Mexico throws its bums out

By John N. Doggett

Last Sunday, the Mexican people broke with 71 years of history. They
elected a president who was not from the Institutional Revolutionary
Party, better known by its Spanish acronym as PRI. Vicente Fox, Mexico’s
president-elect, is an ex-Coca Cola executive and agricultural
businessman. He was the candidate of Mexico’s conservative National
Action Party, known as PAN.

Last Friday, I wrote that the only way to prevent Al Gore from
continuing the Clinton-Gore destruction of America is to vote for
Governor Bush. What happened in Mexico should give hope to those who
doubted the wisdom of my recommendation. Let me explain.

For the past seven decades, a small cliche of corrupt politicians and
businessmen have controlled Mexico. They have taken a country with great
economic potential and run it into the ground. They have violated their
oaths of office and looted the federal treasury. They have so mismanaged
Mexico that after 71 years of their kleptocracy, half of all Mexicans
are still dirt poor. The consequences for the United States have been
staggering.

Because of increasing pressure to reform Mexico, in part because of
NAFTA, the PRI was forced to hold an honest election Sunday. Since it
couldn’t stuff the ballot box, it lost.

Few Americans, however, appreciate how significant Vicente Fox’s
victory is. Let me give you a few examples.

Every day according to president-elect Fox, 10,000 Mexicans come to
the United States because they can’t earn a decent living at home. To
make matters worse, thousands of additional Mexican men, women and
children die each year trying to escape the hell that Mexico’s PRI party
created.

You and I know that illegal immigration is wrong. However, under the
current PRI government, Mexico’s foreign minister protested to the NAFTA
Commission and the U.N. about our effort to protect our border. He
claimed, hold on to your hat, that poor Mexicans had a “right” to enter
the U.S. illegally. Why? Because if we denied them the “right” to earn a
living in the U.S., they would starve at home.

Not once did he acknowledge the responsibility of the Mexican
government to attack poverty in Mexico. Not once did he suggest that if
he and his thugs stopped stealing from the government, Mexico would have
more jobs for its citizens. Now let’s listen to Vicente Fox. “Mexico’s
goal has been to open the escape valve, avoid its own responsibility to
create jobs here, allow 350,000 young people to cross the border each
year and wash its hands of responsibility.”

Vicente Fox says that no Mexican should have to leave Mexico to earn
a living. He wants to invest in Mexico to raise the standard of living.
He wants to give those who now flee Mexico for a chance of making a
better living a reason to stay home. He wants to return to the Bracero
or guest worker program, so that Mexican workers can enter the United
States legally.

He wants to double the amount of foreign investment in Mexico to
create jobs and a higher standard of living for all Mexicans. He wants
to create a special development fund to spur growth in Mexico. “At the
very least, we could sit down and say our goal is to close the income
gap” among
the North American countries, Fox said. Finally, he wants to make it
possible for all Mexicans to get credit.

This last point may seem minor, but it is not. Ten years ago, getting
mortgages for homes or loans for cars was impossible for Mexicans. So if
you wanted a home, you had to buy it with cash or build it yourself.
Now, middle class Mexicans can get home mortgages and car loans.
Nevertheless, over half the people of Mexico have no access to credit.
Without credit, they can’t create or grow their businesses. Without
credit, they cannot break out of the cycle of poverty.

The implications of president-elect Fox’s goals for America are
stunning. What would our country be like if Mexico’s economy grew at
twice the rate as ours? Mexico would become a larger market for our best
products and illegal immigration would slow.

What would happen if Mexico’s standard of living approached that of
Canada? Illegal immigration would become a minor problem. Mexico would
no longer be a major source of illegal drugs. Violence on the border
would die down. Mexico would no longer be the home for criminals who
steal cars from the border for resale in Mexico. Oh, the things that we
would see.

Vicente Fox’s job will not be easy. His other goal is to reduce
corruption in Mexico by creating an independent agency to run the
federal police and giving audit power to the Congress. These two moves
are scaring the daylights out of PRI kleptocrats and their drug-lord
buddies. They are
not going to give up power without a fight.

The drug lords have infiltrated the Mexican police. Surely they don’t
want the end of their profitable partnership with corrupt police
officers, prosecutors and judges.

President-elect Fox wants to reduce the power of the president and
give more power to the Mexican congress. This means that the people of
Mexico will have more power, since they elect congress. That is not good
news for those who have grown fat off official corruption. I pray that
Vicente Fox has able and trusted bodyguards. For his victory has placed
his life in extreme danger.

If you think I overestimate, all you have to do is remember Luis
Donaldo Colosio Murrieta. He was the PRI candidate six-years ago until
he started talking too seriously about reform and helping the people of
Mexico. Then they assassinated him on March 23, 1994. No one ever
explained how a lowly gunman could kill the presidential candidate of
the party that controlled Mexico. But then, no one had to explain
anything. Colosio threatened the corrupt power elite of his party. They
next thing we knew, he was dead.

If you are sick and tired of our spineless Republican Congress,
remember Mexico! If they can throw their bums out, what’s our excuse? If
you are sick and tired of the Clinton-Gore scandal ridden government,
remember Mexico! If they can throw their bums out, what’s our excuse? If
you believe that the devil has an emissary in Bill Clinton and think Al
Gore is worse, remember Mexico! If they can throw their bums out, what’s
our excuse?

Some of you doubt that Governor Bush can make a difference in
Washington, because of our spineless Republican Congress. Well, there is
an easy solution to that problem also. Vote in Bush and vote out every
Democrat and Republican jellyfish who has refused to stand up to the
Clinton-Gore mob. What, pray tell, is so difficult about that?

Some of you doubt that Governor Bush is strong enough to stop the
bleeding in Washington. That is a legitimate concern, but one thing is
certain. Al Gore likes Washington just the way it is. So if you want a
change, suck it up and vote for Bush … and then hold his feet to the
fire.

My friends, as I keep reminding you, we own the American government.
Our Mexican friends have just proven that change is as simple as getting
off your rear end and taking action. If you don’t like what is going on
in American politics, leave your cynicism at home and vote for
candidates who will make a difference.

John N. Doggett

John Doggett is a business school professor, management consultant and lawyer who lives in Austin, Texas. In 1998, Talkers Magazine selected John as one of the 100 Most Influential Radio Talk Show Hosts in America . In 1997, Headway Magazine selected John as one of the 20 Most Influential Black Conservatives in America. Read more of John N. Doggett's articles here.