Posted on 04/01/2006 6:26:48 AM PST by john drake
MAR. 30, 2006: CRAZY LIKE A FOX Follow the money: In 2005, Mexicans in the United States remitted some $20 billion home. That's 3% of Mexico's entire national income.
Remittances have surpassed tourism, oil, and the maquiladora assembly industry to emerge as the country's top single source of foreign exchange. For the 6% of Mexican households that receive remittances, these funds can mean the difference between extreme poverty and an income roughly in line with the Mexican average.
And as Mexico's economy has malperformed since 2000, remittances have become more essential than ever - not only economically, but politically.
This trend explains why Vicente Fox pressed President Bush so hard for amnesty and guestworker programs in Cancun this week. It explains too why George Bush has acceded: After all, Mexico's problems are inevitably America's problems too. The stability and prosperity of Mexico are vital American national interests.
So President Bush is right to sympathize with his Mexican counterpart. He is entirely wrong, though, to give in. Remittances have cushioned Mexico's failure, but they cannot achieve Mexico's success. Only internal change in Mexico can do that. Mexico desperately needs foreign investment in its energy industry, a rationalization of its tax system, and free-market reform of its labor laws. Vicente Fox has done none of these things, and has in fact barely tried. He has instead pinned all his country's hopes on the export of its population to the United States.
Today, almost one-fifth of all living Mexican-born people now make their homes in the United States. You have to go back to the Irish potato famine to find a parallel. But Mexico is not suffering famine: It is suffering from a comprehensive failure of political and economic leadership.
Mexico's problems are also America's problems, no getting around that. But an American president cannot agree that Mexico's problems should be made only America's problems.
In the context of an immigration reform in the American interest - meaning a restrictive immigration reform - the US should of course help Mexico find substitutes for any reductions in remittance income. One good place to start would be the energy industry, which could contribute much more to Mexican wealth if Mexico abandoned its 75-year-old protectionist policies. Of course, Mexicans will say that such changes are politically impossible for them. Then they turn around and ask George Bush to lay waste to Republican political prospects to save them from a fate from which they will not save themselves.
It's frustrating. It's even frightening. But in the end, an American president must remember who he is ultimately working for.
11:37 PM
Already posted, last night, I think.
"And as Mexico's economy has malperformed since 2000,..."
That so-called "country" has been in the crapper for hundreds of years, not just since 2000. What a crock.
TAX all cash transfers to Mexico. I think $50 a transfer would be about right for a start. Of course if Fox, complains-we could raise it to $100 with a simple vote.
just more fish wrap from nro
So we are supporting socialist corruption by allowing illegal immigrants?
I am so angry I can't think.
FENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just make sure it is an electric fence.
mark
No, we are supporting Mafia type corruption, just plain old corruption. The threat is that if we interfere the country will elect a Communist government as our neighbor.
Fox is like all previous Mexican presidents and most likely all succeeding Mexican presidents. He stays in power long enough to stash away a few billion and then he gets the Hell out of Dodge. The state oil company is the big cash cow for the pres and he then lets the drug lords and other corrupt people pick off the rest, all the way down to the cop on the street.
The rest he sends packing to the US so they don't create problems for him at home. That at least gives the peasants enough money to steal from them in everyday economic transactions in order to sustain the corruption.
This has been the game in Mexico for years or at least since they nationalized the oil industry.
Socialist corruption is the least of the problems, compared to drug cartels that sell billions in death to americans and are protected by the Mexican government.
sorry 'bout that....
Maybe so...but whatever we do with Mexico, it would be better to solve the problem than have a full blown enemy on 2,000 miles of common border. Either work to change the problem or "fence" it, but it ain't going away by wishing it would. Any suggestions?
If anything should be posted twice -- I guess this qualifies LOL!!!
Is there any other kind?
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