Why So Many Banks In Eagle Pass?

[alacran62]

Why are there so many banks in Eagle Pass, if there are not any jobs in Eagle Pass

IBC, STNB, Falcon State Bank, Texas State Bank

[mena]

I have noticed that in many towns when they are growing.

[alacran62]

Alot people say because it is because of money laundering. Eagle Pass has about 29% unemployment. We don't have creative jobs here that are well paid.

[mena]

One can hope it is because Eagle Pass has big plans to bring companies in.

[alacran62]

You gotta be kidding

[lindac]

:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D
Alacran,

Well, it could be true! You never know!!!

LC

P>S>KEEP THE FAITH MENA!!! :)

[mena]

Alacran, I no longer live in EP but, I still have hopes that someday this town will make it on the map with positive points.

[Tito]

:D Hi Mena, long time no see for me. I'm glad you are positive about E.P. I have not been there in 10 or more years. But, I still miss it. Talk to you later bye.

[mena]

Thanks for all the support. We have heard all the bad things of EP why not post the good things. If anyone one knows anything about new businesses opening up, lets us know so we can all check it out. I am also interested in hearing about mom and pops style businesses too, not just franchise. :)

[mena]

Good to see you are back, Tito.

[midnightblue]

Sad to say but it has to do with the drug money. Millions of dollars make it back to the border and end up in small town banks where they are laundered and then shipped into Mexico. A lot of that cash goes in through the Pesos for dollars exchange houses in Texas and in Mexico. All the billions of dollars in drugs that come into this country go back out in good old USA currency back to the countries that produce the drugs. We (US citizens) keep Mexico, Columbia, Peru, etc. governments and law enforcement officials corrupt by providing the drug lords with the dollars to buy them. While the exchange houses can lauder hundreds of thousands of dollars, bank can do millions.

http://ojinaga.com/guest/book.jpg

I got this book while visiting the Big Bend area. This guy, Pablo Acosta, was a minor player in the drug lord world and his story deals with another part of the border. Pablo Acosta made millions and bought people in Mexico and the USA. Remember Pablo Escobedo, Columbian drug lord, once offered to pay off the Columbian national debt if the government would stop trying to arrest him. At one point he was thought to be the 2nd richest man in the world.

We think of corruption as something that you find only in third world countries, but it has moved into our nation. We are seeing more judges, District Attorneys, police officers, border patrol agents and county sheriffs getting arrested on a regular basis for taking bribes, dealing drugs, transporting drugs or providing security for the drug cartels.

DRUG LORD - LIFE AND DEATH OF A MEXICAN KINGPIN (http://faustosgallery.com/druglord/index.html) - go to this site for more info on the book. The ending is not a happy one or a sad one. It's just the ending of one person.

Have you ever gone through Rio Grand City and wondered why there are more business than people in that town?

[alacran62]

MidnightBlue



You nailed it. If people only knew what goes on here in Eagle Pass and other border towns, corrupted politiicians, bankers, etc.

[mena]

Hey midnight glad to see your participation and for sharing your knowledge with this forum. One question for you, when was the last time you visited EP?
As for corruption, you are right.. there is not a town or city where you won't find it.
The last time I went down, I saw a new and bigger Peter Piper, a new whataburger, a bigger post office, one of the largest Walmart supercenters, an HEB with aisles you can now shop with a cart, several new stores at the mall, lets not forget Applebee's and many more oh, and not to mention tons of people who come in from other towns who enjoy shopping. I have tried shopping at walmart and let me tell you it is not fun. A 5 minute pick up and go, does not exist because of the amount of people shopping. I am not naive about all the drug dealings and stuff but, I would like to give credit to all these new businesses who have had success and have created more jobs for EP.
Again, thanks for the info and for sharing the link. I will check it out. :)

[alacran62]

Mena

I understand that Eagle Pass is progressing and you did mention new and improved businesses. But those businesses take the hard earned money out of Eagle Pass.
And there are two movies theaters coming to Eagle Pass. But the small businesses at the mall and downtown are barely making it.

We need to revitalize the downtown, so people won't leave on the weekend to other cities. Another thing the jobs those establishments are not well paid and don't offer benefits. Yes, they are jobs but it keeps a community in poverty. What we need are manufacturing jobs and definitely creative jobs.

