Chris interview transcript

Audio interview

Audio file Christopher Ridgeway Interview.mp3 Speaker 1 = Max Ridgeway Speaker 2 = Christopher Ridgeway Transcript 00:00:02 Speaker 1 Testing, testing. 00:00:16 Speaker 1 You should be ready whenever you are. 00:00:21 Speaker 2 Can we introduce ourselves? 00:00:23 Speaker 1 Yeah, so first question just. 00:00:26 Speaker 1 I'm going to explain that I'm Max Ridgeway. 00:00:28 Speaker 1 I'm in a group with Zainab and Justine. 00:00:33 Speaker 1 We are doing an exploration into all the topics we've learned in this class during borders and migration. 00:00:43 Speaker 1 So with me, I have my dad. 00:00:46 Speaker 1 Who is a? 00:00:48 Speaker 1 Immigrant from London and I'll let him introduce himself. 00:00:53 Speaker 2 Hi my name is Christopher Ridgeway. 00:00:56 Speaker 2 And I was born in London in 1964. 00:01:01 Speaker 2 And at the privilege of growing up in Ireland, as my parents were Irish. 00:01:07 Speaker 2 I did my schooling in Ireland before. 00:01:11 Speaker 2 Leaving Ireland and moving on to different countries. 00:01:16 Speaker 1 Right, so talk more about what that actually what that journey was too. 00:01:23 Speaker 1 Get to this point where you're now in Salt Lake City, UT. 00:01:26 Speaker 1 'cause obviously that's a long ways away from Ireland. 00:01:29 Speaker 2 OK, so that might take a bit of time, but here we go. 00:01:32 Speaker 2 The short version I left school in Ireland and. 00:01:37 Speaker 2 The unemployment rate in Ireland at the time when I left school was 20%, so there for job opportunities and. 00:01:45 Speaker 2 Weren't available, they just weren't there, so I left Ireland when I was. 00:01:51 Speaker 2 18 and 00:01:54 Speaker 2 Went to London and got involved in. 00:01:58 Speaker 2 A business in London and I was fortunate enough to get involved in a financial business. 00:02:05 Speaker 2 Trading in London, a trading job and the company I worked for there had. 00:02:12 Speaker 2 Offices all over the world. 00:02:14 Speaker 2 And after spending a couple of years in London from 82 to 1984. 00:02:21 Speaker 2 After working there for two years, I had the opportunity to travel the world. 00:02:26 Speaker 2 And then left and went over to Germany and worked there from 1984 to 1986. 00:02:33 Speaker 2 And these were just short term jobs with the mindset of traveling back to London at some point and making my home there. However in 1987. 00:02:46 Speaker 2 A job opportunity came up in America and I thought I'd come to the states for a couple of years before returning back to London. 00:02:55 Speaker 2 And making you know, spending the rest of my life there with my career. 00:03:00 Speaker 2 So I arrived in New York in 1987 of the summer of 1987. 00:03:08 Speaker 2 Transferred through a business with a work visa. 00:03:12 Speaker 2 That let me enter the United States legally and work in the United States legally. 00:03:18 Speaker 2 And and got the opportunity to work on Wall Street for a couple of years. 00:03:23 Speaker 2 That opportunity turned into a longer term. 00:03:26 Speaker 2 Uh, my job and I ended up staying in New York a little longer than anticipated. 00:03:32 Speaker 2 I was there for 20. 00:03:34 Speaker 2 Best part of 20 years over 20 years. 00:03:38 Speaker 2 And then that's how I ended up in the states. 00:03:41 Speaker 1 Right so. 00:03:45 Speaker 1 Coming to New York, obviously the the job was a big reason for staying. 00:03:52 Speaker 1 But going along with that, I wanted to talk. 00:03:54 Speaker 1 About how you had a. 00:03:57 Speaker 1 Designated pathway of. 00:04:00 Speaker 1 Quote unquote legal internship into the United States and. 00:04:08 Speaker 1 How that differs from our partners that we've been talking to in Greece where they're refugees and it's completely different process of coming into a foreign country that is. 00:04:19 Speaker 1 Not their own. 00:04:20 Speaker 2 Right, so so for me being fortunate enough to come over on a work visa. 00:04:28 Speaker 2 That allowed me to to obviously enter the country legally. 00:04:33 Speaker 2 Work here legally. 00:04:34 Speaker 2 I pay taxes here. 00:04:35 Speaker 2 I was able to travel back and forth. 00:04:39 Speaker 2 And I guess there was no hurdles for me because the culture coming from a western environment. 00:04:45 Speaker 2 The the values are the same, the language is the same. 00:04:50 Speaker 2 There was very few barriers that I had to jump through. 00:04:55 Speaker 2 You know the biggest thing for me was obviously, you know, I was young. 00:04:59 Speaker 2 Yeah, so you know I was early 20s. 00:05:04 Speaker 2 Just being away from my family was the only hurdle for me, but that was a choice for me that I made through because of an economic reason why I want to move ahead with my job and it was a good career move. 00:05:17 Speaker 2 So no, it wasn't. 00:05:18 Speaker 2 I wasn't fleeing a war zone, I wasn't, you know, I wasn't doing anything like that and I didn't have to. 00:05:26 Speaker 2 You know I came by plane and and you know it was a pretty easy transition for me and I could travel back and forth whenever I needed to. 00:05:34 Speaker 2 The reason I ended up staying was the job was so good and. 00:05:39 Speaker 2 And you know, I made some great connections here, great friends, and I I met my wife here and. 00:05:46 Speaker 2 We could talk a little bit about that because my wife when I met her was an illegal immigrant. 00:05:52 Speaker 2 She'd immigrated from Ireland. 00:05:55 Speaker 2 To the United States 4. 00:05:57 Speaker 2 She came from Northern Ireland and that was a bit of. 00:05:59 Speaker 2 A war torn. 00:06:00 Speaker 2 Uhm country at the time when she was growing up there in the mid 60s and early 70s. 00:06:07 Speaker 1 Coming specifically from Belfast. 00:06:08 Speaker 2 Yeah, so she came from West Belfast and it was. 00:06:13 Speaker 2 Bit of a war zone there. 00:06:15 Speaker 2 Soldiers on the streets and such. 00:06:17 Speaker 2 And segregation was a big deal between Protestants and Catholics and she came from the wrong side of the fence is so, so to speak. 00:06:26 Speaker 2 So she came to the states for a very different reason. 00:06:30 Speaker 2 She came because of 1 an economic reason because. 00:06:33 Speaker 2 Of job opportunities and two because of the the war, the war that was going on in in her country. 