Brain Drain Chronicles

Goodbye!

Well, this is the end of the road for this blog. I'm surprised it survived the initial cut of blogs, but I do appreciate the gesture. I wish I could have done more for this blog, but compared with the first version of it, I think I did alright. Some of my blogs were off-topic, some were decent, some were cookie-cutter like, but all were written from the top of my head and are how I feel. When I look back on this blog, I am pleased with what I wrote and the people I had the pleasure of coming into contact with - even if it was only through the internet. This blog was meant to be fun and engage people in conversation, but in no way could this blog be a place for employers to look for employees or be a blog like Brandi Grissom's, Gustavo Reveles' or any of the sports blogs - those are good blogs done by good journalists.

I do, however, regret that I wasn't able to give my all to this blog like I usually like to do, but getting two extra letters added on the end of my name (MD) is quite a challenge. I simply did not have the time I imagined I would, and for that, I'm sorry. I hope you all enjoyed my blog for what it was and for what it wasn't. I love El Paso and I cannot wait to go back, I hope I conveyed that feeling in my blog. Family,friends, good people and a city where I feel comfortable wherever I go, that’s my home - that's El Paso.

Sure things are far from perfect in a variety of ways, ranging from employment, mass transit, city and county politicians and Juarez's fight and America's drug use casting a dark shadow over El Paso hides the gem of a city that El Paso could be. Some have said that El Paso is simply an anomaly and will never rise again, maybe that is true but not everything is written in stone. Planning for projects that seem out of the question now but that can possibly be realized later (mass-transit, infrastructure, education, etc), curb spending over time, no more pay raises for elected officials who haven't done squat and maybe having the voting power and the will to elect politicians regardless of party affiliation who realize they are under the watchful eye of citizens - maybe then change will come. It’s hard to predict anything, especially when saying that a great city like ours will not rise again. Overnight success fades away fast, but when success comes from being prepared and demanding a higher level of excellence, change can endure. I have faith that El Paso can do it.

I had a good time writing this blog and am thankful for you even reading this. Thanks to all my friends who read this blog (UTMB, UT Houston and my Ysleta Indians), to Jay Koester for giving me this opportunity, Carlos for helping me out, to the readers that kept me on point (Hellraizer, El Chuco, Thats what she said, Shocked... But not in awe, wth) and thanks to my family for being my family.

My blog should be down by the end of the week, so if you don't get a chance to leave a comment or even if you do, I can be reached at marriaga3@gmail.com. They might bring this blog back, they might not, but either way, it was a pleasure.

See you in Houston, El Paso or somewhere in between,

Michael Arriaga

UTEP Grad '07

Ysleta High School'03

"Once an Indian, always an Indian"

Paying for this War Next Door

    Thankfully this week several senior US government officials led by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Attorney General Eric Holder paid a visit to Mexico. This meeting was  preceded by about eighteen months of over two thousand murders nationwide relating to the illegal drug trade in Mexico. In addition to these diplomatic ties being sewn, manpower and money are being funneled through US Congress and down to border states to help combat the violence. We who call the border home are not surprised to see drugs and violence grace the front pages of the national news outlets. There is something eerily familiar about reading about weekly seizures and arrests in our own local newspages, but now this multibillion dollar industry has been thrust into the spotlight once again. How about this time around, we bring some real soutions to the discussion table? There are so many considerations. The guns and arms that originate in the US and end up in the hands of the narcos, the security of our physical border, domestic drug policy, etc. What does the future hold? Where do our lawmakers and law enforcement begin?

    Forbes magazine recently listed Juan "El Chapo" Guzman, head of the Sinaloa cartel, on its list of the world's wealthiest individuals. Perhaps we should not glorify these criminals but rather bring them to justice. In Mexico, easier said then done. However President Felipe Calderon has done nothing short of bold in ordering federal troops to quell cities overcome with violence and fear. I am in favor of the Federales' presence in our sister city, although greater oversight is needed. Stories of military abuse are rising to the level of concern. Checkpoints and the like are tools and meant to establish security and safety not infringe on citizens' rights. Let's hope that both our nations can start with a clean slate in resolving this drug war, old strategies have failed and new ones must be open and comprehensive in scope.

National Stimulus: El Paso

What are your thoughts on the Obama Administration's stimulus plan and the effect it will have on  El Paso? Some of the articles that touch on these effects can be found here, on the right hand side of the page in 'Related' column.

I'm glad he's investing in infrastructure and creating some jobs in the process, but it seems short-sighted. Its just putting a bandage and hoping you won't bleed out until you actually solve the problem. I DO hope it works for the long term though.

