7 ms·

I agree with the fact that the Mexican state needs strength to deal with this. I think I just heard on NPR this morning that more poppies are being grown in Mex

I agree with the fact that the Mexican state needs strength to deal with this. I think I just heard on NPR this morning that more poppies are being grown in Mexico as of late due to perfect climate. I also read the farmers get nearly nothing for their crop, and obviously the high end cartels take all the profits anyways. How would the US possibly strengthen the Mexican Government though, barring massive investment?

krrrh 9y ago
> How would the US possibly strengthen the Mexican Government though, barring massive investment? Not creating uncertainty by constantly threatening to pull out of NAFTA would be a good start. Helping to strengthen Mexico's economy was once a mainstream republican position seen to mutually benefit both countries. [1] [1] Excerpt on illegal immigrants from Regan/Bush 1980 primary debate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsmgPp_nlok https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsmgPp_nlok
- djrogers 9y ago
  > Not creating uncertainty by constantly threatening to pull out of NAFTA would be a good start. Not that I think such an action would be a good idea, or that threatening it is either, but what about the previous 20 years of NAFTA make you believe that it’s strengthening the Mexican state?
  - krrrh 9y ago
    It's a general impression from years of reading newspapers. I'm not an expert, I haven't worked out the probabilities of what Mexico would be like without NAFTA, and there are dozens of other confounding factors such as corruption, competition from Asia, war on drugs, innovation-stifling industrial policy (see Carlos Slim's fortune) etc.. I was more focusing on the uncertainty created by the unclear messages from Washington, which does materially delay investment and confidence within Mexico, and makes it harder for the state to focus on defeating the cartels. Though I do believe that trade generally has a positive impact on economies as a whole.
coredog64 9y ago
End US crop subsidies. Small Mexican farmers can't compete with large, mechanized, subsidized operations in the US. Subsequently they aren't working paying taxes. This would also be a boon to agricultural nation's in Africa.
- derekp7 9y ago
  Would that result in a higher price for food (something everyone needs to survive), and end up hurting more people than it helps?
  - Cogito 9y ago
    A thesis I've been hearing a lot about recently goes something like the following. It doesn't speak directly to subsidising food production costs, but is related to the same idea - what is wrong with cheap and plentiful food? Here is the thesis: ---- Ongoing food and clothing donations to countries in need cause more harm than good. While short term donations are able to help bridge emergency situations, such as after a natural disaster, ongoing donations lead to dependence. Local producers of food and clothes are unable to compete with free, donated goods, and so switch their production to other goods or stop producing altogether. If and when the supply of donated goods runs out, the country has already lost their ability to provide for themselves. Thus, when supplying aid to countries in need, it is essential to promote local independence in addition to filling their immediate need, taking care to avoid the creation of a dependency.
    - derekp7 9y ago
      Ah, so that's sort of like what I've always heard about using bird feeders -- that the birds will get dependant on it, and if you stop filling them, a lot of birds will die off.
    - TheCoelacanth 9y ago
      It's basically just the same problem as with the predatory pricing strategy called "dumping". You price your product below your cost to produce it to make your competition go out of business, then you can raise prices to exploit your monopoly position. In kind food aid is essentially unintentional predatory pricing.
JamesBarney 9y ago
Decriminalize other drugs.
- neosavvy 9y ago
  Dude, seriously that seems like a terrible idea. We already have an issue with legitimate drugs. Additionally the original argument was that cartels will seek out whatever means they can to make money. It'll just shift their efforts towards other money making schemes, ie human trafficking or kidnapping and ransom.
  - JamesBarney 9y ago
    But those avenues are far less profitable than drugs, and easier to stop. Lets look at a historical example, after prohibition did human trafficking and kidnapping jump up enormously because the gangs were going to make money somehow? Or did the number of violent crimes and influence of gangs drop off because there wasn't a huge river of cash flowing into their pockets afterwards? Sure we have an issue with legitimate drugs. Decriminalizing will not stop our drug problem, but it will reduce our, and especially mexico's crime problem. And I, and I bet all of north mexico would rather have a drug problem than a crime problem. (For one drug's only directly affect the user, but crime affects everyone)
Hasz 9y ago
Let Mexico take the manufacturing the US doesn't want -- heavy industrial, low wage, quick turn assembly. You get to cut China/SE Asia, boost Mexico, and provide a competitive advantage to US business. Imagine if Mexico had the manufacturing capability of China, plus a growing middle class, fueled by no-education-necessary manufacturing jobs. As a business, you don't have to deal with BS joint ventures, no time zone delay, no 3mo ship journeys, etc. The US is more than capable of boosting Mexico to this state.
- topmonk 9y ago
  > Imagine if Mexico had the manufacturing capability of China, plus a growing middle class, fueled by no-education-necessary manufacturing jobs. More excessive pollution? We don't need another China.

