How will Mexico's economy be reformed further to increase growth and jobs there?
The PRI has far reach after 70 years in power, most of the supreme court of mexico, for example, is still pri-dominated.
The PRI still gives people a carrot for a day, short-term gifts to the poor in the form of opposing value added tax on food and medicine, whereas most modern economies have value added tax on food and medicine. As the PRI dominated oil company pemex runs out of oil (it's last major find of great proportions, cantarel, was not found by PEMEX exploration, but by a regular laborer seeing oil bubble up)... now dries up due to poor government use of oil funds in boom times for decades in failing to upgrade technologies, invest, explore,etc... Mexico needs non-oil funds.
Ratings analysts even consider starting downgrades if Mexico can't raise non-oil funds, makng credit even more expense/hard to get in mexico.
This hurts the country's growth, and therefore jobs, in the long run.
Calderon proposes the VAT that has been proposed by the first non-PRI president vicente fox, and the PRI had considerd a small VAT, but Fox thought it was not enough. They got no VAT done. Now Calderon seeks a tiny 2% VAT, what does the PRI do?
Same old thing, pander to the sympathy vote for short-term carrots and say Calderon is hurting the poor.
When will Mexico's economy be allowed by the PRI to become modernized and Non-PRI?
Has the PRI changed? They campaigned on experience with a new attitude.
Seems like the same attitude was hiding behind a new banner the entire time.
During the crisis, the party in power of course losts relative influence, and the PRI benefited as well due to the PRD's self-destruction. Will they allow Mexico's economy any long-needed industrialchanges?
The VAT money is to be used for anti-poverty programs. Conditional cash transfer to the poor are to be expanded. It is an internationally succesful program with conditions that kids be sent to school consistently (Rather than work to support the family) and be vaccinated, and the family gets money. The PRI opposes such long-term goals in favor of pandering about how taxes now are gonna hurt the poor (i.e., business interests that are also hurt by the tax increases on that end of the proposals). It won't hurt the poor in the long-run, it will help the poor, but change is what the PRI has been fighting against for over 70 years and old habits are hard to break.
I think there is hope that the poor will show they have pride and are not gonna bite at every old PRI carrot if the vision is properly shown. The poor in Mexico have pride and want change too. I hope they are reached and their voice is heard that they too can invest in themselves. They can make the VAT take effect upon the return to growth, for example in 3-6 months in Mexico. The PRI can be checked and they can adapt. Mexico and its poor needs a party that will lead the country in a new direction rather than continue to drag its feet. The PAN has never had a PAN majority government, and all change is blocked or watered down, including by the PRI courts and opposition parties. Will change ever take place in Mexico?
This will affect both sides of the border, as the #1 reasons for emigration from Mexico to the US is economic reasons.
Originally posted by eljefejesusMexico needs to renounce Nafta, the World Bank, the WTO and the G20 and to join the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas.
How will Mexico's economy be reformed further to increase growth and jobs there?
The PRI has far reach after 70 years in power, most of the supreme court of mexico, for example, is still pri-dominated.
The PRI still gives people a carrot for a day, short-term gifts to the poor in the form of opposing value added tax on food and medicine, whereas most m ...[text shortened]... the border, as the #1 reasons for emigration from Mexico to the US is economic reasons.
Mexico needs to start looking at itself instead of blaming their neighbor to the north for everything that goes wrong. A country as wealthy as Mexico in natural resources should not be as poor as it is. When only Haiti is worse off than Mexico and what immigrants in the USA send home is greater than their GNP we are talking about a corrupt political system corroding the country from within. Indeed Mexico's poor are proud, but they fail to take their government to task and instead move north instead of striving for changing things at home. When Carlos Slim makes Bill Gates-like money through banking alone seems pretty fishy. Makes you wonder. When you have shootouts between the federal police and the armed forces over drugs you know the country is but a house of cards. When more people die in Juarez than US military do in Iraq there are grave problems. Chile, Costa Rica seem to have done things right and have thriving economies. Mexico could model their system on the latter two and may emerge strong and viable if it decides to eliminate the horrific corruption. Colombia seems to have tackled the drug problem. Mexico could too.
Originally posted by rwingettOh yes, let's get some food shortages in Mexico, those Venezuelan policies are just a shining example of how to create shortage in the midst of plenty.
Mexico needs to renounce Nafta, the World Bank, the WTO and the G20 and to join the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas.
Originally posted by scacchipazzoAlthough most of Mexico does look to itself, there are a good number of fools that deserve what you say about them because they blame others, just not most of Mexico thinks taht way.