The east side project does make sense and helps El Paso as it expands. Also, the $15M for the transit situation is a step in the right direction. 'Park and Rides' are attractive to people who don't want to have to pay for parking every day as they go to work or school. However, I wish that some plans for a rail system would be thought up. Beginning at Santa Fe near the Border Highway and finishing at UTEP would be nice for students, people that work in Downtown and for people that venture to Downtown everyday. I'm hoping, but not holding my breath for a rail.

Thoughts?

Down goes Goliath

Due to the failing economy, ASARCO has called off its efforts to reopen. This is great news - well kind of. Why? Well for one, at least now the city can stop wasting its taxpayers' money fighting this and get back to business - like the drug legalization debate. Just kidding about that last part, but seriously, this could be an opportunity El Paso could capitalize on now that ASARCO is out.

According to this report a while back in 2007 from UTEP's Institute for Policy and Economic Development, if ASARCO would have opened and employed the 291 individuals it had planned, "regional economic output would increase by $1.159 billion, 1,819 new jobs would be created, and 73 million dollars in new labor income would be generated."

So what are we losing out on in terms of higher paying job growth at expense for a cleaner city? The answer varies, of course, depending on which team of scientists you ask and if you take Mexico's unregulated plants and factories into account.

What is done is done, but now what do we with that land?

My question to you is, if you had a position of power in this city, what would you do with that land that is within reason and that this city can afford? I've heard plans of a Riverwalk, etc etc that would incorporate the Rio and Mexico, but I don't think that would fly right now considering the state Mexico is in right now.

Lets just hope something gets done, and this doesn't become another disaster like Ascarate.

Stigma associated with the violence in Mexico

Tests are over for this semester and now I’m back in El Paso to enjoy the Christmas break for a few weeks. I haven’t driven around to see what’s changed in the 4 months I’ve been away, but while I was delayed at the gate at Houston’s Hobby airport I was able to overhear some people’s conversations that were interesting.

A teenage girl who I assume was on her way to Baltimore asked her what the difference was between El Paso, Dallas and Houston (they were nearby gates). He basically said, Houston is where grandma lives and where he grew up, Dallas is where he went to school and started the family business, and El Paso – well that’s ‘so far west I think it doesn’t even matter for you to know about.’ Wow. A business lady, whose cell phone conversations were so loud and obnoxious for the whole time the flight was delayed, was just visiting El Paso but sure made it clear while on the phone that she’d never open a branch of her business (probably not an etiquette business) in El Paso because of the violence taking place so near by. Understandable, but I don’t think the violence will actually cross into our side of the Rio.

One attack on US grounds to a civilian or especially a government agent, would lead to aggressive maneuvering by the USA via trade and financial means (at first) that would hurt Mexico more than it would hurt us. Shut down the bridges both ways and see who flinches first. ElPaso is apparently tops in stashing the cartels weapons and money, but a lot of clean US business goes through those bridges, but by shutting down the bridges the cartels hurt since their money and weapons aren’t coming in. Plus, we know that when the cartels, hurt the Mexican government (can you tell the difference between the two?) hurts as well. These reasons, along with others, are why I believe the violence won’t directly come over to our side BUT I do see the negative stigma that comes along with the violence in Mexico. Over 1500 murders in one year in one city, that’s about half of the homicides in the entire United States annually!

Do you think the violence in Mexico dictates, or at least plays a significant role, in businesses not wanting to come to El Paso? What other impact does the violence in Juarez play on El Paso?

I know I haven't gone to visit any family members in Mexico in such a long time because I would rather not deal with it but I am more Mexican than gringo. American first, of course. Sometimes innocent people are killed in Mexico while just traveling through, like the child who was gunned down by those gangsters who wanted to rob his family when they were driving through. I don't think that makes me any less Mexican or more 'gringo' just because I value my life and of those around me over a great dinner or family visit. Its horrible what the violence in Mexico has done on both sides, but next year will be more of the same.

On another note, I rarely agree with the EP Times Editorial board, but wow, this editorial had me grinning from ear to ear and acting like those And1 fans after seeing a crazy dunk. Just kidding, but it did make my morning.

The World Awaits...

    President Elect Barack Obama's inbox is filling up quick with pressing matters that demand his most urgent attention. I HOPE he realizes that El Paso should be near the top of his agenda. Upon taking the Oath,the Sun City should be given fair consideration for the President's attention. The EP Borderplex features Fort Bliss (national security and defense), five international ports of entry (immigration and national security), a significant bi-national population (globalization), and is a gateway between North and South America and the Eastern and Western United States (trade and commerce). Well I'd say those are some pretty important issues for a new president to take on, and they all can be addressed in the 915 area code!

