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StrangerThan -> RE: Clinton: US shares blame for Mexican drug wars (3/26/2009 4:05:49 AM)
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I'll echo the sentiment here in that I don't care for Hiliary, but she is right in this instance. The cartels would probably still exist if it weren't for us, but they would not have nearly the capability to essentially wage war. Face it, we're the only nation on this side of the world with the cash to give them that kind of buying power and we have an insatiable appetite for what they produce. That situation translates into a lot of money in an economy where many are destitute. I didn't read the story at the end of the link because I think I read it yesterday. If it's the same one, Mexico is listed as one of the two states most likely to fall in the coming year. Usually, even in a bad situation, you can find a bright spot. The only one I can see in this one is that they're mostly fighting themselves and have not coalesced into a cohesive resistance force.
I also believe in the sentiment you expressed regarding years of corruption and inept government. There is a lot of debate about immigrants jumping the border to work jobs in the US. I don't want to get into the bulk of it, but I've wondered for a long time if we were not essentially bleeding off the people who would and could make a difference in the same way a relief valve lets off steam when the pressures get too high. I think the US has been a relief valve for failed governments and failed policies by giving those who were willing to work for a better way of life an out as much as it gave them an option.
Most immigrants I've dealt with have been honest and hard working people, good people who left families behind and ship money home to support them. It creates a tenable situation rather than one that forces real econmic and social change. It creates a shadow economy and an alternate way of life that doesn't force governments to be accountable - not that the US government is accountable by any stretch of the imagination, but the difference is I think, there is a point here where many would eventually stand up and say enough. We're a spoiled nation in many ways. As long as that spoiled status quo can be somewhat maintained, there will never be enough of a popular uprising to say enough (well, maybe over bonuses - eyeroll.) Mexico needs us to be their relief valve. The government there knows it and I think that knowledge drives their defense of workers crossing the border as much as any humanitarian thought they might have.
Dunno.
What I do know is that the US can't fix its own drug problem. Hell, I'd guess we have more people addicted to prescription drugs than we do illegal drugs.
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