Mexico needs to start looking at itself instead of blaming their neighbor to the north for everything that goes wrong. A country as wealthy as Mexico in natural resources should not be as poor as it is. When only Haiti is worse off than Mexico and what immigrants in the USA send home is greater than their GNP we are talking about a corrupt political sys ...[text shortened]... ate the horrific corruption. Colombia seems to have tackled the drug problem. Mexico could too.
If you are to represent those who believe the worst of Mexico and Mexicans, let me at least introduce some facts to what you wrote about Haiti vs Mexico. Mexico is many times richer than most of Latin America. The only comparable countries are Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Costa Rica in terms of per capita wealth, and only Chile may be higher of the group. Mexico has lower poverty rates than most of Latin America too. Inequality has decreased for years.
There is corruption in much of Latin America, including Mexico, but there is corruption in much of the world and improvements and declines, it's not Mexico being always corrupt, it's a typical curse of oil-rich countries where government controls so much money as in PEMEX and a few rich families and a few powerful unions and monopolies have so much power that they fight off competition rather than investing to out-do the competition... THEY hold mexico back and fight change more often than not.
Carlos slim is on eof those monopolists that needs to be broken up. He has just about as big of a monopoly in telecommunications as Bill Gates does in operating systems.
Drugs have corrupted many countries in history, from Italy to Colombia to Mexico, and much of Central and South America which is less noticed because they're farther from developed countries and are usually smaller and less influential.
I agree that Juarez is a tragedy, but killings were doubling all the time and it has now been controlled better and less doublings are going on because of the federal government's determination even in the middle of a drug war between the Juarez Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel. Still, I agree, there is a definite problem, and the most violent actors need to be brought to justice.
On the last points that there are lessons to be learned from Chile and Costa Rica's economy, I agree, as well as the point about Columbia providing drug-war lessons.
Overall not a bad post.
Originally posted by eljefejesusMexico has the natural resources to be a power in the hemisphere, yet they sqaunder these resources through allowing latifundista-like mentality to prevail. I am not sayiing these other prblems I mention are the exclusive domain of Mexico, but there seems to be little effort at doing an about face like Colombia did. I had high hopes for mexico when Fox was elected in 2000, but he ended up being more of the same. Calderon is a true hero, but he cannot do it alone without cooperation from his people. I truly wish more Mexicans would take Calderon's shining example and clean the place up, politically speaking. I realize, as you say that most of Mexico does not think/believe the way I say in my post, but very little is said against such ideas, which are what is broadcst to the world. Mexico could be great, but needs to want to be great. Look to Chile and Costa Rica and follow their example and perhaps things might change. Policies a la rwingett won't do it. Socialism has failed Mexico. Real open market ideas with clapms placed on the Carlos Slims of the country would go a long way in creating wealth. Eugenio Garza Sada created wealth and created jobs like few other rich Mexicans have. His ideas created prosperity for many in the north of Mexico and his diversification extended the same to other parts of the country.
Although most of Mexico does look to itself, there are a good number of fools that deserve what you say about them because they blame others, just not most of Mexico thinks taht way.
If you are to represent those who believe the worst of Mexico and Mexicans, let me at least introduce some facts to what you wrote about Haiti vs Mexico. Mexico is many ...[text shortened]... as well as the point about Columbia providing drug-war lessons.
Overall not a bad post.
Originally posted by badmoonI don't go either anymore. For the same reasons. A severed head was found in Monterrey, MX in a residential neighborhood.
From yesterday's paper there was an item - a mutilated body hanging from a bridge in Tiajuana. That is so much Mexico today, at least what is given to us over the border.
I live in Arziona but no longer visit Mexico. Rockie Point was a great place too.
Originally posted by MelanerpesThat's a tough one. Great city, wonderful people, lots of resources, decent education. I have been there a few times. Perhaps they need to start with the small things like cleaning up garbage, fixing broken windows, getting rid of that cesspool of an experimental farm to the north that seemingly gets fertilized with human waste, improving on pollution control. The small things fix up worked wonders in NYC. I saw the pre and post Guiliani NYC. Times Square used to be a cesspool all its own. It is a totally different place now. But back to Monterrey. Corruption seems rampant, infant mortality is huge, crime is not as bad as Juarez, but getting there. I have not visited after the series of severed heads hit various areas of Monterrey.
Besides being on the Mexican side of the border, what is preventing a place like the Monterrey metro area from being as prosperous as Dallas or Houston or Phoenix?