Mexican Politics

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mis2810

Guest
I've been an avid reader of pre-Hispanic fiction and non-fiction for years now. Recently I've become more interested in modern day Mexican politics. I'm halfway through "Opening Mexico: The Making of a Democracy" and I'm getting dizzy from shaking my head so much. http://www.amazon.com/Opening-Mexico-Making-Democracy-ebook/dp/B008DM2J92/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1380124862&sr=8-1&keywords=opening+mexico

What got me started on this was the news (rumor?) that Raul Salinas Gortari was or will be named as Enrique Peña Nieto's head of the privatization of Pemex. That's like giving the fox the keys to the hen house. Corruption in Mexico was no surprise to me, but the criminal depth of it is shocking. Still, there is no perfect country and I'd live in Mexico in a heartbeat - without the rose colored glasses.
 
mexicoruss

mexicoruss

Lovin it in RP!
There are very few men or women in power that are not corrupt. It is the nature of the beast when you put a human over other humans. Most of the problems of the world are caused by greed and blind ambition. The idea that that paper stuff is really worth anything is almost funny, so us little people just watch as these pigs steal and deceive and rob us blind. Oh well, I live in a nice house in a nice place and really don't care much about the current political system. As long as the beach is there and the beer is cold and we continue to try to be good to our neighbors that's really all we can do.
Even if a person is good at heart and has great ideas when he or she is elected, it doesn't take long for the machine to eat them alive. It's sad but it is what it is.
 
jerry

jerry

Guest
That belief system is cynical,anti humanist,lazy and smug.Things get better or things get worse.At the tipping point some guy sitting on the beach drinking was not much help.
 
Roberto

Roberto

Guest
Living here for a bit, being fascinated with human behavior and reading a lot of history and social stuff, I've been struck with some of this. Maybe it's just a mind game for me but, play around with the definitions of corruption, bribery, etc. Then put on a set of cultural glasses and see where your thinking ends up. I've done this often over the years. One thing that has struck me is if you look at the countries colonized by Spain in the early days, you will find a cultural shift in thinking that has reconceptualized some of these processes. It also helps if you stick with the philosophy of Chuang Tsu and not Confucious if you are an East as opposed to West thinker. Many words and concepts carry a super load of implications and generalizations coloring meaning which varies markedly by culture. Just think about 'Democrat", 'Republican', 'Tea Party' as some super loaded words in the US. Categorize someone as a Liberal and think about all the baggage that got dumped on them. The values of the most powerful and influential cultures dominates.
 
mexicoruss

mexicoruss

Lovin it in RP!
jerry said:
That belief system is cynical,anti humanist,lazy and smug.Things get better or things get worse.At the tipping point some guy sitting on the beach drinking was not much help.
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Jerry you get to live 70-80 years, you're going to waste it trying to control other people.....no thanks. I try to help everyone I can but we cannot make a dent in this system of things, spin your wheels all you want, it's still wheel spinning. Thanks for your post though I am glad to have you around for balance. As for me I will live my life the way I wish - if it's a wrong course I will find out soon enough. I have time for my wife, my kids and grandkids, I am not stressed out by the current condition of the world because I know where my place is. On edit,,thanks for the compliments......
 
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mis2810

Guest
mondone said:
PRI, welcome back.
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That was my first reaction as well, but it's the PAN and the PRD also. As Roberto said, it comes with the territory of being colonialized by Spain. Not that we don't have it here in the US, but how easy it is to "turn the other cheek" in Mexico is astounding. I'm not talking about the petty $20.00 mordidas, I'm talking billions of dollars in payoffs and murders.
 
jerry

jerry

Guest
I think the "this is just the way it is in Spanish culture" meme is racist and forgets the unbelievable democracies in South American and by the way a country named Spain. You need to expand your knowledge base a bit before you give up on the people of Mexico.
 
dirtsurfer

dirtsurfer

Guest
I believe there is an equal amount of corruption in the U.S.. We all have to be careful though because corruption is most often an assumed condition and not a proven one. The biggest problem is that there are not enough political parties sharing power. Basically we have two parties in power in both Mexico and the U.S. Party politics dictate everything. If you are not beholden to the party then you are cut off and flushed away. We need much more diversity in our representation so there is more watchdogging. For instance: as much as I disagree with the Green party in the U.S., it would be good to have a few of them in elected positions to voice their opinions and bring wider representation.

I truly wonder if "normal", working class people were elected to positions for a limited time that maybe things would be better.
 
S

Southbeacher

Guest
dirtsurfer said:
I believe there is an equal amount of corruption in the U.S.. We all have to be careful though because corruption is most often an assumed condition and not a proven one. The biggest problem is that there are not enough political parties sharing power. Basically we have two parties in power in both Mexico and the U.S. Party politics dictate everything. If you are not beholden to the party then you are cut off and flushed away. We need much more diversity in our representation so there is more watchdogging. For instance: as much as I disagree with the Green party in the U.S., it would be good to have a few of them in elected positions to voice their opinions and bring wider representation.

I truly wonder if "normal", working class people were elected to positions for a limited time that maybe things would be better.
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Agree with your last sentence. As for the second sentence, I would hold that rampant corruption in the US at least, has been proven many times over.
 
Roberto

Roberto

Guest
jerry said:
I think the "this is just the way it is in Spanish culture" meme is racist and forgets the unbelievable democracies in South American and by the way a country named Spain. You need to expand your knowledge base a bit before you give up on the people of Mexico.
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I guess it looks that way but my post was not intended to be negative or critical. Too complex or an idea to explain in a short post I guess.
 
Kenny

Kenny

Guest
Roberto said:
I guess it looks that way but my post was not intended to be negative or critical. Too complex or an idea to explain in a short post I guess.
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The first thing I thought off was the difference between N.M. and A.Z... There is no question the a lot of that difference is because of the heavy Spanish influence in N.M. compared to A.Z.'s minimal amount. As you well know Roberto, the Patron is still alive and well in parts of New Mexico.
 
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