00:06:41 Speaker 2 So I actually met her in in New York and. 00:06:47 Speaker 2 We ended up getting engaged and got married, but we had to get married in New York because we couldn't travel back to Ireland or England because she was an illegal immigrant at the time. 00:06:59 Speaker 2 So, but by marrying me. 00:07:04 Speaker 2 I was at that particular time already, then had a green car. 00:07:08 Speaker 2 Part which the which again my company had processed for me, which took about three years. 00:07:14 Speaker 2 So by marrying me that gave her legal status in in the in the States and from there we progressed to get our citizenship, that that probably took about a five year process in getting that as well. 00:07:28 Speaker 2 So that was a big reason why I ended up staying in America. 00:07:33 Speaker 1 All right, so going off of that. 00:07:37 Speaker 1 Did you two talk about the differences in your situation? 00:07:42 Speaker 1 Obviously coming from. 00:07:44 Speaker 1 Around the same area but coming in very very different situations. 00:07:49 Speaker 1 You coming with a job locked down a place to live a. 00:07:56 Speaker 1 Economic Community to thrive in. 00:07:59 Speaker 1 Whereas she. 00:08:01 Speaker 1 Did have family here. 00:08:02 Speaker 1 I know that but was coming into a foreign country and doing it illegally. 00:08:10 Speaker 2 Yeah, so you know when when my wife came here, I mean, you know you again. 00:08:15 Speaker 2 A little different. 00:08:16 Speaker 2 She was fortunate enough to have some family living here, American cousins, and so she was able to. 00:08:25 Speaker 2 Come to them and they were able to help her house her. 00:08:29 Speaker 2 Show the lay of the land, so to speak. 00:08:33 Speaker 2 And within the Irish community in New York, just like any other community, I'd imagine that you know the. 00:08:41 Speaker 2 The people that immigrate tend to flock to those communities and they, you know, there's a vast bond there to help each other out. 00:08:49 Speaker 2 You know, so they were able to point her in the right direction to look for a job that someone would employ. 00:08:54 Speaker 2 Someone that wasn't illegal. 00:08:56 Speaker 2 It wasn't legal at the time, and you know she was able to forge. 00:09:01 Speaker 2 Life from there, but again, a little little easier for us because one we spoke the language and we come from basically the same culture. 00:09:11 Speaker 2 A very democratic. 00:09:13 Speaker 2 Country Western countries so. 00:09:16 Speaker 2 You know, I think with the help of the communities, you know whether you're Hispanic or African or Syrian or Middle Eastern or or, you know, if you come from Europe that if you're coming here illegally or you know you, you probably will end up in one of those communities to try and find your way. 00:09:38 Speaker 1 Right so. 00:09:41 Speaker 1 Going off of that. 00:09:44 Speaker 1 How do you feel about? 00:09:45 Speaker 1 The current climate of. 00:09:47 Speaker 1 Immigration into this country specifically in. 00:09:51 Speaker 1 The policing of it or the. 00:09:56 Speaker 1 Amount of support that immigrants have in coming to this country. 00:10:00 Speaker 2 And so that's a big issue for me personally. 00:10:04 Speaker 2 You know, I came here legally, was able to obtain a green card legally became a U.S. citizen with something I'm very proud of. I I take all of these things, not for granted. 00:10:16 Speaker 2 It was a long Rd. 00:10:17 Speaker 2 May to get there, but relatively easy compared to what you know. 00:10:22 Speaker 2 People are crossing the southern border, so to speak so. 00:10:26 Speaker 2 In regards to immigration into America or America in, you know, and I have a lot of American friends now and and you know, my kids are born here, so they're American. 00:10:39 Speaker 2 The immigration is a big deal for me and and I feel that the states you know the country is built on immigrants. 00:10:47 Speaker 2 Every all Americans always. 00:10:50 Speaker 2 Tell you that they're Irish American. You know they're you know they're always from somewhere else. It's because it's a young country. It's only a couple hundred 250 years old. 00:10:59 Speaker 2 And it's been built on immigration, nothing. 00:11:04 Speaker 2 The Americanism wouldn't be where it is without immigration. 00:11:08 Speaker 2 So what's currently going on is, to me, is. 00:11:12 Speaker 2 And what's been going on for the last 20 plus years? 00:11:16 Speaker 2 Is heart wrenching to see what's going on? 00:11:18 Speaker 2 I mean in my view? 00:11:21 Speaker 2 Uhm, nobody chooses to immigrate to a country. 00:11:26 Speaker 2 Because they want to leave their own country, they only come. 00:11:31 Speaker 2 Because there's either some kind of situation back in their own place of birth where they're struggling, whether it be a war or economic reasons. 00:11:42 Speaker 2 You know this is that's the only reason why people leave the. 00:11:45 Speaker 2 You know they're leaving their culture. 00:11:47 Speaker 2 They're leaving their home country. 00:11:48 Speaker 2 They're leaving their families. 00:11:52 Speaker 2 You know they're coming here for a better life and and. 00:11:56 Speaker 2 You know there has to be a better system than what's currently in place. 00:12:00 Speaker 2 I I do believe you can't have open borders. 00:12:03 Speaker 2 I don't think you know, you just can't have everybody in anyone coming in, but the process has got to be a little bit easier than what's currently in place. 00:12:11 Right? 00:12:13 Speaker 1 Going off of what you said, we mentioned that in the first day of class. 00:12:18 Speaker 1 US opening up with that question of if immigration is a. 00:12:26 Speaker 1 Quote unquote choice. 00:12:30 Speaker 1 I couldn't agree with you more. 00:12:31 Speaker 1 I don't think that. 00:12:33 Speaker 1 Anyone would choose to leave? 00:12:36 Speaker 1 Their family, their extended family, their culture, their native tongue behind. 00:12:42 Speaker 1 I think that. 00:12:46 Speaker 1 Again, coming from Europe, specifically the western side of Europe, that was England and Ireland. 00:12:55 Speaker 1 There's a big advantage there in speaking the same language and coming from the same democratic backgrounds from the same economic sort of background. 00:13:07 Speaker 1 Sort of the same. 00:13:09 Speaker 1 System just across the pond, whereas some of our partners that we've talked to in Greece. 