[mena]

I wouldn't say they take the money out of Eagle Pass because many businesses hire local people. The employees and visitors eat and buy in Eagle Pass which circulates the money. The Casino also brings alot of visitors to EP, they too rent rooms to stay in. If you are a regular in our forum, this forum itself proves that point.

I am glad to hear there are two more theaters coming to town. There you go, you need more employees, eventually everyone in EP that wants to be employed will be employed.

I totally agree with you about downtown and the small businesses. That is a struggle of alot of places. I can only say if the product and/or service is good it will do well. I shop at friendly places downtown but, I won't shop at stores that act like I am there to steal a penny (some might know what I am talking about). Although, I have to disagree about "Yes, they are jobs but it keeps a community in poverty." :) This is what EP needs jobs so eventually you can pick and chose or even get you by, so you can open your own specialty store (I don't mean you personally). I'm just saying the public in general.

I would personally like to see a water park. I think that would be great. Don't you? :)

[alacran62]

To a certain point you are right about the businesses hiring local people. Let me give a scenario. In San Antonio the Cortez family run three famous restaurants; Mi Tierra, Pico de Gallo and La Margarita, they create jobs and hire local people and give back to the community. They gave $1 million to create a Latino Arts and Culture Center in San Antonio. I personally think that we don't need more franchise restaurants coming to Eagle Pass but family owned restaurants? They don't even give scholarships to local students.


A water park sounds like a good idea? I know that a park like that operates on recycled water but it wouldn't be a good idea because although it provides family entertainment many parts in Maverick County especially the colonias don't have potable water or drainage.

[lindac]

Mena,

First of all, I no longer live in Eagle Pass, either. I definitely agree with you about revitalizing the downtown area. I used to love walking down the street during my lunch break. But they need more businesses to bring people downtown. I remember their was a coffee shop a la Starbucks on the corner near the library--they closed down the day after I moved to Eagle Pass! What about a bookstore, an ice cream shop, a craft store that gives demonstrations, a coffee bar, a bakery, a fruteria/paleteria, ANYTHING. Even revitalizing/adding a plaza that sells balloons would be a start--places where people can just go and hang out.

Which brings us to the second problem. WATERPARK. HMMMmmm. First I think fun, then I think about those nagging and nasty L words: Liability, legal problems, and LAWSUITS! While I lived in Eagle Pass many people (well, actually, the FEW people) I got to know warned me about the sue-happy folks and warned me about getting into a car accident. Another friend told me the McDonald's had X-amount of lawsuits the first few weeks it opened.

Observation: the problem is a circular one. When I was there, it was rumored some big corporation was thinking about building one of their plants there. They did a field study and found the liability factor WAS TOO HIGH and decided not to build. Hence the lack of jobs. Which may contribute to the increase in the sue-happy folks. I had people asking to come to my apartment complex to swim because there was not a public swimming pool for the same reason: High Liability, High lawsuit probability.

Risky business anyway you look at it.

Thank you Midnight blue and Alacran for your thoughtful entries. I enjoyed your comments.

[alacran62]

Lindac

That coffee shop was owned by a couple that was from Austin and were in Eagle Pass in another business venture. I did go several times to that coffee shop. Then they opened one in the loop near Memorial Junior High, it was coffee shop/bookstore and it didn't make it either. But I have good news, you guys remember the old First National Bank then NBC Bank then IBC Bank, well since the old courthouse is being preserved there are also plans to tear down the bank after they move to their location in front of the Lake. They want to convert that space into a plaza.


Going back to the theme of the banks. There are almost done with Bibb St. Texas State Bank pretty soon is going to start constructiion of their new bank where Bernard's Beverage Barn used to be at. Falcon State Bank is going to be building a bank next to Super Wal Mart. So if you look into a year or so from now there will be three banks within a few blocks from each other surrounded by restaurants.

[mena]

There is nothing I enjoy more than a mom and pops place. I just know that honest money needs to be made for more entrepreneur adventures. Unfortunately, there are more that were born beautiful instead of rich. :)

What is the reason behind the sue happy people? Do you think its because they are lazy and want quick money? Is it because they are desperate and want to feed their children? Or is it because the business was negligent and that is why they got sued?

