Mexico's wretched refuse - Mexico is exporting the wrong Mexicans

Since 05-23-06

By Dimitri Vassilaros

TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Monday, May 22, 2006

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/opinion/columnists/vassilaros/s_454694.html

Mexico is exporting the wrong Mexicans.

Instead of trying to keep the most industrious ones to help their country morph from Third World to first, Mexico encourages them to relocate by any means necessary into the United States.

As it browbeats the Bush administration to give the 11 million-plus illegal ones rubber-stamped American citizenship.

While calculating Mexican couples nesting in our bulrushes who procreate instant Americans -- delivery to the promised land by drive-by birthing.

But not all Mexicans want to live here. It just seems that way. A few like their homeland. No, make that really, really, really like their homeland. It's easy to see why even though they want no one to notice.

Mexico calls itself a republic. Perhaps there is no Spanish word for oligarchy.

The Center for Immigration Studies published an eye-opening study -- "Mexican Officials Feather Their Nests While Decrying U.S. Immigration Policy" -- by George W. Grayson, professor of government at the College of William & Mary. Mr. Grayson lets the gato out of the bag.

He sets the tone with a quote attributed to Carlos Hank Gonzalez: "Show me a politician who is poor and I will show you a poor politician."

The obscenely high salaries, generous stipends, year-end bonuses of many Mexican federal and local politicians and slush fund money they spread around are just the tip of the enchilada.

"Average salaries (plus Christmas stipends known as aguinaldos) place the average compensation of Mexican state executives at $125,759, which exceeds by almost $10,000 the mean earnings of their U.S. counterparts ($115,778)," according to the study.

President Vicente Fox ($236,693) makes more than the leaders of France ($95,658) and the United Kingdom ($211,434).

Although they are in session only a few months a year, Mexican deputies take home at least $148,000 annually and at the end of the three-year term give themselves a $28,000 "leaving-office bonus."

Members of the 32 state legislatures ($60,632) earn on average twice the amount earned by U.S. state legislators ($28,261).

The average compensation of Mexican state executives is $125,759. In the U.S., $115,778.

Well-connected Mexican businessmen also do well, like Carlos Slim, the third-richest man in the world, according to Grayson. Mr. Slim made his fortune by essentially controlling virtually all the telephone lines in the country, says Grayson.

He also says there only are two large TV networks, two major food processing companies and one huge cement company.

"India and China are eating Mexico's lunch," Grayson says.

"If Taiwan or Singapore could lease Mexico for 20 years, we gringos would be whining about the colossus of the south and would be trying to sneak into Mexico because it has everything; oil, gas, minerals, beaches, museums, archeological sites, mountains ... ."

Everything including the parasites who feast on the perpetual banquet of misery created by their greed. The same parasites who lecture America about how it should treat the poverty-stricken Mexican peons who risk life and limb to escape their homeland for the chance to work nonstop like rented mules in the hope that maybe someday -- just maybe -- they will be real Americans instead of virtual ones.

The people Mexico needs most are the least of its worries.

Dimitri Vassilaros is a Trib editorial page columnist. His column appears Sundays, Mondays and Fridays. Call him at 412-380-5637. E-mail him at dvassilaros@tribweb.com.