Transcript
Antonio Salcido
Engineer, Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory
I am really appreciative to be here. I am an engineer and in the evenings,
I teach ESL and do other things with my community. I served on the Idaho
Committee on Hispanic Affairs for six years and this program is called
The Americans, Los Americanos. Y toda la gente que está aqui,
all of us here, are Americanos, my eyes may be different but
I was born in America. A little bit south, but in America, and it is time
to face reality. September 11th gave me a different perspective of the
whole works. There are people that have very different lifestyles and
abilities and opportunities to succeed in life, and many of them live
south of the border. That's why they come here, because they watch TV
and now they have the internet. They don't come here to achieve "The
American Dream"; they come here to better themselves and their families.
Why? We here are not going to fix the problem, it is our governments that
need to fix the problem. The reason why people come here is because if
I am in Mexico and I weld a piece of metal, I make only 50 cents an hour
and if I come to the States, I make $5.50 an hour. I come here legally
or illegally, because I need to survive. Your cost is my contribution.
I contribute; I pay taxes. I am an engineer, I was educated in Mexico,
I am contributing to the INEEL to the best of my abilities and I am high
in the ranks of INEEL.
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