Thanks to all for participating in this healthy discussion and hope you continue.

[mena]

One more question..you might think I'm "dah" but, why do people live in places that don't have water or drainage? Why would anyone want to go thru that hassle? I mean, we do live in the states. I know, I know.. there are many places like that but, why do people insist in living there and continue to struggle? What is so attractive about that?

Please don't chew me out just let us know. :)

[midnightblue]

I go to Eagle Pass twice a year. Never in the summer, too hot. I spend a lot of time walking through the town. I like taking pictures and walking is the best way to view a town. There are large portions of the city that still don't have curbs and only semi paved streets. The down town stores are geared towards the Piedras Negras customers and the mall stores are struggling. Wal-Mart and HEB do a lot of business, but the majority of the buyers are from Mexico. Piedras Negras has a population of 150,000? Walking through the parking lot and reading license plates is a good way of figuring out where the customers are coming from. Eagle Pass has a population of 26,000? Unemployement is how high? I enjoy visiting Eagle Pass, except for the heat, and it has changed. In the 80's to the mid 90's the town really looked bad, dirty streets, dirty lots, junk cars, etc. It is much cleaner now and the new and wider roads make driving around town easier.

Alarcan62 is right about the jobs. It isn't enough to have a job if it doesn't provide health insurance, vacation time, sick time, and a good salary or hourly wage. Not too many positions at Wal Mart or HEB pay more that $10.00 an hour, and not too many families can make it on that one pay check. Most of the small business can't afford to pay much above minimum wage. People leave Eagle Pass not because they don't like living there, but because of the lack of jobs and the lack of good paying jobs.

To look at a town and figure the quality of life, look how many houses have burgler bars on the windows, pad locks on the gates and vacant buildings with broken windows. A town with a high crime rate and low paid police dept. indicates a low tax base. Low tax base indicates low property values and lack of major businesses. High unemployement and low paying jobs but high house values indicates a false economy, such as one that is being inflated by drug money. In the end the drug money hurts everyone in the town by making it harder to afford the good thing in life when you work an honest job at an average salary.

I grew up in Eagle Pass as a migrante going north in summer to work the fields, but coming back in the fall was always coming home. I left when I was 18 and returned only as a visitor. I still have a brother and a sister that live there and have never thought about leaving, they are happy and feel secure living in Eagle Pass. Everyone complains about the politics in school and in the city, but then eveyone complains about the same things here in Waco.

Life in Eagle Pass is as good as life in any small town and the problems it has with the drug money are real, but not unique. San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, etc. are also feeling the bank growth and a lot of that cash is drug money.

[alacran62]

Mena


It is not about attractiveness. These people have no choice. Some of them are recently immigrated citizens with just enough money to make it. They are hard working. But when developers open a subdivision they offer cheap land.


I know this information because I stay informed of what is going locally. I read alot. I know alot about economic/community developlment.

[mena]

Alacran,

I appreciate that you stay informed and share the info with us. I don't doubt these are hard working people but, why do they put up with buying when they know it is miserable. If people who cannot afford to have proper water and drainage they should be careful when they submit to this. Who knows.. if they wouldn't buy land this way, the developers would make a greater effort and sell more suited lots. It is not a good deal when you end up getting sick because you don't have the basics no matter how cheap the land is. If people expect less, they will get less.

[midnightblue]

Las colonias appear because that all that some people can afford to buy. They want their own piece of land to build thier own home on, and so they buy undeveloped plots of land. Some buy there because they have priorities where owning a good car is higher that owning a house. The car is what gets you to work, specially if you follow the crops north. No car, no work.

Some come from Mexico's rural towns and they had houses with no electricity or potable water, so buying land like this is not like they are moving down the social ladder. At other times they buy because the developer promises that the services will be installed next year or as soon as the land is incorportated into the city.

These people can afford these lots because they took some great job from an America. We've all heard someone talk about the immigrants taking jobs from American, we'll those great jobs pay very little, Americans don't want them and if some one didn't do them for minimum wage and with out any benifits we would complain more about having to pay $3.00 for a Burrito or a bag of chicharrones.

The American dream is free, but attaining it takes a lot of work. When they come to the USA they can now dream. When they lived in their own country that was not even possible.

