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Link to February 2008 .pdf |
Newsletter / February 2008 |
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Borders and Steel
By Jim Stavis
One subject in this newsletter that we tend to steer clear of is politics. With the California primary election just completed, it might be a good time to discuss the candidates and their views—but then again, perhaps we are all tired of their rhetoric. One subject that has been thoroughly debated is illegal immigration and how to handle it. A few months ago Paragon Steel received a call from one of the companies contracted by Homeland Security to build the border fence between the United States and Mexico. Many people are in favor of the fence while others think it is a waste of money, but for Paragon, it represents newfound business. You would be right to assume that we are in favor of the new security effort.
The goal is to build a 15-foot high fence that would stretch along the 1,952-mile Mexico border to reduce the ease of illegal aliens entering into our country. Whether the fence will stem the flow of illegal immigration remains to be seen, but the project is an ambitious milestone in many ways. Once
limited mostly to cities, fencing along the border will now extend into rural areas,
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where much of the illegal immigration has shifted in recent years.
Paragon Steel was contacted by two different companies to provide fence materials cut to size and delivered to various points between California and Arizona. Much of the work was performed by the prison system and National Guard troops who were busy installing the fence along the border. In some spots the contractors were installing fences at a pace of about a half a mile a day. A line of towering steel now slices through the desert for miles and miles separating Arizona, California, New Mexico and soon Texas from our neighbors to the south. The Secure Fence Act, which President Bush signed into law over a year ago, called for 700 miles of new fencing. The administration set a goal of completing nearly 300 miles by the end of this year. The project got off to a slow start because of environmental assessments, land acquisition and design changes with the fence itself. But now the pace has picked up and Paragon Steel hopes to further participate in keeping our borders safe. |
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Wise Advice from Mom
A young woman went to her mother and told her about the problems she was having in her life. She didn’t know how she would survive all of the adversity that had been thrown at her. The mother took her into the kitchen and filled three pots with water. She boiled the water and placed objects into each pot. In the first pot she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs and in the third she placed ground coffee beans.
In about 20 minutes she turned off the burners and put the objects into separate bowls. Turning towards her daughter, she asked, “Tell me what you see?” “Carrots, eggs and coffee,” she replied. Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft.
The mother then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. She smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter asked, “What does it mean, mother?” The mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity:
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boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid inside, but after sitting in boiling water, the interior hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique as well. After they were in the boiling water, they changed the water.
“So which are you?” she asked her daughter. When adversity strikes, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean? A carrot seems strong, but with pain and adversity, will wilt and become soft and weak. An egg that starts with a malleable heart changes with the heat and becomes hardened and stiff. The outer shell may look the same, but the inside may be tough with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart. Or was she like the coffee bean? The bean actually changed the hot water. When the water got hot it released the fragrance and flavor of the bean. When things are at their worst, would she get better and change the world around her? May we all be coffee beans… |
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Quote of the Month
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| "If God had wanted us to vote, he would have given us candidates." |
| –Jay Leno |
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