Border lawmakers: Humanitarian aid just the start in fighting drug violence

Lawmakers from districts along the country’s southern border say America's recent push to increase developmental aid to Mexico is just the beginning of what’s needed to effectively thwart the country’s increasing levels of drug cartel violence. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton recently led a high-level delegation to Mexico in which she outlined a renewed push by the U.S. to bolster Mexico’s fight against the root causes of crime by backing more education, healthcare, and drug prevention programs. Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), whose district sits along the U.S.-Mexico border and who is on the Homeland Security Committee, said that Clinton’s announcement was a good start but that the U.S. should also look at providing young adults, who may be especially strapped for money as the economy continues to roil, with jobs. “I think we need it,” said Cuellar of humanitarian aid to Mexico in an interview. Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), whose district spans several hundred miles of the U.S.-Mexico border, also heralded the White House’s renewed push for civic aid to battle crime in Mexico, but said that more would be needed to fight the flow of guns from the U.S. over the border. “The training and refortifying the Mexican law enforcement effort helps, but also diverting some of that funding to healthcare and basic necessities along the border is also a very smart move,” he told The Hill. “Some have been saying that the [Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms] should get more resources to be able to carry out that fight against controlling the flow of guns from here to there, and I hope that’s part of that strategy,” he said...more

I really didn't want to post this, but everyone needs to know how the people who control our government think.

If this doesn't make you want to kick the bums out, then nothing will.