[alacran62]

Midnightblue

you are definitely right.

[mena]

About Americans not wanting the jobs is old news. The economy is not the hottest and Americans have a hard time getting jobs because employers know they can pay lower wages and no benefits to the immigrants. I think that might be one of the points why EP doesn't pay well because you have many that will cross over and take the jobs for cheaper wages.
I don't think that a water park would make it worst for the colonias. Although, I agree that sue happy people will come out of the woodwork.

[lindac]

VE-RRRY, Very interesting discussion.... Just a couple of comments.
1. Re: the colonias. What may seem less to us may seem a LOT more to those who are coming from having had very little. Folks who are eager to make a new start are in a position to be exploited and may not know what their rights are. When I was in Mexico City I was amazed at the number of squatter colonias that had NO roads, No electricity, and NO water--nor did they have a snowball in hell's chance of getting any of the above.

2. There is a ping-pong factor, too. If you bounce a ball, someone has to bounce it back. Who will these people complain to? And what would be done? I had a friend who moved to a little colonia in LaCoste in the late '70's and the promises of water were not fulfilled. Those people rose up in arms, got organized, and with the help of the Catholic church GOT their water.

NOTE to Midnightblue, and that is where Waco and San Antonio are different. We complain hard enough and 8 times out of 10 the squeaky wheel will get greased. Who would help the colonias folks get organized and who would they complain to?


3. RE: the jobs. Mena, I think there is a value system involved here. Why won't people work for minimum wage? A job is a job. I worked fast food as an undergraduate to earn money to buy my books and washed dishes as a graduate student. Nothing wrong with good honest work! I did not have enough money to get my hair or nails done, and did not have 5 gold shrimp earrings in each year, but I had enough to live on. Pride sometimes gets in the way of honestly earning your living--I see it everyday.

LC

[mena]

Lindac,

That has been my point about jobs, whether benefits or no benefits use it as a stepping stone. An honest job is what counts and getting out of the mess is the goal. :)

[midnightblue]

I work parttime at a burger joint to earn money to buy bicycle riding equipment, computer hardware, toys, CDs, and all the unneeded things I like. I know the people that work their and it is a big difference between me making extra money to have fun and them working to pay rent or buy groceries. They make minimum wage and don't make enough to pay for health insurance, car insurance, rent, food, clothing. Most fast food joints don't hire many people full time. They hire lots of people and keep their hours below 30 a week. Most make less that $200 a week. Some can't save enough to give a deposit on and apartment, so they rent rooms at the motels that rent by the week. $25-$45 a day is the going rate. They pay $750 - $1350 a month in room rates. 2 or 3 will pool their money to pay the high price to live in a motel were you don't have to fight the cockroaches for the food they keep on the sink counter.
I deal with many of these folks when I work my regular job, since many of these motels are in my district. It's a heartbreaker to go work a family distrubance at three in the morning between drunks and walk in to find they have 2 or three kids living in one motel room with 2 or 3 adults. It is understandable why this kids will never graduate from school when they eat junk food, stay up most of the night because they all live in the same room where the party (beer drinking) takes place. They will grow up and have the same jobs their parents have. Many have their drinking problems and drug problems and they have had them since they were teenagers. They will always have those problems. Some don't drink or do drugs but they can't read or write and will never have a high paying job. They will work 2 or 3 jobs and look like they are 60 when they are in their 40s. There are many reasons people are poor, but because they can do hard work shouldn't be a reason.
Any honest job can be a stepping stone to a better one, but sometimes they are to small a stone and they don't get you very high, so you have to keep stepping on more and more of them. 30 years later you are still looking for a stepping stone big enough to get your feet out of the water.
The new employees resent us at first when they find out we are making in four hours what they make in 3 days. But after we pull the first drunk who is trying to beat them off the counter, they understand why.
Ok, I hope this makes sense. Anyways, I just got home from work and the higher the sun gets the less my brain works. I've been working midnights for too long. Time to go to bed, everyone else is getting up already.

[mena]

There are many programs that help low income families with food, health insurance, housing and clothing. Many times that is why they don't want to better themselves cause they don't want to pay 6 or $700. a month for health insurance or pay for there own food. I worked at a grocery store and I would cash welfare checks for families close to $1000 and this was given to them monthly. So I don't know how bad some of these people have it. But hey, I didn't live with them so who knows.