00:13:20 Speaker 1 Three of them are from Syria, two of them. 00:13:25 Speaker 1 Uh, natively from Syria and only spoke the language there until coming degrees, wherein they had to. 00:13:35 Speaker 1 Completely adjust not only for themselves, but for their families sake that if you can't speak. 00:13:44 Speaker 1 The language of that country you're going to. 00:13:49 Speaker 1 Your job opportunities and your way of life are highly, highly, highly limited, but that support is not really there that you can't learn a language in the matter of a couple months of just trying to settle in. 00:14:06 Speaker 1 So it's a massive roadblock. 00:14:09 Speaker 1 Just trying to survive but also trying to. 00:14:14 Speaker 1 Better your way of living through. 00:14:17 Speaker 1 Learning this new sort of culture and learning this new way of living but. 00:14:24 Speaker 1 I think language is an interesting thing to bring up here. 00:14:29 Speaker 1 Because America, in my opinion, doesn't have a native language like you mentioned, it's built off a sea of immigrants that we are only a couple 100 years old and. 00:14:47 Speaker 1 It is the languages of. 00:14:50 Speaker 1 The Polish settlers that came here from the Irish settlers. 00:14:53 Speaker 1 I came here from the English settlers came here. 00:14:56 Speaker 1 The Spanish settlers that came here and the native people of these lands that we unfortunately stole from so that. 00:15:07 Speaker 1 Question of. 00:15:10 Speaker 1 What is American culture or what is American language? 00:15:13 Speaker 1 I want to turn that on to you. 00:15:16 Speaker 1 What do you think? 00:15:17 Speaker 1 American culture or a language could be defined as? 00:15:22 Speaker 2 Well, I I think that America is still. 00:15:26 Speaker 2 Opportunity for a lot of people that don't have opportunity from wherever they're coming from. 00:15:33 Speaker 2 Necessarily, like you know you're coming from Honduras or El Salvador or Southern America somewhere. 00:15:39 Speaker 2 You know you're if you're coming with a young family. 00:15:43 Speaker 2 Invariably I mean. 00:15:47 Speaker 2 The mom and dads, so to speak. 00:15:49 Speaker 2 Their life. 00:15:49 Speaker 2 You know they're going to work hard, right? 00:15:51 Speaker 2 They're going to be working minimal jobs for minimal money because of barriers like language or or education that they don't have, and they're going to be doing jobs that Americans in honestly just won't do. 00:16:04 Speaker 2 So you know, they're going to. 00:16:05 Speaker 2 They're going to struggle, and you know you're going. 00:16:07 Speaker 2 They're going to be living in tight quarters and places like New York, or, you know, highly dense, highly densely populated cities and. 00:16:17 Speaker 2 Or you know out in the farms, picking up all the picking all the fruits and vegetables so you know for them it's hard work. 00:16:24 Speaker 2 It's backbreaking work, it's you know. 00:16:28 Speaker 2 But they're doing it not necessarily for themselves. 00:16:31 Speaker 2 You know they're doing it for a better life for their children, and you know. 00:16:35 Speaker 2 And that's forward thinking, so you know, I, I think first generation immigrants. 00:16:41 Speaker 2 Are are struggling and. 00:16:45 Speaker 2 But they're doing it for their for their kids to have a better future there. 00:16:50 Speaker 2 The one thing that I'd like to touch on is is the fact that when these, whenever, when all of us came here, I mean, you know, if you're if you're coming to America illegally. 00:17:01 Speaker 2 Uhm, it is essentially A1 way ticket. 00:17:05 Speaker 2 Because you can't leave because if if you, if you do arrive on these shores and you and you bend yourself into a community. 00:17:12 Speaker 2 If you risked leaving going back to your home country, the chance. 00:17:15 Speaker 2 Of you getting back. 00:17:16 Speaker 2 In, you know you're playing with fire again, and you may not be able to enter the country. 00:17:21 Speaker 2 Again, so, and it's something that people don't probably take into account, but when when they do. 00:17:30 Speaker 2 Immigrate into a faraway land. 00:17:34 Speaker 2 You know you're probably a a younger young adult. 00:17:40 Speaker 2 But as you get older and and I would speak of experience, here is when you get older. 00:17:47 Speaker 2 You know you you spent the best part of 30 odd years in a foreign country. 00:17:52 Speaker 2 And that you've adapted to your own country now and it's your home. 00:17:55 Speaker 2 But you've left all your family behind and you know your parents are getting older. 00:18:00 Speaker 2 And then they may live thousands of miles away and and you know, they're young and healthy when you leave. 00:18:06 Speaker 2 But 30 years later, it's not not so easy and they need care and they need help in back. 00:18:12 Speaker 2 In their home country and you know, none of us think about that when we immigrate. 00:18:16 Speaker 2 Where do you immigrate legally or illegally? 00:18:20 Speaker 2 But if you're legal, it's very difficult, because now you can't go back to help those. 00:18:25 Speaker 2 You know that are in need, whether that be a grandparent or a mother or a father or or any family member, so you know. 00:18:33 Speaker 2 And none of us take that into account when we leave, so. 00:18:35 Speaker 1 Right, and I think I've. 00:18:40 Speaker 1 Having those ties outside of America are almost frowned down upon in and of itself as well because. 00:18:49 Speaker 1 A lot of Americans think that you have to be. 00:18:53 Speaker 1 Pure blooded American that you have to just love it here. 00:18:56 Speaker 1 No matter what you have to be nationalistic. 00:18:59 Speaker 1 Aye, and a great example for me is the. 00:19:05 Speaker 1 Sort of looking down upon having. 00:19:08 Speaker 1 Multiple nationalities or ties to national passports where? 00:19:15 Speaker 1 Because of your heritage, I technically could. 00:19:21 Speaker 1 Get an English passport and an Irish passport, a euro passport I however. 00:19:24 Speaker 2 A euro passport. 00:19:29 Speaker 1 Doing so would. 00:19:33 Speaker 1 Make some portion of the country question why I was doing that in the 1st place question. 00:19:42 Speaker 1 Well do you not like it here? 00:19:44 Speaker 1 Do you not appreciate everything that America has to offer? 