INCREASED, HARRASSING two hour crosing times for those people who just want to spend their cash over here. All in the name of "fighting terrorism" on a border where NOT ONE TERRORIST crossed.


***********QUOTE********



A stack of U.S. visas, above, is sorted recently at the U.S. Consulate in Tijuana, Mexico.
Denis Poroy/The Associated Press


http://www.themonitor.com/news/border_2429___article.ht...

Costly visa technologies little used here

Area officials wonder: Is it needed or is it money wasted?
Kyle Arnold and Matt Whittaker
May 16, 2007 - 10:58PM

.... When Congress approved the laser visa system in 1996, proponents touted laser visas, which store so-called biometric information, as the next step in securing American borders from unwanted visitors like potential terrorists, drug smugglers and illegal immigrants. However, an AP article Tuesday said U.S. Customs and Border Protection only checks about 2 percent of all laser visa holders using the digital fingerprint and face matching technology. ....

A $28.6 million contract for laser visa technology was awarded to Virginia-based General Dynamics Corp., which has recently received another contract for $28.5 million, according to the AP article. ....

Inspecting laser visas without looking at the biometric information is no better than “looking at somebody’s driver’s license or library card,” she said. “The country invested a lot of money to bring the system up to date. It’s just amazing that they have gone to this expense … and made border crossers pay a lot of money for ... a card that we don’t even know how to use or don’t use,” she said. ....

In 2001, Mexicans who shopped in McAllen, Brownsville, Laredo and El Paso bought about $3.2 billion worth of goods — roughly 19 percent of all retail sales along the Texas border and 1.9 percent of the state’s retail sales, according to Dallas Fed data. ....

********UNQUOTE*******




"herms" -- WHAT IS THIS? Pillars along property lines, like postal receptacles in subdivisions.

*******QUOTE*******

http://www.pantheon.org/articles/h/hermes.html

Originally Hermes was a phallic god, being attached to fertility and good fortune, and also a patron of roads and boundaries. His name coming from herma, the plural being hermaiherm was a square or rectangular pillar in either stone or bronze, with the head of Hermes (usually with a beard), which adorned the top of the pillar, and male genitals near to the base of the pillar. These were used for road and boundary markers. Also in Athens they stood outside houses to help fend off evil. In Athens of 415 BCE, shortly before the Athenian fleet set sail against Syracuse (during the Peloponnesian War), all the herms throughout Athens were defaced. This was attributed to people who were against the war. Their intentions were to cast bad omens on the expedition, by seeking to offend the god of travel. (This has never been proved as the true reason for the mutilation of the herms.)

********UNQUOTE*******



http://notexasborderwall.com/

[CatWoman]

1. did you know that I lived in El Paso for nearly a year?

I didn't know where Mexico ended, or the US began (or vice versa)

:hi:

wonder what the "kill the immigrants" crowd has to say about this????

[UTUSN]

4. Long time no see, sweets!1 Here's Sancho (Panza) sending hearts!1

[CatWoman]

9. awwwwwwwwwwwwww

:loveya:

[Up2Late]

2. Exactly.

I have nothing more to add.

[EFerrari]

3. Someone forgot to translate "War on Christmas"

:evilgrin:

[Didereaux]

5. Add up what 11 million illegals send OUT of the US...then see how paltry your numbers are n/t

[UTUSN]

6. The numbers in the article (not "mine") are for one region of one state. And you omit

to factor in the numbers WE are tossing in the toilet, spent on the things (and more) in my 2nd paragraph of the o.p.


And, 11 (or 12?) million undocumented immigrants are not getting whatever cash out of thin air. It would appear that your and my co-citizens are paying them for something.

[Didereaux]

7. none of which has any relevency to the article n/t

[UTUSN]

8. Huh? You bring in ONE facet (not in the article) and choose to deny OTHER facets?

Pulling away the football. The "relevancy" has to do with what *I* posted as a topic, and the article was an illustration and/or contrast to what I said. And the o.p. came to mind in seeing at least two threads documenting how "flat" sales are (nationally).

[CatWoman]

10. Charley Brown isn't the only blockhead around here

:)

[UTUSN]

11. Your question in post #1 got answered toute suite!1 n/t

[AZBlue]

12. If these are figures attributed to LEGAL visitors/tourists/future citizens,

what's your point? They are irrelevant to those who are here illegally.

[UTUSN]

13. My point was stated in the o.p. Repetition is one sign of flaming. Plus,

I did not to refer to these spenders as "future citizens." I specifically said they are tourists, visiting for a few hours or days in motels, returning to Mexico and having no intention or desire to be "future citizens." They are just DROPPING CASH and departing.