AMLO, on the news that PAN's Josefina Vázquez Mota wants to seek PAN's presidential nomination:
"She is a member of the mafia of power."
Given that AMLO's 2006 loss - yes, he lost - has often been chalked up to this kind of discourse (rather than, say, his actual political program, which was quite centrist) characterizing a possible (likely?) competitor in the 2012 race as a member of the "mafia," is demonstrating very little sense of political learning.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Mexico's desperately needed fiscal reform
An El Universal editorial addresses a long known truth that nonetheless warrants repetition:
In Latin America, only Haiti, the poorest country in the hemisphere, collects less tax revenue than Mexico - around 10 percent of its gross domestic product - compared to almost 40 percent of the quite comparable case of Brazil, and the 30-40 range of the OECD countries.
What does this mean? That very few people pay taxes in Mexico.
Oh, and by the way, Carlos Slim is back on the top as the richest man on the planet.
In Latin America, only Haiti, the poorest country in the hemisphere, collects less tax revenue than Mexico - around 10 percent of its gross domestic product - compared to almost 40 percent of the quite comparable case of Brazil, and the 30-40 range of the OECD countries.
What does this mean? That very few people pay taxes in Mexico.
Oh, and by the way, Carlos Slim is back on the top as the richest man on the planet.
PAN and Wikileaks. Pounding Pascual
The continuing reactions to Carlos Pascual's leaked assessments of PAN's potential presidential contenders, whom the U.S. ambassador in confidential non-for-distribution cable characterized as "gray" and "weak," are becoming increasingly pathetic and, as far as I can see, counterproductive, given thaty they assure the continuing dissemination of Pascual's negative characterizations of the PAN.
Gustavo Madero, PAN leader, says: The cable "hurts very much the relations between Mexico and the United States."
PAN senator José González Morfín, to add head of the party's senate group, says:
"How little diplomatic Ambassador Pascual has emerged - I have no knowledge of any representative in the diplomatic history of Mexico who has behaved like this."
Really? Perhaps because there were no such leaks in the past. For crying out loud: Pascual did not make these declarations with the intent of making them public; they were released by Wikileaks! Of course Madero and González Morfín are not as stupid as to think the U.S. embassy does not make assessments of presidential contenders - so why on earth do they continue this pathetic knee-jerk reaction to a document that was for internal use only? It is making the party look pretty stupid, and not just "grey" and "weak," as Pascual, in what seems to me to be a quite accurate assessment, noted in the cable.
Gustavo Madero, PAN leader, says: The cable "hurts very much the relations between Mexico and the United States."
PAN senator José González Morfín, to add head of the party's senate group, says:
"How little diplomatic Ambassador Pascual has emerged - I have no knowledge of any representative in the diplomatic history of Mexico who has behaved like this."
Really? Perhaps because there were no such leaks in the past. For crying out loud: Pascual did not make these declarations with the intent of making them public; they were released by Wikileaks! Of course Madero and González Morfín are not as stupid as to think the U.S. embassy does not make assessments of presidential contenders - so why on earth do they continue this pathetic knee-jerk reaction to a document that was for internal use only? It is making the party look pretty stupid, and not just "grey" and "weak," as Pascual, in what seems to me to be a quite accurate assessment, noted in the cable.
The case of Basilia Ucan Nah: United Nations gets involved
The case of Basilia Ucan Nah, an indigenous woman in Quintana Roo, accused of pimping, stinks to high heaven.
Now, the United Nations is getting involved: Its High Commissioner for Human Rights has requested that authorities in Quintana Roo revise the case. OHCHR Javier Hernández Valencia representative met with the accused, and also sought to speak with local judicial authorities, though without luck.
Why? They were unavailable, busy celebrating carneval.
Now, the United Nations is getting involved: Its High Commissioner for Human Rights has requested that authorities in Quintana Roo revise the case. OHCHR Javier Hernández Valencia representative met with the accused, and also sought to speak with local judicial authorities, though without luck.
Why? They were unavailable, busy celebrating carneval.
Women in the Mexican Congress: Disheartening numbers
María del Carmen Alanís is head of the TEPJF, Mexico's highest electoral tribunal. Yet as she notes, in the Mexican legislature, women are sadly far and few between:
- In the Senate: 18 out of 128 women senators, or barely 14 percent
- In the Chamber of Deputies, worse still: 28 out of 500, or 5.6 percent (!)
A long, long, long way to go.
--> CORRECTED - apparent typo in article (thanks, Yann!) : At least 124 out of 500 - or less than 25 percent.
Still a pretty long way to go...
- In the Senate: 18 out of 128 women senators, or barely 14 percent
- In the Chamber of Deputies, worse still: 28 out of 500, or 5.6 percent (!)
A long, long, long way to go.
--> CORRECTED - apparent typo in article (thanks, Yann!) : At least 124 out of 500 - or less than 25 percent.
Still a pretty long way to go...
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