Why are most Mexicans in Mexico so poor?

The fonts on this posting were revised on November 23, 2008 to enable easier reading.  The words and text were not revised.

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“Why is Mexico so poor?” is the common search question.

The Los Angeles Daily News reporting on President Felipe Calderon of Mexico on Sunday, September 3, 2007 (http://www.dailynews.com/search/ci_6788647?IADID=Search-www.dailynews.com-www.dailynews.com)  “Criticizing the United States for its treatment of illegal Mexican immigrants has become routine for most Mexican politicians, including Calderon. Because the immigrants send home about $20 billion a year and because the yearly emigration of more than 400,000 people from Mexico relieves that country of masses of the poor, the government in Mexico City has little incentive either to stem the emigration northward or to support stricter measures making it harder for Mexicans to cross the border.”

 So I wondered why are most Mexicans in Mexico so poor?  I looked at Wikipedia ,ask.com and Google.  The answers I found were very limited.  Those that I found echoed my suspicions.  The web sites are http://www.funqa.com/economics/4400-1-Economics.html and http://www.polyconomics.com/searchbase/11-24-98.html and http://www.mindfully.org/WTO/2003/Mexico-Poor-NAFTA22mar03.htm

 

The message from all of these web sites is clear.  The wealthy of Mexico have the power to keep most the country’s population very poor and they like it that way.  It’s all about cheap labor.  Their attitude is if the poor don’t like it they can sneak into the U.S.A.  They have gotten away with this because too many American companies like the cheap labor force and the American government is complicit in this situation.  It’s not a Democrat or Republican thing.  It is a U.S. government thing.

                              

The American public uproar is the best thing Mexicans have going for them to change the Mexican government.  So President Calderon’s statements are just part of that government’s public stance to convince Mexicans that their government really is concerned about the well being of its population.  As to the marches in the U.S. about illegal alien rights, those are the words and actions of do-gooders who have played into the hands of the wealthy Mexicans.

 

A very inadequate educational system and major government corruption are the two issues most commonly identified as destroying the Mexican economy.  Many Mexicans can not read or write.  Bribery is a way of life in almost every part of the government including the police.  These two problems discourage foreign investment.

 

Notice that Carlos Slim, the wealthiest man in Mexico, is now listed as the third wealthiest man in the world according to Forbes magazine.  He along with other wealthy Mexicans couldn’t be happier with this situation.  Carlos Slim alone is reported to control 20% of the Mexican economy.  Can you imagine what would happen to Mexico if the wealthiest in that nation were forced to surrender and share what they have with the average Mexican?  I am not a communist but I believe that the wealthy families of Mexico are one significant cause of that country’s problems.  The U.S. could force this situation to change.  The U.S. won’t do that because the situation benefits American corporations.