Mexico's pathology

Georgie Anne Geyer is a liberal commentator, but not a fool. In her current story on El Presidente Fox's failures to bring promised change to Mexico, she tells it like it is ——— why the US is burdened with uncontrollable Mexican illegal immigration. 

 ... 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 one—tenth of the 1 million jobs needed.

Geyer sees hope in a changed debate within Mexico itself. In fact, the US should focus on changing Mexico by exporting free market capitalism, the most powerful agent of positive change known to science. Supposedly we have trade treaties with Mexico, like the WTO, which should force Mexico to allow free US investment.

We have a whole Boomer generation about to retire, looking for affordable places to llve not too far from home. But they are not allowed to invest in Mexican coastal real estate —— so that the Mexico is cutting its own nose to spite its face. This is crazy.

The United States should take Mexico to the WTO to compel it to adhere to its own treaty obligations, and make free markets work South of the border just like they are working here. Compare North Korea to South Korea, China's coast to the interior provinces, and the old East and West Germany, and in every single case you find vigorous economies and prosperity on the free market side, with misery and fatalism on the over—regulated and corrupt side.

That's the answer to our immigration problem: To compel Mexico to allow full and free foreign investment and immigration of American retirees, who will bring money, demand for services and housing, and a can—do style of thinking to the hidalgo corruptocracy.

James Lewis   5 30 06

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