Thank you, Carlos

I think we Americans are pretty self-centered. We feel the recession is all about us, that we're the center of the universe, etc.

I met a smart guy named Carlos in Puerto Vallarta recently. He works at a car rental place and graciously drove me to the airport and enlightened me.

He let me know that the economy is bad everywhere, not just in the USA. He also let me know that one man did not create the problem nor can one man alone solve it. He told me that most Mexicans are happy that Prez Bush is out of office because that while he appeared to be a good person, he made many poor decisions.

I asked him about immigration. He said, "Mexicans don't all think the USA should open up the border for everyone. We just think that Mexicans living for years in the USA should be treated with respect." I was a little surprised. He added, "You know that Mexico has immigration problems with Central America. There are plenty of people fleeing there trying to cross the southern Mexico border. We understand what that's like."

I hated to admit it to Carlos, but I did not know that Mexico dealt with its own immigration issues at the southern border.

I'm just a self-centered American. Thanks for the reality check, Carlos.