00:19:48 Speaker 1 And I think that in and of itself is missing the point, because again. 00:19:53 Speaker 1 Going back to what? 00:19:57 Speaker 1 This country was built on its the fact that we are all immigrants on borrowed land, so trying to keep those connections and keep. 00:20:09 Speaker 1 That culture or familial bond alive while being in a country that so often. 00:20:22 Speaker 1 Kind of bleeds everything together is a very, very difficult process, especially because especially for people. 00:20:31 Speaker 1 Who are in that boat of quote unquote illegal immigrants because they have? 00:20:37 Speaker 1 That shackle to them that they have to stay in the country. 00:20:41 Speaker 1 Because if they don't and they risk going out and then trying to come back in, it's like rolling the dice and then. 00:20:50 Speaker 2 Yeah, I think. 00:20:50 Speaker 1 You'd be estranged from your. 00:20:53 Speaker 1 Primary family if you were to be not let back in. 00:20:57 Speaker 2 Right, but you you're touching on stuff now that, like you know, I think to be an American citizen for me. I'm I'm extremely proud to hold a US passport. I'm extremely proud. 00:21:07 Speaker 2 To say I'm American now. 00:21:10 Speaker 2 But that doesn't mean I have to. 00:21:11 Speaker 2 Give up the culture of where I'm from, right? 00:21:15 Speaker 2 So and I think the more culture you have and the bigger. 00:21:20 Speaker 2 Who the better? 00:21:22 Speaker 2 You better the places will be, you know America should be and and all accepting it always has been and and you know it's it's a great place. 00:21:35 Speaker 2 You know the streets would pay for gold, right? 00:21:37 Speaker 2 I mean, that's that's what it was like when I first came here. 00:21:40 Speaker 2 And and but culture is a huge thing, and it's something that you know America doesn't have a great long history. 00:21:50 Speaker 2 You know it does have history of immigrants and it's it's what this place is built on and and I don't. 00:21:56 Speaker 2 I think it's now reminded to think that the country could survive without them to be to be fair. 00:22:02 Speaker 1 So coming off of something you said there. 00:22:06 Speaker 1 I would personally. 00:22:14 Speaker 1 I don't know if I would say I'm proud to hold an American passport solely at this particular moment because of certain gripes I have with. 00:22:26 Speaker 1 The economic system and the political system, but. 00:22:30 Speaker 1 Going back to you. 00:22:30 Speaker 2 That that's that. 00:22:31 Speaker 2 That's why there's a democratic system, so you can true you get to vote, you get to change that, you know, and that's why everybody got to show up. 00:22:38 Speaker 1 But again, this is not. 00:22:42 Speaker 1 What I'm trying to say, I just want to turn a question back to you that you mentioned when you came here, which was 87. 00:22:51 Speaker 1 The streets were paved with gold. 00:22:53 Speaker 1 Do you think they would still be considered that for anyone coming here today? 00:22:58 Speaker 1 Or do you think we've transgressed past the point where it's more difficult now? 00:23:02 Speaker 2 No, because it depends. 00:23:03 Speaker 2 It depends on what you're coming from, right? 00:23:05 Speaker 2 If you're coming from. 00:23:09 Speaker 2 Say a war torn zone like like what was going on in the Middle East. 00:23:13 Speaker 2 You know recently where you had a million people on the move. 00:23:16 Speaker 2 Biggest largest move of people since World War Two. 00:23:20 Speaker 1 Are you talking about the move? 00:23:25 Speaker 1 From Syria and everything there. 00:23:28 Speaker 2 Right, so when they were moving across waves of people were at work and they weren't, they weren't leaving out a choice. 00:23:35 Speaker 2 They were leaving because they're the bombs were falling down and it. 00:23:38 Speaker 2 Over there cities and towns and they they they wanted to move to a safer area right? 00:23:43 Speaker 2 Which means they were moving to different countries, right? 00:23:48 Speaker 2 So would the streets pay for gold for them? 00:23:51 Speaker 2 Because when I say that I'm not talking necessarily monitoring. 00:23:55 Speaker 2 Value, but it's about a better life. 00:23:59 Speaker 2 That's the only reason people immigrate. 00:24:02 Speaker 2 They're looking for a better life, a safer life, a better life. 00:24:07 Speaker 2 That's that's the only reason I don't see any reason if. 00:24:12 Speaker 2 If it was 80 and sunny wherever you lived. 00:24:15 Speaker 2 And you know everything was fine and you had a family and you had a good job and there. 00:24:21 Speaker 2 Well, then there's no need to immigrate right? 00:24:23 Speaker 2 Because everything is cool. 00:24:24 Speaker 2 As long as you're living in a stable environment, right? 00:24:28 Speaker 2 And you can make a living and you've. 00:24:29 Speaker 2 Got your family? 00:24:30 Speaker 2 People are only fleeing places like El Salvador or Honduras. 00:24:35 Speaker 2 They're they're leaving. 00:24:38 Speaker 2 Because they're it's not safe or there's. 00:24:41 Speaker 2 No economic opportunity, and they're trying to make them a better life. 00:24:46 Speaker 2 That's all there. 00:24:47 Speaker 2 It doesn't make them bad people. 00:24:49 Speaker 2 It doesn't make them. 00:24:50 Speaker 1 No, and I couldn't agree more I think. 00:24:51 Speaker 2 Like I think, but the process has to be better run. 00:24:55 Speaker 1 Yeah I agree is that. 00:24:58 Speaker 1 That's again coming back to the question of if immigration is a choice and it's not. 00:25:03 Speaker 2 Well, it's our choice. 00:25:04 Speaker 1 It's heavily, heavily heavily influenced by. 00:25:06 Speaker 2 And if you want to stop immigrant if you want to stop illegal immigrants coming. 00:25:07 Speaker 1 Outside world factors. 00:25:10 Speaker 2 To the states. 00:25:12 Speaker 2 Maybe I don't have the answers 'cause I don't work at the State Department or anything, but but maybe. 00:25:20 Speaker 2 Offering economic aid into places that. 00:25:24 Speaker 2 Have mass migration out. 00:25:26 Speaker 2 Right, maybe you know dropping a lot of money into these countries as long as it's used the right way by offering jobs and opportunity. 00:25:35 Speaker 2 That people then will not leave if that's what you're worried about. 