There is a huge amount to do with Nafta, immigration, campesinos, etc. as was true before the global meltdown, but which is much more true now. So here are some items, fragments, perhaps.
Today in El Universal, Jorge Ramos Pérez reports that indeed Mexico is considering revisions to Nafta in the face of the world crisis and its harsh effects on Mexican farmers. The Work Group Charged with Evaluating the IMpacts on the agricutltureal sector of Free Trade resulting from NAFTA is looking for legal means to revise the treaty. Senator Antonio Mejía Haro (PRD)heading the Work Group said that they were in no way considering abolishing the agriculture chapter, but were considering what it would be sensible for Mexican farmers to grow.
Ramos Pérez also reported that another senator, Yeidckol Polevnsky Gurwich, had pointed out that while Mexico had complied with NAFTA environmental standards, the USA "one of the most contaminated countries on the planet" had not.
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Mexico is making efforts to ensure that basic needs are met, that banks stay solvent, and that investment in infrastucture takes place in the face of the global meltdown. It's not clear that the US is doing this. One thing that is happening in NYC for example is that funds for education and Medicaid are likely to be cut, possibly the exact opposite of what should occur. In La Jornada, the following actions were reported.
The head of the World Bank for Mexico and Colombia, Axel van Trotsenburg, said in an article in La Jornada that during economic crises like the present one, "the most important thing" is social policy continues to protect the most vulnerable population: that children receive the attention they need such as adequate diet and vaccinations. He said, "To ensure these things is of paramount importance because if children don't receive these things in the first years of life, they can be very seriously affected in their intellectual development. The World Bank is more than doubling the amount of loans it is making available to Mexico.
On the 27th of October, the Secretary of Hacienda and the Bank of Mexico is increasing financing with international financial organizations like World Bank and the Interamerican Development Bank to 5 billion dollars. In the two previous years, in contrast, Mexico had paid both back 8 billion dollars. At least some of the money is going to support government social programs beginning with one called Oportunidades
The World Bank learned (finally) from past crises in Asia and South America that the lack of a social safety net means that that part of the population which is poor suffers even more in times of economic instability. van Trotsenburg said that many countries don't have such a program, and that Oportunidades can cushion the situation for the poor. This program has had a positive effect on reducing the effects of poverty, and these gains shouldn't be lost.
In Mexico, the impact of less money being sent by people working in the US is also having an impact.
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Interestingly, Oportunidades is the program which our neighbor Juan Calypso wrote about on his blog recently. One of the big attractions of the program in our Colonia is that, as Juan points out, is that it provides dependable stipends to women who attend, and with a meaningful amount of money. Lately, there have been some problems with a local part of the program which involves medical check-ups. If I understand correctly, the doctora who is supposed to be seeing the women here has not been turning up regularly for her scheduled time and has not provided documentation for the women that they went, but she didn't. Thus, the payments have been lowered unfairly. My friend across the street says that there have been a number of meetings of all the women in the Colonia. She said there is no resolution yet, but they are hoping for one soon. Interestingly, the doctor that goes to San Marcos has not missed appointments ever.
My friend says that except for this problem, she really values the program, not only for the money but because the women have learned much of value. You'd be impressed. I am. I suspect regular programs like this would benefit a lot of folks in the US.
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Anyway, listen up you folks in the US and DON'T cut health and education in times of economic stress! It doesn't do a single bit of good. It actually hurts.