    I do not like the sight of a chain-linked, barb-wired, video-monitored, motion-detecting, automatic-weapon carrying border agent patrolled, militarized, type of border im my hometown. Where do we live? North Korea? No! Would President Elect Obama, a former Constitutional Law professor at the Univerersity of Chicago, care to explain to the citizens of El Paso how Secretary of Homeland Security Mike Chertoff was allowed to bypass over forty federal laws in order to construct the border wall. How will Prez Elect Obama frame his response in regards to human rights?

      The border wall as a national security defense is also part of a larger plan to combat the trafficking of Narcotics into the U.S. and to prevent the infiltration of the cartels into the communities across the border. Tight security and strict regulations await all crossers at the international bridges entering the U.S. So does Mr. Obama feel that this is the most effective way to keep terrorists out and drugs off the streets? How does he feel, as a former civil rights attorney, about the wall running through the farms, backyards, and private property of citizens? What about the amount of tax money being spent on incarcerating and housing the criminals convicted of only minor drug charges, not distributing or the intent to. Is it actually a good sign when the amount of seizures at the bridge go up? or does that only mean that the amount of drugs being smuggled has gone up? 

   There are many, many more questions that await President Elect Obama. Are we violating Pakistan's national sovreignty going after the Taliban? What about the prosecution of Somalese and Indonesian pirates in the Indian Ocean? or what about El Paso, Texas? Across from Juarez, Mexico the city is suffering the consequences of living side by side with a community run over by real terrorists, drug cartels whose corruption has permeated throught the streets and even into the ranks of the local law enforcement. Certainly, each day in this world brings its  complexities and challenges. Well, the World awaits Mr. President Elect, and so does El Paso.

Easier said than done

Well its been a while,but I do need to answer some reader suggestions for the blog. I'm at the start of a 3 week marathon of tests and finals that are given to us right before our Christmas break. Its like the 12 days of Christmas, but in a cruel and unusual way. All joking aside, El Chuco had asked me to answer some of my own questions and what I would do if and when I do return to El Paso. 

First off, to make changes and to talk about them are two different things; one a lot easier than the other. Its obvious El Paso needs to not only increase the number of jobs, but the skill level required for them. I have always been proud of the caliber of students UTEP and EPCC can produce, but I think its awful that with each graduating class that moves their tassels across their faces, that a vast majority of them will leave to find their dream job elsewhere. El Paso cannot became the Space City that Houston is, the Silicon Valley giant that the West coast is, but it does have areas that can be deemed as advantageous. BRAC is going to increase the size of Ft Bliss and El Paso, the med school and the children's hospital is a start to what could be the largest medical center on any border in the world. The tools are there, we just have to use them, but in order to use them we have to make use of what we have now in order to set a sturdy foundation for the future.

Bring jobs here by making businesses see that we have a combined workforce that is comprised of skilled and unskilled (not a fan of that word) workers. Dell has a plant in Round Rock, TX. Round Rock. Why not El Paso? Is there something going on with the powers that be of the city? Could it be the overzealous taxes imposed on businesses and homeowners alike that keep these companies away? Perhaps the debacle with Asarco is letting these big companies have reason to not want to come to El Paso. 300 skilled jobs are a few, but it could be the catalyst the city needs to let big business know we are indeed open and ripe for change. As a medical conscious person, I'm not too fond of Asarco, but like I had asked in the past, "Too what lengths do we go to make El Paso better?"

Since I brought up taxes, what is the city and county doing with them? 40% of the city's roads are in poor condition, Sun Metro's #61 bus can't seem to go a day without getting stuck somewhere on the border highway (past experiences) and loop 375 still isn't completely integrated with I-10. The capital to build and improve El Pass services seems to be there, but what is holding back the progress? I don't think you can blame straight-ticket voting for everything, but the people that keep on being elected and shuffled into other city power offices don't seem to be fighting for their constituents. Mayor Cook wants to fight Asarco using 1M dollars of the taxpayers' money, other city leaders also want to throw money and their time to fight the border wall. Let me make this clear, I'm not  fan of the fence or Asarco, but if your constituents are more worried about the economy and their safety then you have to voice their concerns. After all, thats what your in office for. Bill Richardson and the Arizona governor are now in the cabinet, they know of the struggles we have here on the border - they can help more than a letter or more wastes of taxpayer monies can. In the meantime El Paso politicians, your constituents need to have their needs met and you need to do your part of the job you were elected to.

