By VALINN McREYNOLDS
The Oskaloosa Herald
OSKALOOSA
March 19, 2008 11:24 am
—
William Penn University invited an international lecturer to its campus Tuesday night to speak to both students and community about the possibility of the formation of a North American mega state.
Dr. Benigno Villarreal spoke to a room full of students, faculty and community members about Regionalism, NAFTA and immigration.
Villarreal is a professor at Anahuac University in Mexico City. He teaches international business, corporate law and international economics. He also has a J.D as well as doctorate degrees in corporate law, economics and business administration, as well as a doctorate of jurisprudence.
Caesar Villarreal, Dr. Villarreal’s brother and a student at William Penn University, opened the event with an introduction.
Dr. Villarreal began his lecture by explaining regionalism and stated that “it is not a matter of if North America will become a mega state, but rather when it will happen.”
To erase doubt of the ability to create this state Dr. Villarreal stated, “The European Union has been more difficult to create and sustain due to centuries of distinct language, culture, history, currency and legal systems.”
The next topic involved trade and tariffs where he discussed the inevitable future of an Amero, which would be similar to the Euro and would serve as the currency of the North American Union.
Immigration was the last topic of the night. Dr. Villarreal showed that the difference in minimum wage — $.57 an hour in Mexico and $7.25 in America — encourages illegal immigrants. He discussed how America’s economy suffers as immigrants send more than $24 billion back to Mexico a year.
He concluded his speech by recommending the book “Toward A North American Community,” by Robert Pastor, to his audience.
A reception was held after the lecture to allow for questions and remarks.
Veronica Henton, a junior at William Penn University, stated that “this lecture was very important to me because it is big issue in California, and that is where I am from.”
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