krrrh 9y ago

> How would the US possibly strengthen the Mexican Government though, barring massive investment? Not creating uncertainty by constantly threatening to pull out of NAFTA would be a good start. Helping to strengthen Mexico's economy was once a mainstream republican position seen to mutually benefit both countries. [1] [1] Excerpt on illegal immigrants from Regan/Bush 1980 primary debate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsmgPp_nlok https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsmgPp_nlok

djrogers 9y ago
> Not creating uncertainty by constantly threatening to pull out of NAFTA would be a good start. Not that I think such an action would be a good idea, or that threatening it is either, but what about the previous 20 years of NAFTA make you believe that it’s strengthening the Mexican state?
- krrrh 9y ago
  It's a general impression from years of reading newspapers. I'm not an expert, I haven't worked out the probabilities of what Mexico would be like without NAFTA, and there are dozens of other confounding factors such as corruption, competition from Asia, war on drugs, innovation-stifling industrial policy (see Carlos Slim's fortune) etc.. I was more focusing on the uncertainty created by the unclear messages from Washington, which does materially delay investment and confidence within Mexico, and makes it harder for the state to focus on defeating the cartels. Though I do believe that trade generally has a positive impact on economies as a whole.

coredog64 9y ago

End US crop subsidies. Small Mexican farmers can't compete with large, mechanized, subsidized operations in the US. Subsequently they aren't working paying taxes. This would also be a boon to agricultural nation's in Africa.

derekp7 9y ago
Would that result in a higher price for food (something everyone needs to survive), and end up hurting more people than it helps?
- Cogito 9y ago
  A thesis I've been hearing a lot about recently goes something like the following. It doesn't speak directly to subsidising food production costs, but is related to the same idea - what is wrong with cheap and plentiful food? Here is the thesis: ---- Ongoing food and clothing donations to countries in need cause more harm than good. While short term donations are able to help bridge emergency situations, such as after a natural disaster, ongoing donations lead to dependence. Local producers of food and clothes are unable to compete with free, donated goods, and so switch their production to other goods or stop producing altogether. If and when the supply of donated goods runs out, the country has already lost their ability to provide for themselves. Thus, when supplying aid to countries in need, it is essential to promote local independence in addition to filling their immediate need, taking care to avoid the creation of a dependency.
  - derekp7 9y ago
    Ah, so that's sort of like what I've always heard about using bird feeders -- that the birds will get dependant on it, and if you stop filling them, a lot of birds will die off.
  - TheCoelacanth 9y ago
    It's basically just the same problem as with the predatory pricing strategy called "dumping". You price your product below your cost to produce it to make your competition go out of business, then you can raise prices to exploit your monopoly position. In kind food aid is essentially unintentional predatory pricing.

JamesBarney 9y ago

Decriminalize other drugs.

neosavvy 9y ago
Dude, seriously that seems like a terrible idea. We already have an issue with legitimate drugs. Additionally the original argument was that cartels will seek out whatever means they can to make money. It'll just shift their efforts towards other money making schemes, ie human trafficking or kidnapping and ransom.
- JamesBarney 9y ago
  But those avenues are far less profitable than drugs, and easier to stop. Lets look at a historical example, after prohibition did human trafficking and kidnapping jump up enormously because the gangs were going to make money somehow? Or did the number of violent crimes and influence of gangs drop off because there wasn't a huge river of cash flowing into their pockets afterwards? Sure we have an issue with legitimate drugs. Decriminalizing will not stop our drug problem, but it will reduce our, and especially mexico's crime problem. And I, and I bet all of north mexico would rather have a drug problem than a crime problem. (For one drug's only directly affect the user, but crime affects everyone)

Hasz 9y ago

Let Mexico take the manufacturing the US doesn't want -- heavy industrial, low wage, quick turn assembly. You get to cut China/SE Asia, boost Mexico, and provide a competitive advantage to US business. Imagine if Mexico had the manufacturing capability of China, plus a growing middle class, fueled by no-education-necessary manufacturing jobs. As a business, you don't have to deal with BS joint ventures, no time zone delay, no 3mo ship journeys, etc. The US is more than capable of boosting Mexico to this state.

topmonk 9y ago
> Imagine if Mexico had the manufacturing capability of China, plus a growing middle class, fueled by no-education-necessary manufacturing jobs. More excessive pollution? We don't need another China.