Art De Vany: Mexico and other things

« A Picture of 70 | Main | Libertarian with a little "l" »

Mexico and other things

September 9, 2007 02:32 PM

I came back a bit earlier than I had planned from Puerto Vallarta. My unit was late being finished and it is the only one in the building that can be lived in right now. The common grounds are not finished either. Given the humidity in this nearly tropical part of Mexico right now, there was not point in toughing it out. We will go back when the weather is more agreeable.

I had a bit of Montezuma's revenge just before driving home, which made the 1600 mile trip a bit hard. Even then, I made it home in just 2 days, not speeding either. I was able to drive long days alone and had little difficulty driving 20 hours the last day. So, I would say my endurance is OK at this age. (The only time I talk much about my age is near my birthday, it is only a number as far as I am concerned).

Speaking of Montezuma's revenge, a mild ameobic dysintery, the real Montezuma's revenge on the Spanish was syphillis. A disease that did not previously exist in Europe, syphillis exacted a terrible toll on health and history. It is thought that Ivan the Terrible and Henry VIII had syphillis that made them mad later in life. Probably, Nietzche had it too, or so I have read. In many cases, syphillis lies dormant or non-obvious as it attacks the nervous system and progresses into madness.

I see Mexico going through a real change; in Puerto Vallarta there is much prosperity and stupendous growth, fueled by Americans and Canadians buying property. Many quality developments are underway and selling briskly.

Even inland in the agricultural area around Culiacan there is substantial growth and wealth formation. The fields there look as well developed as though of Italy and many parts of the US. In the town there are new car dealerships, including Cadillac/Saab and Mercedes Benz as well as new Dodge and other maker dealerships. And they all look as clean and stylish as the best US dealerships.

The housing and poor buildings that you see are often on properties with unclear or disputed title; squatters or Ejido dwellings (they do not own the land in the Ejidos thanks to the strange land reforms in Mexico after the Revolution) are run down or unfinished or abandoned. This is true everywhere, even in New York at Jamaica Bay where the summer cottages are squatting on city-owned land. Or on Indian reservations or even religious fundamentalist communities where the church has title to all the land.

In 100 years, Mexico and even Bangledesh will be wealthy countries. The growth in wealth in the last century has been enormous and is moving at a far faster rate in this century.

The Mexicans I met on the trip were all friendly and helpful; I think they are more polite than I usually see here. There is a civility among the people that one hears little of as our media tends to cover the Marxist politicians and the drug runners and coyotes most. Of course, we should have a worker program that lets these people come here to work under conditions that are legal and controlled. The unions and immigration activist groups seem not to want it as the former do not want the additional labor supply and the latter require a clientele for their agenda (which seems to be mostly Anti-American).

· Everything

Comments

Hi Art

If Montezema's real revenge is syphilis, then it wasn't a real revenge. We introduced pox and other bugs and wiped out the population of America. Nothing we could have done about it, the pox would have arrived even if only nuns had come instead of Cortez. Have you read Jared Diamond's "Guns Germs and Steel"?

--Vincent

Posted by: Vincent at September 11, 2007 4:24 AM

Of course, we should have a worker program that lets these people come here to work under conditions that are legal and controlled.

OK, you are right that activists and labor unions are against a guest worker program. I should have teased that emphasis out of your post. However, given my previously stated arguments, it is still less than obvious that such a program would benefit America, starting with the complication of ensuring these temporary workers stay temporary.

Posted by: Krom at September 10, 2007 7:32 AM

The unions and immigration activist groups seem not to want it as the former do not want the additional labor supply and the latter require a clientele for their agenda (which seems to be mostly Anti-American).

This is a very poor apprehension of the political reality. It is erroneous to assume that groups such as labor unions and ethnic activist factions depend on the illegality of the aliens in order to derive power from these trespassers. On the contrary, this "clientele," as you aptly put it, is a boon to these groups, legal or not. The unions and the activist groups get 1) warm bodies to fill their ranks, and 2) a population which depends on them to confiscate handouts from the U.S. taxpayer. It is furthermore acutely erroneous to assert that unions and activist groups oppose "comprehensive immigration reform." The SEIU (a service industry union), La Raza, MeCHA all backed both iterations of the legislation.

Mass unskilled immigration is mostly about socializing the costs of cheap labor for U.S. employers. These employers get a concentrated benefit - cheap workers - while the taxpayer foots the bill for hospitalizing, educating, and incarcerating these laborers.

Steve Sailer (www.isteve.com), from whom I acquired this understanding, is the best go-to guy for this subject.

Posted by: Krom at September 9, 2007 7:42 PM

Art,
I have read previously that you expect modern wealth and innovation to continue to grow and prosper and in this posting you suggest Mexico too will continue to prosper. I too hope we see the continuation modern wealth, however I'm not as certain. You also repeatedly state that non-linear systems are not predictable nor controlable. In light of this why are you so certain of a positive economic future, is this your zen outlook on things?

Posted by: roamer at September 9, 2007 6:20 PM

Mexico and other things

September 9, 2007 02:32 PM

Comments

Post a comment