Hello, this is Governor Mike Huckabee with this week's
comment from my corner of the Capitol.
One
of the highlights of the year occurred for me when I led a delegation of
elected officials from across the country on a trade mission to Mexico. I
headed the delegation in my capacity as the president of the Council of State
Governments. The CSG is the nation's only organization serving every elected
and appointed official in all three branches of state government. Founded in
1933 on the premise that states are the best sources of insight and innovation, the CSG provides a network for state
leaders to share ideas. I also was honored to lead the CSG's annual
State Trends and Leadership Forum last month in Pittsburgh.
On the trip to Mexico, I was accompanied by Jim Pickens,
the director of our state Department of Economic Development. Our visit reminded
us that the American dream is alive and well. I spent time in places ranging
from Mexico City, one of the largest cities in the world, to tiny Mexican villages. Everywhere I went, I was
reminded that people around the world still look to this country as a
place of great opportunity. They understand it's possible to come to the United States with little more than the clothes
on your back and build a better life through hard work. They appreciate the
things for which our nation stands. In many ways, these people are like
our own ancestors, who came to America in search of a better life.
Since I became governor
more than seven years ago, I've meet hundreds of Mexican natives
who've
migrated to Arkansas towns such as Danville, Decatur and De Queen.
Percentagewise, Arkansas has the fastest-growing Hispanic
population in the country.
Arkansas
industries, especially our burgeoning poultry industry, have offered jobs that often
are filled by immigrants from Mexico. The rapid growth of our state's
Hispanic population has "ledTo complex social issues. Heavy migration
can increase the demand for state services. But most of those who've moved to the state in recent years
are hard-working people with strong family ties. They've made a contribution to
our economy and revitalized parts of numerous Arkansas towns that previously
were dying. I was reminded again during the trip to Mexico of how proud I am of
the way the majority of Arkansans have received these Hispanic immigrants. We
respect hard work in Arkansas. We respect those who want to provide a better life
for their children and grandchildren. For decades, we treated our state's
African-America population poorly. The Hispanic influx gives us a second chance
to prove what kind of people we really are.
I looked into the eyes of rural Mexican children, and my
heart was moved. These children often don't have enough to eat, don't have good
clothes and don't have a dry place to sleep at night. They have little
chance of ever breaking out of the cycle of poverty. I was humbled at the
thought of how much Americans have. And I was reminded we can give something
back by
