Alonso Lujambio, Calderón's secretary of education, who wants badly to be president but in his job has utterly failed to challenge the choke hold the SNTE teachers' "union" is having on Mexico's education levels, manage to serve this gold grain of wisdom on crime:
"I categorically reject the hypothesis that poverty leads social groups to associate with illegal activities. Those who do opt for this option, do it freely."
Despite that the relationship between crime, inequality, and poverty is among the most solid and well documented in the social science literature, Lujambio wants to let Mexicans know that poverty has nothing to do with Mexico's crime levels; rather, it is a "moral choice," an elección moral.
It is not about ideology, but simply empirical reality. And to think that this Neanderthal is nominally in charge of Mexico's education: that, rather, is a moral choice, and a poor one at that.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
The Mexican Green Party: A family enterprise devoid of principles
Milenio on Sunday had an excellent article on the Mexican Green Party (Partido Verde Ecologista de México, PVEM), a party that even among other opportunistic parties truly stand out.
There are several small parties in Mexico - Convergencia, PANAL, PT, etc - that are characterized by very little if any ideology at all, but with a stunning level of opportunism and lack of principles, yet even compared with this ilk, the Green Party is truly something special: It is not only the world's only rightwing "environmentalist" party - one of its main issues has been to reintroduce the death penalty in Mexico - but also because the party has shown pretty much a complete disregard even for environmental issues: The European Federation of Green Parties as a result denied recognizing the PVEM as a green party.
One may also recall the "niño verde" scandal of 2004, when Jorge Emilio González Martínez, son of party founder Emilio González Torres - the party is essentially a family enterprise - was caught on tape apparently negotiating bribes where land grants would be given to beach developers in protected zones, in return for cash.
Nor does the party support any of the social liberal issues of other post-materialist green parties: In Mexico City, the party did not vote in favor of the law that legalized gay unions; in Guadalajara, moreover, its candidate for mayor in 2009, Gamaliel Ramírez, was fined by the state's electoral institute for anti-gay slurs against a gay opponent.
In any case: The Milenio article does a great job of detailing the lack of any political convictions of this party. Mexico's democracy would be far better off without this party.
There are several small parties in Mexico - Convergencia, PANAL, PT, etc - that are characterized by very little if any ideology at all, but with a stunning level of opportunism and lack of principles, yet even compared with this ilk, the Green Party is truly something special: It is not only the world's only rightwing "environmentalist" party - one of its main issues has been to reintroduce the death penalty in Mexico - but also because the party has shown pretty much a complete disregard even for environmental issues: The European Federation of Green Parties as a result denied recognizing the PVEM as a green party.
One may also recall the "niño verde" scandal of 2004, when Jorge Emilio González Martínez, son of party founder Emilio González Torres - the party is essentially a family enterprise - was caught on tape apparently negotiating bribes where land grants would be given to beach developers in protected zones, in return for cash.
Nor does the party support any of the social liberal issues of other post-materialist green parties: In Mexico City, the party did not vote in favor of the law that legalized gay unions; in Guadalajara, moreover, its candidate for mayor in 2009, Gamaliel Ramírez, was fined by the state's electoral institute for anti-gay slurs against a gay opponent.
In any case: The Milenio article does a great job of detailing the lack of any political convictions of this party. Mexico's democracy would be far better off without this party.
Will PAN decline for Encinas in Mexico State?
Notably, Francisco Gárate, PAN's representative to the state's electoral institute, did not discard the possibility that the PAN candidate will eventually decline in favor of the PRD candidate, should the latter be much further ahead in the polls. This did indeed happen in Guerrero, but PAN is much stronger in Mexico State, and this will not fly well with many of its base members.
Mexico City polls: PRD has stopped fall, growing
The glass is half full or half empty: One the one hand, the PRD's vote intention in its Mexico City bastion is 25 percent, down from 36 percent in 2007. On the other hand, according to this El Universal poll, the party appears to have stopped its decline and is actually on the rise. The PRI, notably, follows with 20 percent, while PAN is down to 12. Given that no official candidate for Mexico City mayor has been chosen by any party, this is of course very preliminary and says little of support for actual candidates.
