Un poco de la historia. So, in brief, the PRI, centrist party, had ruled the country for over 70 years. It essentially served as a dictatorship, incorporating most unions, associations, and organizations, and was corrupt by all measures. In 1994 NAFTA, developed under Bush I's watch and signed into law under Clinton's, with promises of better economic opportunities for Mexico, went into affect. In 2000 the PRI lost the presidency to the PAN, right-wing party, which continued on with privatizing Mexico's markets.
Comercio libre. Essentially, the policies that the US, PRI (centrist) and PAN (right-wing) have implemented, enforced and/or promoted are creating an even larger class divide in Mexico (and the U.S., for that matter, as we are beginning to see middle class jobs threatened with globalization- not immigration) and are forcing many rural Mexicans to leave their homes for larger cities and often el otro lado (U.S.). An example of what happens is this: A small farmer in southern Mexico has for decades grown corn to sell in the market. He does moderately well and can afford to live a poor, but liveable life. Suddenly, he is not able to sell his corn at the market because there is a vendor at the other end of the market selling corn for half the price. The corn has been imported in from either the U.S. or Canada and is able to be sold at a significantly lower price because of the HUGE subsidies the U.S. and Canadian governments gives to enormous agri-business corporations like ConAgra and Monsanto.
La migración. The farmer and others like him can longer afford to feed their families because their only ability to make money in the rural area has been threatened. The farmers then decide to move to the city to find work. Th
e city is huge, crowded, expensive (in fact, many prices at the grocery store I went to today, which is incidentally owned by Wal-Mart, have just slightly lower prices than the Giant where I shopped in Washingon, D.C.) and there is little work. If the farmer actually finds formal employment (through a business or company) he probably makes the Mexican minimum wage of barely $5 a day. But most often he is earning through the informal economy by selling wares on the sidewalk or doing sporadic manual labor. He finally decides he cannot afford to feed and house his family anymore and makes the painful decision to leave, hoping it is temporary, for El Norte.La situación ahorita. The July 2 elections between Andres Manual Lopez Obrador (PRD) and Felipe Calderon (PAN) are widely believed to be riddled with fraud. Lopez Obrador of the PRD (leftist party) is said to have lost the election by a little more than 200,000 votes. Sound familar? And Mexicans took to the streets. They demanded an open count of all votes. Sound familar? The Zocalo, the main plaza in the center of the city, was packed with protesters (click for a photo) in July. In August PRD voters that believe their votes were not counted in the official polls blocked a main street in acts of civil disobedience. Currently, there is a huge planton, large tent city, on the Zocalo and throughout the central area of the city, of protesters vowing they will be there until there is a full recount. Last week President Vicente Fox was set to give his last Informe, State of
the Union, to Congress but decided not to because PRD members in Congress stood where he would be (another photo) giving it carrying signs accusing him of aiding in the fraud to make Calderon the winner. Calderon of the PAN (right-wing party that holds the presidency now with Vicente Fox) this week was declared president by the highest court in the land. Sound familiar? Added to that is Mexican Idenpendence Day this September 15 and 16. With the country so divided and feeling angry and frustrated with the political system and the continual plummeting of quality of life, this is sure to be an interesting and inspiring next couple of months.¿Qué signífica eso? You all know I love politics. I especially love it when the disenfranchised organize and demand justice. But I am writing this hoping that this can give a decent portrayal of the macro-context in which I'll be working. More importantly, the situation in which Mexico's poor, working class and middle class have to work and live. The farmer mentioned earlier is the face of who picks our tomatoes in Florida. He is the man that cleans our office building in San Francisco. He works endless hours in a chicken processing plant in the Mid-west. Or he paints our house in Washington, D.C. (despite our protests- shout out to the Emmaus girls). There is a direct connection between the economic state in Mexico and the U.S. And while we often are given numbers and statistics on a large scale, we are seldom asked to know the individuals and their stories within the masses. And incredibly complex individuals with deeply moving stories they are.
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