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sciman

Mar 7, 2010, 7:10 AM

Post #1 of 7 (2499 views)

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drugs fueled by NAFTA funding

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According to an article in the LA Times 3/7, 80% of the "procampo" funds ($1.3 billion last year) intended for distribution to small farmers to atone for NAFTA impacts on small farming no longer provide agricultural supplements, but line the pokiest of politicians and fund illegal crops such as marijuana and opium on the vast tracts of farmlands held by the main drug families.
http://www.latimes.com/...ar07,0,6649106.story

(This post was edited by Rolly on Mar 7, 2010, 7:21 AM)

gpkgto

Mar 7, 2010, 7:47 AM

Post #2 of 7 (2476 views)

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Re: [sciman] drugs fueled by NAFTA funding

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Once any federal funds are distributed to the various Mexican states a serious percentage is drained off into the pockets of the state politicians and their "friends" and families. There is almost no accountability for how the states use federal funds. The governor of Oaxaca used the federal money for building a hospital to buy 160+ automobiles instead.

richmx2

Mar 7, 2010, 8:32 AM

Post #3 of 7 (2455 views)

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Re: [sciman] drugs fueled by NAFTA funding

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I read the news today, oh boy...

This story was all over the Mexican and Latin American media several months ago. That's not a criticism of you for posting it (and I'm glad you did), but given that the U.S. media which ignores Latin America in general, and cherry-picks Mexican news (writing, it seems, only on narcotics exports to the exclusion of anything and everything else) depending on U.S. media sources if one intends to be at all informed about this country (and if you live here, you should be at least somewhat informed) is a very, very bad idea.

http://voiceofmexico.com

Hound Dog

Mar 7, 2010, 12:37 PM

Post #4 of 7 (2406 views)

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Bent Mexico

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Sciman

Don´t let guys such as Rich intimidate you by mocking your news sources. Of course newpaper and other news sources in the United States and all other foreign media cherry pick their reporting and normally choose news items that will entertain their base and, naturally, the news items chosen are more sensational that one might expect from news regarding the year´s mango harvest.

The United States and Mexico and all the world inhabited by human beings is marred by corruption but to deny that Mexico is seriously bent and suffers from terrible and ongoing corruption or that news of massive corruption is less important because it is reported tardily by a foreign news source is, at the least, folly.

I have lived in Mexico long enough to know that widespread corruption is its curse. I can live with that but don't need snotty rejoinders to exhibited and clearly deserved denunciations.

(This post was edited by Hound Dog on Mar 7, 2010, 1:08 PM)

Manuel Dexterity

Mar 7, 2010, 2:17 PM

Post #5 of 7 (2383 views)

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Re: [Hound Dog] Bent Mexico

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Actually mutt, while you are correct about the corruption in this country, sciman's summary of the article is nowhere close to what the newspaper article says or even implies.

The article actually says very little in the way of who got what.

sciman

Mar 8, 2010, 4:36 PM

Post #6 of 7 (2247 views)

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Re: [Manuel Dexterity] Bent Mexico

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I don't believe that I misrepresented the article at all, and I would welcome any pointers where I might be misunderstanding it. I assure you Manuel that I was not intending dexterity with any truth. Was the Mexican press with it's coverage of the same situation "all over Mexican media several months ago" distorting the situation? I don't see myself as having an axe to grind, and these are not issues I know well. For a while there was the meme that the US shared responsibility in fueling trade in arms, and I presumed that was a concern. What surprised me most about the article was to realize that participation in NAFTA funds aimed at helping small farmers was perversely fueling massive investments yielding illicit trade and producing violence.

Manuel Dexterity

Mar 8, 2010, 6:11 PM

Post #7 of 7 (2224 views)

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Re: [sciman] drugs fueled by NAFTA funding

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In Reply To

The article does not state that 80% went to politicians and funded illegal crops although that is what appears they would like you to believe. Try reading it more carefully. It says that 80% went to 20% of the recipients of Procampo aid. It doesn't say Procampo money is funding illegal crop cultivation. It says that the failure of the program has led to more illegal cultivation.

The article is a classic example of sensationalist journalism and it surprises me it comes from the LA Times. It much more resembles Fox News style of journalism.