00:25:39 Speaker 2 People crossing your borders illegally and and coming in waves where you know you're worried about it. 00:25:47 Speaker 2 You know, so maybe the governments need to do a better job of doing that and helping other countries economically. 00:25:48 Speaker 1 Right and. 00:25:55 Speaker 1 Right, and I think. 00:25:58 Speaker 1 We talked about we talked about in that. 00:25:59 It it's. 00:26:02 Speaker 1 Illusion of or metaphor of the streets being paved with gold. 00:26:08 Speaker 1 I think making. 00:26:08 Speaker 2 I probably would not have come to America. 00:26:12 Speaker 2 Right, I probably wouldn't have left Ireland 'cause I love Ireland. 00:26:15 Speaker 2 If when I left school I had a good job making good money. 00:26:22 Speaker 2 I probably would never have left that country. 00:26:23 Speaker 1 No, I agree, and I think I think that what you touched on was that necessity to leave that. 00:26:32 Speaker 1 The sun is brighter on in this other country because there's not these other conflicts that are a direct threat to your living and your life in general, but what? 00:26:47 Speaker 2 It's not easy to immigrate. 00:26:48 Speaker 2 It's very difficult. 00:26:49 Speaker 1 And that's what I wanted to touch on was. 00:26:51 Speaker 1 Do you think there is enough? 00:26:55 Speaker 1 Ample opportunity that someone who. 00:26:58 Speaker 1 Plays by the book and does everything right. 00:27:02 Speaker 1 Will succeed here. 00:27:06 Speaker 2 Again, it succeeded in, you know your definition of succeeding right. 00:27:12 Speaker 2 Being a college student might be different to somebody elses definition of succeeding when they're fleeing a war torn zone, their their their success is being able to. 00:27:23 Speaker 2 Get up in the morning and knowing that they're going to go to bed that night or getting up in the morning and knowing that they're not going to be hungry that night, that could be success. 00:27:27 Speaker 1 So can. 00:27:30 Speaker 1 So contextual, I'll contextualize the success in the form of. 00:27:37 Speaker 1 Economic stability. 00:27:40 Speaker 1 And safety for their family. 00:27:41 Speaker 2 Yes, absolutely. 00:27:42 Speaker 1 You still think so. 00:27:43 Speaker 2 I I do, yeah, and I think because they're going they're coming here. 00:27:45 Speaker 1 OK. 00:27:48 Speaker 2 If they're fortunate enough to make it here to get here. 00:27:53 Speaker 2 Uhm, that they would generally would would migrate into a community from where they feel like if you're coming from so you know, go back to Honduras or. 00:28:03 Speaker 2 El Salvador 00:28:04 Speaker 2 If you're coming from those two countries that you'd probably end up in a place where they have an El Salvador Community Islanders coming from Ireland or London I found an Irish community. 00:28:13 Speaker 2 In New York, and that's where I just. 00:28:16 Speaker 2 No, I graduated so that was like where I would go, right? 00:28:20 Speaker 2 Same culture, same language, same people, you know. 00:28:23 Speaker 2 Same background so you know it's within those communities. 00:28:27 Speaker 2 Then they build a bond. 00:28:27 Speaker 2 They build a community, they have to certain their own schools, and you know certain cultures, same foods. 00:28:34 Speaker 2 And and they could talk about what's going on back at home and then. 00:28:38 Speaker 2 So yeah, I think they are safer here. 00:28:40 Speaker 2 Definitely because. 00:28:42 Speaker 2 You know you haven't got soldiers on the streets here, you know, like Americans don't know what that feels like. 00:28:49 Speaker 2 You know, there's there's plenty of food here. 00:28:52 Speaker 2 There's plenty of work here. 00:28:54 Speaker 2 Right, they might not be old. Making 25 bucks an hour or that, but you know they. It's they can make away. 00:29:01 Speaker 2 They find a way. 00:29:02 Speaker 2 They work hard, they make away, and they're doing it for their kids. 00:29:07 Speaker 2 I believe that if they have a family, if they're doing it, if they're coming by themselves, obviously to do. 00:29:10 Speaker 2 It by themselves so. 00:29:15 Speaker 1 $25.00 an hour. Obviously that's a random number thrown out there, but do you think that? 00:29:22 Speaker 1 These jobs should be. 00:29:27 Speaker 1 Paying more in general to uphold a better standard of living, because even if. 00:29:34 Speaker 1 It's better than a war torn country relative, so to the American that is born here, raised here from a middle class white family. 00:29:45 Speaker 1 To think that's a significant difference where it's. 00:29:52 Speaker 1 Our government I. 00:29:56 Speaker 2 But now you're talking immigration. 00:29:57 Speaker 1 Purpose purpose to support them. 00:29:59 Speaker 2 You're talking immigration policy right now. 00:30:01 Speaker 2 You're talking about immigration policy. 00:30:02 Speaker 1 That's true, but I do want to talk about immigration policy and your view on it. 00:30:05 Speaker 2 Our guidance well. 00:30:08 Speaker 2 So immigration policy has to be directed by the government and that's who you are fortunate enough to vote in. 00:30:14 Speaker 2 So you vote you should. 00:30:16 Speaker 2 This is why everybody should vote, because then you should be voting your values. 00:30:20 Speaker 2 Right? 00:30:21 Speaker 2 And and in regards to whether an American. 00:30:25 Speaker 2 Government should support immigrants at some level. 00:30:30 Speaker 2 That's hard to say. 00:30:33 Speaker 2 I I I don't know that's not a question for me. 00:30:36 Speaker 2 I I I I really don't know the answer to that. 00:30:39 Speaker 1 That's fair enough to say. 00:30:42 Speaker 1 I don't think. 00:30:43 Speaker 2 Because there's plenty of Americans, but there's there's plenty of American citizens out there that could do with support of a government as well. 00:30:44 Speaker 1 Either of us have the answers yet. 00:30:51 Speaker 2 That's just a. 00:30:52 Speaker 2 That's a. 00:30:53 Speaker 1 Just a different. 00:30:53 Speaker 2 That's a government policy. 00:30:54 Speaker 2 Where do you go from a socialistic society into to you know more. 00:31:00 Speaker 2 A capitalistic. 00:31:01 Speaker 2 Yeah, yeah, so to speak so, but you know there's. 00:31:07 Speaker 2 Say recently. 00:31:09 Speaker 2 So there's a difference between immigrants and refugees, right? 00:31:13 Speaker 2 So like massive difference there so you know. 00:31:16 Speaker 2 But this is about immigration, so you know refugees. 