WASHINGTON -- Funny thing about Mexican President
Vicente Fox's visit to the American West this week: It didn't turn out as one would have expected.
The tall, lanky, laconic "presidente," who seemed to offer such hope to Mexico when he was elected five years ago, started out in Salt Lake City with
the usual emotional cries for "fairness" and "decent treatment of our people." But before his visits to Washington and California were over, it was
clear that the background music to the old show had changed dramatically.
Fox was greeted by some of the best in the American intellectual community with an honesty about his abundant failures that has not been seen before.
A brilliant paper by Professor George W. Grayson of the College of William & Mary, widely circulated before the visit, laid out Mexico's shame:
President Fox makes $236,693 a year, more than the leaders of France, the United Kingdom and Canada; Mexican congressional deputies, who serve only a
few months a year, take home at least $148,000 a year, plus a $28,000 "leaving-office bonus" at the end of the term. Meanwhile, Mexico collects taxes
equivalent to 9.7 percent of
GDP, a figure on a par with Haiti; there is painfully little to spend on education and health care, which means there is no social mobility and little
job opportunity.
Professor Grayson ends his paper with: "U.S. leaders and the American public have every right to insist that Mexican officials act responsibly, rather
than expecting that their neighbor to the north will shoulder burdens that they themselves should assume."
In short, Mexico is so corrupt, so oligopolistic, so rotting inside with the privilege of the rich that it has to send its poor and its potential
political activists to another country. And on top of that, it tries to blame the United States for its own failures.
When I was in Mexico last fall, after dozens of visits over the years, people on every political and social level confirmed these accusations,
complaining to me of Fox's failures. Forty families still own 60 percent of Mexico. There are no voluntary organizations, no civic involvement, no
family foundations -- and thus, no accountability, allowing corruption to flourish. Mexico gains $28 billion from oil revenue and $20 billion from
immigrant remittances. There is virtually no industrialization, no small business, no real chance at individual entrepreneurship. Under Fox, it has
created only 1/10th of the 1 million jobs needed.
Ah, but there are new voices of change, of reason, of self-awareness in Mexico, in place of the hoary anti-gringo rants: the beginnings of a
transformation of the debate.
This same week of the Fox visit, for instance, The New York Times ran a stunning article headlined "Some in Mexico See Border Wall as Opportunity." It
quotes men like Jorge Santibanez, president of the College of the Northern Border, saying: "For too long, Mexico has boasted about immigrants leaving,
calling them national heroes, instead of describing them as actors in a national tragedy; and it has boasted about the growth in remittances as an
indicator of success, when it is really an indicator of failure."
Other prominent Mexicans were quoted as saying, for instance, the formerly unthinkable: that a wall would be the "best thing that could happen for
Mexico"; the "porous border" allowed "elected officials to avoid creating jobs." And former Foreign Minister Jorge G. Castaneda, who always took a
tough line toward the United States, writes in the Mexican newspaper Reforma that Mexico needed "a series of incentives" to keep Mexicans from
migrating, including welfare benefits to mothers whose husbands remained in Mexico, scholarships, and the loss of land rights for people who were
absent too long from their property.
This is European social democracy, this is American New Deal, this is real development talk, in place of the tiresome historical Mexican attitude that
everything is the gringos' fault and they should pay for it. This is a real revolution of the mind! It also may indicate that, while President Fox
failed in carrying through such basic modern reforms, he did lay the basis for them.
Two important points here. The fact that the free enterprise candidate for July's presidential election, Felipe Calderon of the National Action Party
(PAN), is suddenly and unexpectedly surging ahead on his slogan of "My job will be to make sure you have a job" may show that the Mexican people are
fed up. In addition, the fact that only 50,000 of the 400,000 Mexicans in the United States who were available to vote in the July Mexican elections
have bothered to register can only indicate a generalized disgust with Mexican corruption and hopelessness, and perhaps even a turn toward American
ways.
If this is true -- and it certainly seems so -- then there may be hopeful currents running below the deceptively static surfaces of Mexico today.
Surely the fact that America has awakened to the insult of its "neighbor" cynically exporting its problems, while doing "nada" at home, can only help
Mexico and jar it to some modern sense. Ironically, the debate and the anger in the U.S. about this mammoth illegal immigration has already helped
Mexico to begin to shed its dependency on America -- and to turn its energies toward its own real predators, all home-grown.
