American Thinker notes two worrying developments in Mexico.
We try to stay in touch with Mexico. This week, we saw a couple of articles that should worry the Mexican middle class.
First, Presidente López-Obrador is making investors a bit weary, according to Richard Castillo via Pulse News Mexico:
Fear does not ride on a burro; it flies at the speed of sound!
And spreading fear of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s (AMLO) economic policies seems to be the leading reason that Mexico’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has slumped markedly to the point of reaching a minimal growth of 0.1 percent for the next quarter of 2019.
Based on the article, it appears that some major corporations are having second thoughts about investing or following up with their promises to invest.
. . .
The other story is about Mexico’s public schools and the growing influence of leftist teachers’ union. This is from Mamela Fiallo Flor, a fellow Cuban who has seen this movie before:
The National Coordination of Education Workers (CNTE) will provide textbooks to hundreds of thousands of Mexican children in 6,000 schools and indoctrinate them with communist propaganda. The material ranges from Karl Marx to the link between Mexico and Cuban communism since the yacht called Granma that transported Che Guevara, and the Castro brothers sailed from its shores.
The new curriculum will attack the Spanish conquest and praise the Sandinista revolution.
. . .
Who would have believed all of this a year ago? How about the many of us who were deeply concerned with the election of a populist leftist in Mexico?
There’s more at the link.
Those aren’t the only worrying developments. Comments from sources “on the ground” have indicated that the current Mexican government is no longer really trying to rein in the drug cartels. Instead, it’s focusing its efforts on social reform and socialist policies, which it considers more important. From its left-wing ideological perspective (and don’t forget that President López Obrador is a hard-line left-winger of long standing), those efforts will eventually deal with the drug and cartel problem as a minor by-product. The rest of us (including the US government) aren’t so sure about that.
If Mexico goes the way of Venezuela under first Chavez, then Maduro (and López Obrador’s policies are very reminiscent of Chavez’ policies in Venezuela), this could mean we’ll have a chaotic failed state on our southern border in little more than a decade (well, a lot more failed than it is already, at any rate). That would make the current flood of “refugees” and illegal aliens from and through that country seem like a mere trickle compared to the deluge that will follow. If you doubt that, consider the countries bordering Venezuela, who are having to deal with literally millions of refugees from that failed state. They’re disrupting their economies, overburdening their health care, education and other support systems and facilities, and there’s no short-term solution in sight.
It would be nice to think Mexico has the ability (and the collective will) to turn itself around before it degenerates all the way into a failed state. Sadly, the country’s history doesn’t offer much support for that hope.
Peter
"Who would have believed all of this a year ago?"
Most of us down here near the border…that is who.
6 year term.
Wait… wait… do you mean to tell me that when a full-blown socialist was elected dictator of Mexico, I mean El Presedente, that people didn't expect the country to veer rapidly off the capitalist rails?
OMG. It's like there was nothing foretelling this. No large socialist unions pushing him. No mass attacks by socialist thugs on non-socialist candidates. No reports of the Cartels coming to an agreement with the soon-to-be-Dear Leader that he concentrate on socializing the populace and leave them (the Cartels) alone.
This has actually been brewing for over 20 years. Contacts I had back in the day (battery manufacturing, if you wanted to know) were getting concerned at the high levels of socialists sticking their grubby noses into labor contracts and manufacturing plant deals.
Mexico has already 'purged' many of its dissident and thug population (aka Castro and the Mariel Boatlift) by 'encouraging' many to deport illegally up to the US.
Surprised at the left swerve? No.
Surprised that he hasn't died of lead poisoning? Si!
Mexico has been in and out of failed state status for much of its history.
My first thought upon reading this was the idea of a failed Mexico becoming a protectorate of the U.S.A.
My immediate second thought was to dwell for a bit on how very well that has worked for us with Puerto Rico.
You're missing the obvious, Uncle Lar:
Give Mexico to Puerto Rico as a going away present, and cut them both loose permanently.