00:31:19 Speaker 2 Yes, they definitely need help. 00:31:21 Speaker 2 They should be supported or whatever depending on their environment. 00:31:25 Speaker 2 Like if they're coming from Afghanistan, sure. 00:31:28 Speaker 2 But immigration, that's that's something different and and how you come here is, is differently, right? 00:31:35 Speaker 2 And would you come legally or illegally? 00:31:37 Speaker 1 Well and so. 00:31:41 Speaker 1 Let's shift the conversation towards that where. 00:31:45 Speaker 1 There is legally. 00:31:48 Speaker 1 A difference between an immigrant and a refugee. 00:31:51 Speaker 2 Right? 00:31:52 Speaker 1 But do we think that there is a Gray area where if no immigration is a choice, that. 00:32:01 Speaker 1 In part if. 00:32:03 Speaker 1 People are being supported because of. 00:32:07 Speaker 1 These other factors, political belief, religious belief, ethnicity, race, war that have. 00:32:16 Speaker 1 Being attacked and driven them out of their home country that. 00:32:22 Speaker 1 Economic stagnation of another country that could arguably be. 00:32:27 Speaker 1 Caused by the. 00:32:28 Speaker 1 By America, but we won't go there. 00:32:31 Speaker 1 Economic stagnation of another country that forces someone to flee. 00:32:35 Speaker 2 OK, so this this is actually so this is a great point, right? 00:32:36 Speaker 1 Should that not be supported as well? 00:32:39 Speaker 2 So and again I can only talk about my own experience, right? 00:32:44 Speaker 2 So when I left Ireland? 00:32:48 Speaker 2 Uh, for nineteen 8182. 00:32:56 Speaker 2 We've very young population in the country. 00:32:58 Speaker 2 Right? 00:33:00 Speaker 2 The biggest natural resource in Ireland is was their youth. 00:33:05 Speaker 2 That was the biggest recently, it wasn't. 00:33:07 Speaker 1 As people. 00:33:08 Speaker 2 Yeah, but but pacifically youth not we didn't have an aging population like they do in Japan, or it was a. 00:33:15 Speaker 2 It was a very young country so that there's where your future is the future of a country is never in the older generation. 00:33:23 Speaker 2 It's in guys like you in the youth, right? 00:33:27 Speaker 2 And we were all leaving. 00:33:29 Speaker 2 The youth were leaving like 30% of the people under 25 left arm and the reason they left because they couldn't get. 00:33:37 Speaker 2 A job, and if you did get a job but they didn't pay well so. 00:33:40 Speaker 1 So again, it's not a choice that you want to make, but it's something that has to be done. 00:33:42 Speaker 2 Right so, but it hurts, but it but it hurts your home country by by losing your your best resource. 00:33:51 Speaker 1 Right? 00:33:51 Speaker 2 Right? 00:33:54 Speaker 2 When people do immigrate, like you know, not every Irish person come to America. 00:33:58 Speaker 2 They went all over the world. 00:34:00 Speaker 2 A lot of them do end up going back right at some point because they missed their families, or it could be it could be families that could have a mother or father that's in the ill health. 00:34:09 Speaker 2 They just culturally. 00:34:11 Speaker 2 They might want to be back home. 00:34:12 Speaker 2 Things like that so you do get. 00:34:14 Speaker 2 Some of them going home at some level. 00:34:18 Speaker 2 But it does affect the country that they leave, right? 00:34:22 Speaker 2 And this is going back to my point that. 00:34:26 Speaker 2 For the Westernized countries that are considered the wealthiest countries in the world. 00:34:34 Speaker 2 Maybe it maybe the maybe the way to curb invoke immigration or or have some kind of immigration policies to reinvest back into the countries where these people are coming from right? 00:34:46 Speaker 2 And offer them opportunities so they don't have to. 00:34:49 Speaker 2 Leave their home country. 00:34:51 Right? 00:34:52 Speaker 2 Right, but but we need immigrants here because the farms out in California, like during their the the migrant workers. 00:34:56 Right? 00:35:02 Speaker 2 They're all. 00:35:03 Speaker 2 Immigrants that picked those fronts are vegetables, so you know. 00:35:07 Speaker 1 A large proportion of domestic workers are immigrants and majority. 00:35:12 Right? 00:35:13 Speaker 1 It's again America needs immigrants, or they at least need someone to fill those jobs. 00:35:20 Speaker 1 But I want to go off of. 00:35:24 Speaker 1 If we are. 00:35:27 Speaker 1 Trying to support. 00:35:30 Speaker 1 Immigrants before they even become immigrants by funding projects in these. 00:35:37 Speaker 1 Uh, less fortunate home countries. 00:35:39 Speaker 2 Home concerts, right? 00:35:43 Speaker 1 There is a. 00:35:46 Speaker 1 There is a. 00:35:48 Speaker 1 Threat there that if done wrong it will just exacerbate the issue. 00:35:53 Speaker 1 And that is through the neoliberal ideas that. 00:35:59 Speaker 1 I think a great example is the North American free trade. 00:36:04 Speaker 1 Association, NAFTA. 00:36:08 Speaker 1 Signed in, it opened borders in terms of economic wise it. 00:36:15 Speaker 1 Actually disparaged a lot of American factory jobs and moved them to Mexico and. 00:36:23 Speaker 1 That seems great. 00:36:24 Speaker 1 It seems awesome that. 00:36:26 Speaker 1 There's these jobs now being made in Mexico that people are supposed to be making this quote unquote fair wage in this great way of living. 00:36:36 Speaker 1 But when looked at in what the reality of what happened was all it did was. 00:36:43 Speaker 1 Disparage the people who were in Mexico already because. 00:36:48 Speaker 1 If the shoe factory came in, the local shoe maker couldn't make a living anymore because he can't outwork the factory, he can't. 00:36:58 Speaker 1 Undersell the factory. 00:36:59 Speaker 1 The factory is always going to have a lower price and he. 00:37:04 Speaker 1 Can't make a profit on his. 00:37:06 Is a. 00:37:07 Speaker 1 Product so that leaves him with those two choices. 00:37:10 Speaker 1 Does he go and work for the factory that isn't paying a fair wage in the 1st place? 00:37:15 Speaker 1 Or does he? 00:37:18 Speaker 1 Uproot his entire life and try and find another a better life or a better version of his life in a different country. 00:37:26 Speaker 1 And so I think that's. 00:37:31 Speaker 1 The mention of funding. 00:37:33 Speaker 1 Projects to stop the immigration in the 1st place is a. 00:37:37 Speaker 1 Double edged sword. 