[midnightblue]

There are many that abuse the welfare system, but the majority that survive on it just survive.
My youngest son works for HEB and tell the same stories of people coming in and using the Lone Star card to pay for food and then get cash and buy beer or cigarettes. I see a big chunk of my paycheck getting taken out in taxes every two weeks. I don't like the idea of that money going to some lazy person who won't work, but I like even less the idea that my money is going to pay farmers thousands of dollars so they don't plant crops, or oil companies so they can clean water pollution they caused, or to pay for housing developments in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, etc. while the Shieks make millions of dollars and come over her to buy American companies. But it is happening.
So helping someone from the USA is not a bad thing.

Anyways, back to Eagle Pass. During my December visit, I walked to the northeast side of town one day and saw it for the first time in my life. After growing up and spending all that time in the town, I had never walked the area where Jefferson St. ends. There is an old water treatment plant out there. Some of the houses are from the early 1900. The next day I took my older brother who was visiting from Denver, Colo. and as we walked he started telling me about our family living in this area when they first came from Piedras Negras. He started pointing at houses and naming families that had lived there and names of kids he grew up with. I always carry my camera with me and take pictures of everything. I the two days that I walked there I took only 5 or 6 pictures. I was to busy looking to remember to take pictures.

My brother says that it you are always liked better when you are a visitor, as long as you don't visit for to long.

[eagle4ever]

theres ALOT of dirty clothes in Eagle Pass.. thats why there is so many LAUNDRY MATS. A Tide factory in EP would make a killing :lol:

[JorgedeTexas]

Eagle Pass, I grew up there and left in 1984 for college, I still visit it many times there a year. The good jobs in Eagle Pass are gotten mostly by politics, if you know somebody then you can get one. The only other good jobs, are in Federal jobs, state does not pay but the pay its good for Eagle Pass. The only other good jobs are in school district as teachers, counselors, or principles. If both couples are working the good jobs, then they can afford to live very well in Eagle Pass.

I too work as a migrant worker in the cucumber fields near Plainview, Texas, like she said, coming to Eagle Pass was coming home. The only good thing I did not miss during the summers was the hot sun. I have many relatives in Eagle Pass, and my parents are buried there, so there a reason to go. Your heart will always be there if you grew up. You would like to see how your old friends are doing, who is married or divorce from, how fat have we gotten. Sometimes you miss the peace and quite of the small city if you live in cities like San Antonio, Austin, DFW, or Houston. Many people have left and many will follow to other cities for college or work.

Lawsuits, last year I had an accident in Piedras Negras by the light at the mercado. I took the blame in order to get out of Piedras to get to Eagle Pass before the Police got there. It would be worst there to go threw the hassle with police in Mexico. In looking at the passengers, they were ok, like a total of two adults and two children. I was hit by them as I do not recall whether or not I ran a red light. I got more damage to my truck then they got there car. I had the truck bed replaced and some other things done to where the tires go. The only thing that happen to there old car 1991 was the bumper fell of after it hit my rear tire. i saw them accross the in Eagle Pass and gave the whole info and received there info. Everyone looked in good health no one was complaining. The next day the mother goes to my parents house and offers me to pay her $900 for the car damage. I was on the phone calling my insurance about the accident when she arrived. I told her that I was handling it through the insurance company. She was not happy about the accident. Her daughter was fifteen and driving without a drivers license. Then she tells me she works for attorney VP. Well, I knew what was coming after she said that, LAWSUIT, DOCTOR BILLS, Well after the lawsuit was settled, two or three got settled for $9000 and another for $700.

Well, enough said, they might be members of this board.

[lindac]

JorgedeTexas, HOW AWFUL!!!! :o :o :o But I think it would have been worse if you had stayed at the scene and had gotten thrown in jail in Piedras Negras. Either way, it would have cost some money to get out of the situation. I am glad it turned out okay for you.