[Edited on 5-26-2006 by JESSE]
Jesse
Baja Bernie - 5-27-2006 at 05:52 AM
You have been on the cutting edge of this for a long time in your short life. I think a lot of us have raised our voices to this but have remain
unheard--Perhaps a little will change and that should be good for both of our countries.
Couldn't have sait it better myeself!
flyfishinPam - 5-27-2006 at 06:36 AM
I think this deserves the attention of one of the Mexico or Baja topics and not off topic. This is definately ON TOPIC and needs to be seen. I have
seen a lot since living in Mexico. My kids are growing up here and I will stay here for good. I am trying to set a good example for my kids and
their friends in hopes of a change from within, so I will do my part. I saw a story similar to this on anotehr fourm topic. Has this ever been
translated into Espanol? I sure would love to print it up and share it with basically everyone I know. Change is coming. I read Mexican history and
the Mexicans have put up with centuries of crap and if history repeats itself and the influential cycle can be broken than Mexico will the one of the
most beautiful and freest places on the planet to live. I have hope. The internet is very popular among the youth adn they are the future.
Youngs uns for sure
Capt. George - 5-27-2006 at 04:52 PM
Ahh, yoots. The hope of the "worlds future"....
Mexico and its poor are about to be joined by the (what's left of it", middle class of the U.S. of A.
For the first time in my life I seen an advertisemant on TV denigrating Unions....
Say what you will of Unionism, but it was surely the rise of the middle classes.....I fear for my grandchildren....I will continue to keep a home in
Baja.............
Capt George
Capt. georgecomitan - 5-27-2006 at 05:25 PM
You have to believe the change is coming, but it will be slow. You can't change that way of doing business overnight.jerry - 5-27-2006 at 05:59 PM
education is the key the rest will follow the onsete of the computer is making the world a lot smaller and the younge can now find out whats happening
and can turn it around if the dont get their heads stuck in a vidio game and let it all pass by this goes for mexicans and americans
dont die wondering
No!
Baja Bernie - 5-27-2006 at 08:12 PM
What it will take if for guys like Jesse to continue the path that they have already chosen to work for the betterment of their own people--Very
similar to what it took our forefathers to rid of us of those who cucked our lifes blood just as the new country of Mexico is experiencing to day.
May get some argument here because some think Mexico is an old country and that is just not true. Platitudes are not really helpful.
Viva Mexico!
This is the problem
Dave - 5-27-2006 at 08:43 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by JESSE
Forty families still own 60 percent of Mexico.
Everything else is just academic debate. Redistribution will come. Sooner rather than later... And if not peacefully then through the barrel of the
gun.Bruce R Leech - 5-27-2006 at 10:00 PM
Forty families own 60 percent of Mexico. and also 40 families run Mexico.elgatoloco - 5-27-2006 at 11:57 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by Bruce R Leech
Forty families own 60 percent of Mexico. and also 40 families run Mexico.
The golden rule. He who has the gold...................Skeet/Loreto - 5-28-2006 at 02:56 AM
Jesse:
While the Development Tides are indeed turning, the article posted is just another example of a persons OPINION being submitted with the age old use
of CHARGED WORDS, with out Fact!
The breakdown of the Mexicano Family has been behind that of the American Family by 2 Generations.!
Look very closely at the results of the 60's Generation and mass Communitions Effect on the present Generation of Mexicano's and Americanos---
Drugs
Nudity
Lack of Respect
Lack of any kind of Self-control
The "if it Feels Good, Just Do It Attitude
The Degenerate use of one's Body with Metal, Tattoes.
Cheating
The Spin of the News and T>V> Industry.
Thank Goodness this only covers about Half of the People in the U.S.
Is there any rise in the Communist Party in Mexico?
Has any Students been Shot at a University in Mexico --Since 1978?
Do Not FAMILIES help there members gather the Money for a Trip North?
Has not the NAFTA treaty supplied a Million Jobs?
The person writting the Story sholud learnto use FACTS!!!
Try to get a "Resume' of the Writer-May be on George Soros Payroll!