00:37:38 Speaker 1 And a big worry for a lot of people because. 00:37:42 Speaker 1 If it's not done properly and it hasn't been done properly in the past, it's just going to make a snowball effect of. 00:37:50 Speaker 1 Displacing more and more people. 00:37:53 Speaker 2 Well, the NAFTA agreement you're talking about, right? 00:37:57 Speaker 2 That was signed in in the middle in the early 90s. 00:38:01 Speaker 2 That that wasn't just about creating jobs in Mexico and and that was trying to curb the drug trade that a lot of that was too. 00:38:11 Speaker 2 Offer people opportunity in Mexico. 00:38:14 Speaker 2 Stop them going into the drug trade. 00:38:15 Speaker 2 Stop the drugs from coming here and again. 00:38:18 Speaker 2 Different points of view on that. 00:38:19 Speaker 2 It would be, you know, stop, stop, then stop the need and the one. 00:38:24 Speaker 2 For the drugs, rather than stop the supply right, you know you need to. 00:38:28 Speaker 2 Do both so. 00:38:29 Speaker 2 NAFTA was all a lot of NAFTA was about that. 00:38:33 Speaker 2 Was was trying to create an economy in Mexico. 00:38:40 Speaker 2 Came away from like you know, pulled away from the drug trade and gave people the opportunity to make a living. 00:38:48 Speaker 2 Now in doing that, yeah, you you took out a lot of manufacturing jobs here in the States and they will move to Mexico and a lot of towns in America. 00:38:58 Speaker 2 You know upstate New York. 00:39:00 Speaker 2 You know it used to be a huge manufacturing area. 00:39:03 Speaker 2 There was tumbleweeds blowing through some of those towns. 00:39:05 Speaker 2 And you know, the whole town revolved around that factory. 00:39:08 Speaker 2 Whatever it was making. 00:39:12 Speaker 2 But America has always been a full front or a leader in the world in in finding new technologies, new ways and and, you know. 00:39:23 Speaker 2 And there's plenty to go around here. 00:39:25 Speaker 2 America is a huge place, right? 00:39:27 Speaker 2 And there's plenty of jobs, and there's planning of opportunity here still. 00:39:32 Speaker 1 Right, and that's 00:39:34 Speaker 1 While you were talking about that was the reason for NAFTA being signed into effect. 00:39:41 Speaker 1 What I was hitting on was that. 00:39:43 Speaker 1 That was the fallout of NAFTA. 00:39:45 Speaker 1 That was the result, yeah. 00:39:47 Speaker 1 And so moving forward and looking forward. 00:39:49 Speaker 1 If that were to be another opportunity of trying to fund projects in these foreign countries. 00:39:58 Speaker 1 Should we look critically at the past and say this hasn't worked before because? 00:40:04 Speaker 2 Well, first of all, let you, well, first of all, you need stable governments in these places, right? 00:40:04 Speaker 1 People get greedy. 00:40:06 Speaker 1 People want the maximized profits. 00:40:09 Speaker 2 You you need you. 00:40:10 Speaker 2 Need to have a stable government, right? 00:40:13 Speaker 2 So the the people aren't, they're fearful of their lives, right? 00:40:17 Speaker 2 They're not. 00:40:17 Speaker 2 They're not afraid to speak out. 00:40:19 Speaker 2 They're not afraid to to have a view of point of view, right? 00:40:24 Speaker 2 So number one, you need a stable government. 00:40:27 Speaker 2 Right and then number two, you need to offer people some kind of economic. 00:40:32 Speaker 2 For forefront where they can actually have an opportunity to make a living and feed their families and. 00:40:39 Speaker 2 If you have that. 00:40:41 Speaker 2 Then you don't have to have people. 00:40:46 Speaker 2 Running away from their own place, right? 00:40:48 Speaker 2 And nothing so I I don't have the answers. 00:40:48 Speaker 1 Right, but. 00:40:51 Speaker 1 No, no, not at all. 00:40:52 Speaker 1 I just wanted to make it into a conversation and I think. 00:40:57 Speaker 1 That is the drive the draw of the US for a lot of people is that it's. 00:41:02 Speaker 1 A stable government. 00:41:05 Speaker 1 Decides the January 6 incident, but for the most part it's a stable government and there are jobs to be filled. 00:41:13 Speaker 1 Not always the best paying job, but again, that's a different issue entirely. 00:41:19 Speaker 1 What I? 00:41:25 Speaker 1 What I mean? 00:41:27 Speaker 1 Via that because if that were to be the solution to fund these. 00:41:33 Speaker 1 Out of country. 00:41:36 Speaker 1 Projects I. 00:41:39 Speaker 1 Think that. 00:41:41 Speaker 1 Statement that there's more than enough to go round. 00:41:45 Speaker 1 Is a great example as to. 00:41:48 Speaker 1 For the people who do want to come here. 00:41:51 Speaker 1 Even if they don't come by the quote, unquote right way of coming, quote unquote legally. 00:41:58 Speaker 1 I think that there should be some assistance handed out because. 00:42:05 Speaker 1 Is so difficult because it's not a. 00:42:11 Speaker 1 Simple transition from. 00:42:14 Speaker 1 Home country to a brand new home. 00:42:18 Speaker 2 Well, here's here's another point of view to look at, and we have in the United States the best education. 00:42:29 Speaker 2 Systems in the world. 00:42:30 Speaker 2 We have the best universities in the world we have there. 00:42:34 Speaker 2 They're highly funded with research and development labs and. 00:42:38 Speaker 2 And so if you're a foreign student coming to America and you're coming on a student. 00:42:46 Speaker 2 And you pay your student fees and all your tuition and all of that. 00:42:52 Speaker 2 And you're you know you come here, you do. Your four year undergraduate degree, you do your master's degree. You get a PhD degree in engineering or whatever it is. 00:43:02 Speaker 2 And now you have to leave the country. 00:43:04 Speaker 2 Because you don't have to write visas to stay your work here. 00:43:09 Speaker 2 Is that the right thing? 00:43:10 Speaker 2 Make you know you you're and they want to stay, and some people want to stay so they're highly educated. 00:43:16 Speaker 2 You've you've educated them. 00:43:18 Speaker 2 Right, America is offered the opportunity to educate them and and some of them do want to stay. 00:43:24 Speaker 2 Uhm, then why not let them stay there bright people right? 00:43:28 Speaker 1 Absolutely not. Absolutely that. 00:43:28 Speaker 2 Why not? 00:43:29 Speaker 2 I mean right? 