Midnightblue, I wanted to respond to your article about the folks who depend on the minimum wage jobs to maintain a living. In my comments I did not mean to discount hard workers in any way; my point was to focus on what a person values in life. Is life so deterministic that we are fated to the lifestyle we learned from our parents? Why do those kids have to stay on drugs? How do I know they will never get a better job? What are the chances they can jump to a higher stepping stone? I think the scenarios you described depict problems larger than minimum wage living; it sounded more like loss of hope and lack of direction. But who am I to judge? That is the lifestyle they choose to remain trapped in. Beer drinking and drug addiction don't happen overnight; they start somewhere. In my job I hear from an average of 4 heroin addicts a week and countless other drug addictions. Few want to go to rehab or get help to quit. That is their choice, I cannot break the cycle for them. And to get out of that cycle you have to WANT help and WANT something better and believe there is HOPE for something better.

I am very cautious to "rescue the victim" in these types of cases because if you look at the context, who is the victim? I know too many kids who have worked 2 or 3 jobs (and the average recent college graduate I know is working 2 or 3 part-time jobs--everyone is struggling from the changes impacted by the economy--employers are trying to wiggle out of paying benefits to everyone, not just minimum wage workers. ) Along with hard work there is struggle and sacrifice (some of us are still struggling!)

I have to agree with Mena. Our country has its faults, but it also has resources and options. People choose to drink and use drugs. They can go to rehab. In San Antonio, you can get your GED just about anywhere. And what about grants and loans to go to business school, college, or to learn a trade? I agree this country has to do more to help its own, but at the same time, people need to be willing to take responsibility for their lives.

LC

[mena]

I couldn't have said it better, Lindac. :)

[midnightblue]

JorgedeTexas - You mean she sued you in Texas even thought the accident happened in Mexico?

Lindac - those kids stay on drugs for the same reason that people smoke tobacco and drink alcohol even when they have respretory problems or liver problems. Addiction is a powerful demon.
To make choices you have to know that you have choices. Too many times kids grow up knowing only one type of family life. They make choices based on what they see, hear, and feel on a daily basis. To drink is to be a man, to hit women is to be manly, to get married and then divorced is just part of life, to have kids and abandon them is someone elses problem not the fathers, to look down on those you don't understand is moral, to have babies is a women's only value, etc.
If we arrest a person for stealing a car valued over $1500 but under $20000 they get jail time if convicted. If a person works for a company and steals $200000 they are given adjudicated probation because no one wants to ruined their life. This person is a good person and goes to church and helps at school, coaches little league, etc. We forget that the higher you go up the economic ladder the more breaks we get. If you are college student, your chances of getting convicted of Public Intoxication are very small. No one wants to be responsible for ruining your life. If you work at McDonalds you will be convicted of Public Intoxication because you should have made the right choice and not gotten trapped in a life style that keeps you poor.
A good example is Rush Limbaugh. He has a drug habit, same as the persons you hear from at your job, but Rush will have politicians support him, housewives, ministers, and other outstanding pillars of the community. They will bad mouth the DA for trying to ruin Rush's good reputation. He will never go to trail, even if he has to go to court, the DA will be tried.
We do live in the greatest country in the world. We have programs that give money to poor people, and we spend millions of dollars to get kids to learn how to read, but most of the money goes to administrate those programs. Some of the programs that are funded make sense to administrator but are real waste of money.
Remember when we use to send powdered milk to Mexico to feed the children? The childrens still starved because their bodies didn't produce the enzyme to digest the powder milk. All they got from that cup was water. We produce millions of tons of peanuts which are high in protein. It would have made more sense to send them peanut butter, right?
He is a novel idea being used by some school districts - give the at risk kids ( those that can read and write ) computers so they can catch up with the regular students. Ok, if you can't read and write what are you going to do with a computer? Play games!! Now all those millions spent on computers could be used to hire more teachers, teachers aides, or tutors, but that old idea would never get you recognition by the Education administration and you wouldn't get federal or state grants to pay for them.

