> Not me, but I'm from South Carolina.  There are places in the South that
> look like they're straight out of a National Geographic special in some
> 3rd world country.  I'm not saying that everyone here is doing fine and
> dandy, but the American definition of poor is much different from that
> in a country like Mexico.  Immigrants are busting their asses and
> risking their lives for work a lot of us feel  is beneath us.

I don't disagree. Despite what some people think there are a lot of poor
people in the US. I've had family members that lived in hand made plank
shacks, had no water, no sewer, no electricity, no phone, etc.  I consider
that pretty poor. Maybe they are typically not as bad off as the poor in
other countries but they are still pretty screwed of ever having a way
out. Being smart won't help, working hard won't help.. pretty much the
only way out is crime or at least slight moral bending.

I have nothing against immigrants and think they work hard for what they
earn. Sometimes it isn't by choice though. Immigrants, especially illegal
immigrants, are often mistreated badly in this country.