00:43:30 Speaker 2 Why why aren't we kicking out people that? 00:43:34 Speaker 2 That could benefit the country, and given the opportunity could maybe change the world, maybe come up with a solution for cancer. 00:43:42 Speaker 2 Maybe they could, you know. 00:43:43 Speaker 1 And I would argue most people coming here are. 00:43:46 Speaker 1 If not to the scale of. 00:43:50 Speaker 1 The person who finds the cure to cancer. 00:43:52 Speaker 1 I would argue that they're all bettering the country in one way or there not one way or the other. 00:43:58 Speaker 1 So why is there this war on immigration, and why is there this? 00:44:03 Speaker 1 My hatred towards immigration because in the past 20 years especially there's been a. 00:44:10 Speaker 1 A gross amount of. 00:44:13 When when did? 00:44:14 Speaker 1 Trying for control and for policing of immigration and of itself. 00:44:18 Speaker 2 So so immigration gets systematically tidto. 00:44:25 Speaker 2 South America, right right, illegal immigration money, right? 00:44:27 Speaker 1 Absolutely, absolutely. 00:44:30 Speaker 2 No, don't say that Canadians are illegally immigrating to America right there. 00:44:34 Speaker 2 It's all coming. 00:44:35 Speaker 2 From South America. 00:44:36 Speaker 2 So there's this stigma that South Americans are all like. 00:44:40 Speaker 2 You know they're drug runners. 00:44:41 Speaker 2 They're all doing drugs, and they're bringing drugs and or. 00:44:44 Speaker 2 A lot of that is. 00:44:45 Speaker 2 Like you know you've only heard that in the last. 00:44:48 Speaker 2 6-7 years, right right. 00:44:49 Speaker 1 Yeah, yeah. 00:44:52 Speaker 2 You know, and that's all media hype that's all media related. I I would. I would argue that 99% of the people that come here they're coming for a better life. 00:45:03 Speaker 2 If they're coming for for an opportunity, right? 00:45:07 Speaker 2 And they're not looking for anything, they're looking for free handouts. 00:45:10 Speaker 2 They work hard. 00:45:12 Speaker 2 And and a lot of this is media driven. 00:45:15 Speaker 2 Fake news if you want to call it that because it's not true. 00:45:19 Speaker 2 Sure, there's some bad people that that come and, but there's bad people that that are born and bred here. 00:45:24 Speaker 1 Yeah, absolutely. 00:45:25 Speaker 2 Right, so there's bad people everywhere, but it's a small amount and you know. 00:45:32 Speaker 2 So I don't. 00:45:34 Speaker 2 It's a lot of it is media driven. 00:45:36 Speaker 2 Right and and. 00:45:38 Speaker 2 Put out there and it's wrong. 00:45:40 Speaker 2 It's so wrong. 00:45:42 Speaker 1 Well, that's also the. 00:45:44 Speaker 1 Fact that we talked about that. 00:45:48 Speaker 1 Even if you don't support open borders entirely, which you don't, and that's more than fair. 00:45:52 Speaker 2 Which I don't, I don't. 00:45:56 Speaker 1 There is that. 00:45:58 Speaker 1 Need for an easier way to get here an easier way to exist in this country without looking over your shoulder? 00:46:02 Speaker 2 Yeah, absolutely right. 00:46:06 Speaker 2 Right? 00:46:09 Speaker 1 Wondering if your entire life was going to be uprooted a second time? 00:46:10 Speaker 2 So they. 00:46:12 Speaker 2 So they call that the path to citizenship now. 00:46:16 Speaker 2 The current path to citizenship is very difficult and long. 00:46:21 Speaker 2 Yeah, right and I exam. 00:46:22 Speaker 1 Well, even for you, it took five years after you had your green card. 00:46:24 Speaker 2 No longer, Oh yeah, after I had my green card and it took three years to get my three or four years ago. 00:46:27 Speaker 1 After you had your green card. 00:46:29 Speaker 2 My green card. 00:46:30 Right? 00:46:30 Speaker 2 So it was a nine year process and. 00:46:33 Right? 00:46:34 Speaker 2 One I I'm coming. 00:46:37 Speaker 2 I have a stable job. 00:46:39 Speaker 2 I have a very good job. 00:46:40 Speaker 2 I have a company that's sponsoring me. 00:46:43 Speaker 2 I I speak the language, you know I pay taxes. 00:46:45 Speaker 1 You're doing everything the quote, unquote right way. 00:46:48 Speaker 2 Yeah, I've I've paid my taxes I I've, you know I found all the correct paperwork. 00:46:54 Speaker 2 And it still took me 9 years. 00:46:55 Speaker 2 Yeah, and I had a lawyer and and all of that stuff. 00:46:58 Speaker 2 So if you're coming here without those resources, it's even more difficult, right? 00:47:05 Speaker 2 And and it's. 00:47:07 Speaker 2 But you gotta jump through hoops, and God forbid that you get a ticket for jaywalking or something then. 00:47:14 Speaker 2 You know they null and void your your application and stuff so. 00:47:17 Speaker 1 Right? 00:47:19 Speaker 2 Yeah, there has to be a better way, and again, I'm not sitting here 'cause if I had the answers I'd be running for public office, I don't. 00:47:26 Speaker 2 I wish I did, but I do know there has to be a better system in place. 00:47:30 Speaker 2 Yeah, and I think and I think Americans need to be more welcoming in and open arms and and you know it's. 00:47:31 Speaker 1 Couldn't agree more. 00:47:39 Speaker 2 It's written on the bottom, but the Statue of Liberty give me your tired and hungry and and there's a whole subscription and there and and they need to understand that you know what? 00:47:49 Speaker 2 No, this is not. 00:47:53 Speaker 2 Anybody country? 00:47:54 Speaker 2 I mean this country was was the only real Americans in the Native American Indians. 00:47:59 Speaker 2 It was taken from them like everybody. 00:48:02 Speaker 2 Here is only a couple of generations away from being an immigrant. 00:48:07 Speaker 2 Really right? 00:48:08 Speaker 2 Maybe 3 generations back. 00:48:10 Speaker 2 From being an immigrant themselves, so maybe they should be a bit more sympathetic and have a bit more empathy. 00:48:17 Speaker 2 And be a bit more welcoming. 00:48:20 Speaker 2 And understand the need. 00:48:22 Speaker 2 There's a massive need here because Americans you don't see Americans out there picking fruits and vegetables, and they're not doing those jobs, right? 00:48:30 Speaker 2 So there is a need, and. 00:48:34 Speaker 2 That's how I feel about it all. 00:48:36 Speaker 1 Yeah, I think that's a great place to wrap up. 00:48:39 Speaker 1 I appreciate you taking time out of your day to talk with us and. 00:48:42 Speaker 2 Love it, thank you. 00:48:44 Speaker 1 Thank you. 00:48:45 Speaker 2 OK. 00:48:52 Speaker 2 Or will you have your friends listen to it as well?