Ok, I'll get off my soapbox. I am really enjoying this conversation. You all are very courtious and I have enjoyed reading your thoughts. I spend most of my work time dealing with the problems caused by the drinking, drugs, and other ills of our world, and get blamed for ruining everyones life when they get arrested for a crime they have committed. Everyone wants a break. Everyone is a victim.
Anyways, I heard about all the rain Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras got. We spent the morning complaining about the thought that we might have to actually do a full motorcade for George W. Bush this morning because of the rain. When 0900 hrs. came and we still had't been told whether he was flying or motorcading we prepared to pissing off all the people going to work when we would shut down all the major intersection. I was sure glad when we finally go the call that he was in the air and we could 10-19 the building. While driving back to the building I was listening to the news on the radio and thought how petty my problem that morning had been compared to what many people in Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras were facing this morning.

[mena]

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dw...rvey.97e2f.html (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/040604dnbusfedsurvey.97e2f.html)

[lindac]

Midnightblue,

Wow! Thank you for your insightful reply--it really helped me see another slice of the pie. I think you and I work on the opposite sides of the spectrum. I get the "victim" when he/she is down and up against an emotional wall and they want something different and I am the options lady. My job is tell them about the options they have and some do listen and follow-up--that is my target audience. I have the luxury of being able to reach out and I refuse to feed into the victim mentality and treat people based on a 1st/2nd/3rd and even no class mentality. It seems you get the "victim" when he/she is painted into a legal corner and you must act based on legal codes you have no control over. The law is clear and you are sworn to uphold it.

I especially liked you taking the topic one step up to the administrative level (one I always elect to bypass or ignore). You are right. One of the biggest scandals here in San Antonio is with the HeadStart program. Roddy Stinson (a newspaper columnist) is one who has exposed how the executive director is getting paid 200k a year while the teachers and aides are struggling to survive on minimum wage and few benefits. When the director was confronted, it turns out she is head of some kind of natl assn for Headstart employees. Their agenda? To pass a law in Washington where the executive director's salary can remain a secret. They do not want the govt to question the salary level for the very people the govt is granting money to work with the poor children. And who is suffering? The kids!

(I wonder what it will take to get people involved in change....I wonder if Pancho Villa would have revolted if his sister hadn't been raped? Maybe the answer is in the movies. One of the most powerful Chicano films of the early '70's (?) called "Please don't bury me alive" rocked the community when it was filmed in San Antonio. This movie paralleled a young Chicano and a Rich white kid being charged for the same crime. The white guy gets off because of his father's money and the Chicano kid gets a long stay in jail and people were angry at the injustice of the system.)

Thanks, Mena and Midnightblue--I am also enjoying this discussion. :)

[mena]

I too, have enjoyed the healthy discussion. :)

[JorgedeTexas]

Well of course she sued the Insurance company, some insurance pay for accidents in mexico that are within 20 miles from the border. She was from the US.

[midnightblue]

Other horror stories about accidents - We always tell people to report the damage and photograph it. We blue form most of the accidents unless someone claims to be injured or either vehicle has to be towed.
We get people coming in for advice on accidents where they were rear ended and now they are being sued by the other person. The claim is that they back into the person that is suing them. By then its too late to help or make a report.

[HEBclient]

I just want to get back to the original question as to why so many banks here in Eagle Pass.

Approx.
20% of bank customers are from Eagle Pass
80% of bank customers are from Piedras Negras & surrounding cities

Mexico (Piedras Negras) clients do not trust their own banking system. It has failed them many times before. So they opt to place their money in the United States (Eagle Pass). Considering how Piedras Negras continues to grow. The need for more banks is a necessity.


The above statistics were given by a local bank president when he was being interviewed by a local tv station.

[mena]

Thanks for the info.

[AZURE]

this is a good discusion! I dont really know how to remedy the problem but i know what part of it is. Employers in eagle pass are always scared of hiring new people. A lot of people would rather get money from unemployment than from work. and there are tons of ways to TRY and outsmart the system. if People get unemployment most of the time the employers tax rate goes up. I know a few busineses in town that would like to hire more employees but its hard to find good people. they could waste time and money training them just for them to pull a 180 on them. so they dont. The good part is, if you find a job in eagle pass and your good at it, you becoe and asset. the mentality here needs to change. Work ethincs needs to go up. Maybey they shoudl teach that in school. Your boss is NOT your enemy

[phil66]

y so many banks in eaglepass? just say its laundrying,drugs and etc..eagle pass has alot of money ..where is it comming from? part of it drugs and somewhere else...1 of these days this town is gonan be broke lol..