By providing incentives to large companies that will provide jobs (skilled work is a must!) that the city needs (not just more shopping opportunities), maintaining and improving the city's infrastructure and mass transit system and investing in improving health care to the citizens of El Paso - we can be on our way. Think of how much money goes into fixing water and gas pipelines that are quite old and were never maintained. The hassle it causes motorists and especially business owners that have their businesses disrupted while these projects are slowly completed as funds dry up due to the complacency the city has to get things done. A small problem that was ignored many administrations ago, is now the thorn in our foot that hinders us from moving forward. Wouldn't a reliable mass transit with working buses be great? El Paso is going to get a lot bigger real soon, how will the city deal with the added strain?

We don't need more shopping centers, more telecommunication calling centers or more Chicos Tacos. UTEP is graduating very competent people that are trained in technology and computer systems, engineers, teachers, scientists and other future professionals that can't use their degrees in El Paso. I know it will take a while, but I believe it can be done over time and hopefully without raising taxes more than they already are. Improving infrastructure  so that when people do come back to the wonderful new jobs in El Paso will help ease the traffic congestion problems that will arise, lower the emissions impact on the environment (mass transit) and allow business to flow freely without delay. Health care providers already in love with Texas' tort reform policies will see El Paso as the border health research  utopia that is really is and will flock to the constantly growing medical center in hopes to increase their career stature.

Of course, this is easier said than done when all that we have experienced is tax and spend policies here in El Paso. None of these projects will ever leave the ground if something isn't done about the handling of taxpayer money. How can we change El Paso if we don't change the government that is responsible for El Pasoans equating change and progress with public corruption, arrogant commissioners, the PSB mess, etc etc? Change has to take place now, revise the city charter when the time comes in 2010. Make the voices of El Pasoans easier to hear by not making them jump through rings of red tape to recall the city politicians they thought were working FOR them and not taxing them out of their minds and wallets. City elections are coming up, vote for change and for El Paso's future based on the person and not on the last name or political party.

For the Better

For your consideration, what does a change in office, unpredictable markets at home and abroad, new technologies in energy, medicine, and so on mean for El Paso? Tomorrow isn't guaranteed today for anybody or anything and El Paso is in a position to take some major strides in advancing our City for the better amidst these uncertain times. Our community has bucked national economic trends again and again with the fierce flowing lifeline of our international bridges stacking up revenues for local outfits. We are the Pass, a thriving community that has served scores of travelers and passer-bys, military, immigrants, merchants, whomever and whenever since the presence of the natives in Ysleta and the Spanish. Our City is a beam of light that rises out of the sandy Chihuahuan desert brush. However I feel that our leaders of the recent past might not have shared the same grandiose visions for progress with our early City founders and subsequent first elected officials. If I were in a position to do so I would push hard for the City to consider being more open to Progressive and Modern projects and agendas. Like what you may ask? For instance, has the City had the opportunity to evaluate cost-cutting strategies by using cleaner alternative sources of power? What about the whole Smart Growth initiatives for developers? Did the City make an attempt to protect more arroyos (the ones left anyways) from being paved into neighborhoods? Been out to Far East El Paso lately? There are no tree-lined streets or medians, hardly a park in sight, and its not very pedestrian friendly. Come on El Paso, we deserve better and we can do better. Its up to the families and neighborhoods to rally to propel EP into the rest of the 21st century. We live in a global village nowadays where every person and country are at our fingertips. We live on the beating pulse of two countries and have access to so much. Let's throw open our doors and work hard to change our city for the better.

The Morning After

Now that the election is over, time for the finger pointing and grumbling to begin, but not here.

Although most of my picks had bad nights, it is time to get over it and move on. Some Texas seats changed into Democrat hands and Craddick's reign might be over soon, so it might be good that Moody won. Just like I wasn't convinced with Obama, I wasn't convinced with Moody, but he surprisingly won fair and square- thats commendable. Margo is most likely done with here in El Paso. If he couldn't win 2 well-funded and connected campaigns, especially this last one in the the GOP-majority district, he probably won't win anything here in El Paso. His political career is pretty much 6 feet under the political graveyard, right next to Dan Quayle and hopefully Palin.