Given that she was PRI president, Beatriz Paredes Rangel has the highest recognition - 92 percent respond that they have heard of here - but I rather see Senator María de los Ángeles Moreno as the PRI's eventual candidate: The arch-salinista has done a lot of groundwork for her campaign in Mexico City as head of the Federal District Commission in the Senate, while Paredes has been busy with the national PRI.
For more on potential candidates, see the full graphic here
Given that she was PRI president, Beatriz Paredes Rangel has the highest recognition - 92 percent respond that they have heard of here - but I rather see Senator María de los Ángeles Moreno as the PRI's eventual candidate: The arch-salinista has done a lot of groundwork for her campaign in Mexico City as head of the Federal District Commission in the Senate, while Paredes has been busy with the national PRI.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Dirty dealings in Mexico's National Forestry Commission?
Mexico's National Forestry Commission, Comisión Nacional Forestal (Conafor), has seen its budget increase 32-fold since its foundation in 2001 during the government of Vicente Fox. Its 2010 expenses stand at 6.57 billion pesos. All good and well, one might think, given Mexico's continued emphasis on reforestation and restoration of the country's forests.
However, Milenio has gotten access to a report by the organization's own comptroller, which strongly suggest that Conafor's procurement committee has drastically favored and overpaid some actors for tree plants and tree production. The report in particular signals business owners Carlos Urrea and Raúl Jiménez Michel, both from Jalisco and members of prominent PAN families from the state, as apparent beneficiaries of favoritism from Conafor - and its increased budget. One can only hope that a criminal investigation will be launched as well.
However, Milenio has gotten access to a report by the organization's own comptroller, which strongly suggest that Conafor's procurement committee has drastically favored and overpaid some actors for tree plants and tree production. The report in particular signals business owners Carlos Urrea and Raúl Jiménez Michel, both from Jalisco and members of prominent PAN families from the state, as apparent beneficiaries of favoritism from Conafor - and its increased budget. One can only hope that a criminal investigation will be launched as well.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Ángel Aguirre, governor
Ángel Aguirre assumed as governor of Guerrero Friday, an event, which was attended by range of PRD and aliancista governors, and Interior Secretary José Francisco Blake Mora.
His predecessor, Zeferino Torreblanca, didn't even bother showing up for the ceremony
First order of the new government: Signing an agreement with Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard to set up the Metrobus system in Guerrero. Expect more to follow soon: During his campaign, Aguirre often spoke of copying Mexico City's very successful social programs, some set up by AMLO, others developed by Ebrard. He may in the end prove some of his critics wrong and do govern from the center-left.
His predecessor, Zeferino Torreblanca, didn't even bother showing up for the ceremony
First order of the new government: Signing an agreement with Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard to set up the Metrobus system in Guerrero. Expect more to follow soon: During his campaign, Aguirre often spoke of copying Mexico City's very successful social programs, some set up by AMLO, others developed by Ebrard. He may in the end prove some of his critics wrong and do govern from the center-left.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Final results of Mexico State vote on PRD-PAN alliance
According to Sergio Aguayo, presidente of Propuesta Cívica, co-responsible for arranging this weekend's vote:
* 250, 985 participated
* Of these, 198,217 voted in favor of a PRD-PAn electoral alliance, or close to 79 percent
* 43,008, or 17.2 percent, voted against
* 6,330, or 2.5 percent, voted "I Don't know"
* 3,358, or 1.34 percent, spoiled/invalidated their vote (intentionally or by mistake)
Sure, given Mexico's State population, it may not seem too impressive, but that a quarter of a million bothered to take time to vote in what is not even a party primary, but only a vote on electoral alliances, is still quite noteworthy.
* 250, 985 participated
* Of these, 198,217 voted in favor of a PRD-PAn electoral alliance, or close to 79 percent
* 43,008, or 17.2 percent, voted against
* 6,330, or 2.5 percent, voted "I Don't know"
* 3,358, or 1.34 percent, spoiled/invalidated their vote (intentionally or by mistake)
Sure, given Mexico's State population, it may not seem too impressive, but that a quarter of a million bothered to take time to vote in what is not even a party primary, but only a vote on electoral alliances, is still quite noteworthy.
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