A lot of my med school classmates are worried about socialized medicine, as they should be, but the majority are worried about the tax increase they'll face as physicians. I think that if one is able to fulfill one's dream via public funding (financial aid, grants, etc) then I don't think you can complain much about paying higher income tax. I'm not talking about the redistribution of wealth or taxing the 'successful', but I just think that everyone should pay the same amount of taxes percentage-wise. The Bush tax cuts don't do that and unfairly tax the lower tiers. For example, Warren Buffet complained that he paid a 17.7% tax rate on his $46 million of taxable income in 2006, while his employees paid an average 32.9% tax rate (his receptionist's tax rate was 30%). So as doctors, if we came up on the hard work of the lower income bracket's disproportionate tax, then its fair to expect to pay an equal income tax percentage-wise to give back.

ElChuco, you must be behind me as I type this because you read my blog before it came out.

Congratulations to those who won, and even if I didn't vote for you, you are my representative and now your work begins. Together we rise, Divided we fall.

Good luck.

Who I voted for

Even though I wasn't very enthusiastic about my vote not counting due to the electoral college shenanigan and the available Presidential candidates or their running mates (Palin was a no-no on the GOP side; Biden was the plus on the Demo side), I still voted because of the impact it could possibly have in local elections. Although I am registered in Harris County, these are the people for whom I would have voted for if I remained registered in El Paso County and chose to send in an absentee ballot that probably would not have been counted:

Obama/Biden
Not too fond of his health care vision as far as universal health care is concerned, or his iffy stance on the 2nd Amendment, but McCain's economic weakness worried me a bit more when combined with other factors. Palin is a negative because when I think about a Vice-President, I think of someone who can run the nation without much of a glitch when taking over for a fallen/incapacitated President - much like LBJ. If McCain had chosen Mike Huckabee, then the race would have been a totally different story and would have been a landslide in the opposite direction. I would have gone for McCain/Huckabee more than I would have gone for a Obama/Biden ticket since I believe that Huckabee is moderate and strong enough to not let his religious beliefs interfere with choosing appointments and Supreme Court Justices to maintain Roe v. Wade. In other terms, Huckabee would have been a stabilizing force in the White House instead of just kerosene to ignite the far-right Republican base. No one can doubt that McCain is a worthy candidate  and deserves to be in this race.

Rick Noriega
Cornyn severely, and maybe irreparably, damaged the Tigua Indian economy and a significant part of El Paso's economy when he led the charge to close down the sovereign nation's casino that aided Texas' educational system. Yes, it was against the Texas Constitution, but doesn't their sovereignty (per their agreement with the USA) count? Don't forget Abramoff. 
That combined with the fact he voted to keep the Bush tax cuts in place(along with agreeing to a large majority of Bush's policies) and voted in favor of the violation of one's civil rights makes me turn to Noriega. Though I don't like a lot of what Cornyn has done,he has done some good for El Paso and I am appreciative of what he did for Ft Bliss. Though he is just another Bush crony like Margo is, his allegiance isn't to El Paso like Margo's will be (he does like the posh job after all). Lets just hope that we are prepared for the cons (figuratively and literally) that MAY come with BRAC. Noriega, being a veteran himself, can hopefully do more to improve veterans' access to quality health care than Cornyn ever did without being another politician who just falls into order with the rest of his party.

Dee Margo
Yes his carpetbagger-like behavior is suspect, and yes he is a GOP stooge, but at this rate with Texas still GOP-owned and operated, why wouldn't we want a Republican who can get things done for El Paso? Whether things would be done for himself and his colleagues is another story, but at least things would be done for the betterment of El Paso. Going over to Austin and spitting in the faces of the people that run this state (Craddick, et. al) would just keep El Paso stuck in the mud. This choice is merely a utilitarian choice - the greatest good for the greatest number of people. In other words, he is the lesser of the two evils, and might actually do some good. I already wrote about Moody in previous posts and don't need to go there right now. Oh and as far as Bob Jones goes, BOTH candidates received funds from Jones - which politician you know turns down money? Look at Obama's and McCain's donation lists, the rule still applies : Money money money!

Remaining Races
-Wiles
-Carlos Garza
- Silvestre Reyes (might as well)
-Wallace B Jefferson

The EPT Editorial Board should learn to not get its talking points from FoxNews and/or from the bottom of the septic tank. At least put some thought into what you are supporting and support that decision!

I'm not saying I am right about who I voted for and that you all are wrong (if you disagree of course), but am merely stating who I voted for/would have voted for. There is no sense in being confidential about everything so that when all the dust is cleared I can say 'I told you so.' If I'm wrong, so be it, but at least you know where I stand and that I'm not afraid to say it. This is only meant to facilitate discussion.