Last week, President Bush sent a request to Congress for $500 million in supplement aid to Mexico. This is part of a $1.4 billion package known as “Plan Mexico” that aims to combat drug trafficking and other issues of concern involving our southern neighbor. Mexicans are concerned that the plan subverts Mexico’s military and justice system to U.S. demands. Americans are concerned that the plan will be as big of a disaster as Plan Colombia. And Congress is accusing the Bush Administration of keeping information about the plan secret while demanding that they pass the funding before the holiday break. Here’s a quick pictorial rundown of how we’ve ended up in this sorry state.
Americans spend $40 billion per year on drugs that come here from Mexico.
As a result, Mexican drug lords get filthy, stinking rich and very powerful.
Needing someplace to hide all this money, the drug lords started to launder it through Mexican banks.
The Mexican President vows to crack down on this illegal industry.
Gaseous windbags who have no idea what they’re talking about expect this to be simple.
The drug lords use their billions of dollars in profits to arm themselves and bribe public officials.
The violence and corruption wreaks havoc on the Mexican economy, sending millions of people north in search of opportunity.
Drug lords are captured. The head of the DEA declares victory in the drug war.
Gaseous windbags who have no idea what they’re talking about cheer the news and blame Mexico for the immigration problem.
Drug prices spike as addicts continue to drive the market.
The Drug Czar declares victory at the higher drug prices, while crime waves occur along drug distribution points in the US.
New people take over drug distribution in Mexico in order to get filthy, stinking rich and very powerful.
The new drug lords re-establish smuggling routes and drug prices drop. American drug users rejoice.
Gaseous windbags who have no idea what they’re talking about accuse the Mexican government of not being serious and demand that a wall be built along the border.
The Democratic candidates for President argue about whether or not illegal immigrants in New York State should be able to get drivers’ licenses.
The Republican candidates for President vow to keep arresting sick people who use marijuana medicinally.
Drug policy experts explain for the 8 millionth time that the only sensible solution is to decriminalize drug use and have the government regulate and control addictive drugs.
Gaseous windbags who have no idea what they’re talking about scoff at the experts and dismiss them as a radical fringe.
Once the Patriot Act makes it tougher for Americans to make meth in their garages, Mexican drug lords supply it, get even richer, and start putting their money in American banks.
Even more weapons are purchased in the US and smuggled across the border, increasing the amount of terrifying violence.
The Mexican President asks for more assistance from the US while also blaming US drug policy.
Americans do nothing about drug policy while continuing to send millions of people to prison to stop using drugs that 100 million Americans have used.
The President concludes that $40 million per year is not enough money to waste trying to destroy a $40 billion a year industry, so they propose wasting $1 billion instead.
Gaseous windbags who have no idea what they’re talking about are outraged…OUTRAGED!!, that illegal immigrants in New York State can get drivers licenses.
Americans turn to drugs to escape the fact that everyone seems to have their heads up their asses.
Lee, take a bow.
Billmon would be proud of you.
There’s a lot to comment on, but for now I’ll leave it to the question of “illegal” immigration. Its such an enormously complex phenomenon, wrought with hypocrisy on both sides of the border. This has been occuring for 50-60 years at least and you now have several generations of Mexican-Americans who were born to parents who at one time came here illegally. They are now a part of our nation and are contributing to American society in innumerable ways. Any solution to the illegal immigration issue that has as its premise the idea that you are going to somehow deport the 12+ million people is 100% assinine on its face. And you cannot build walls high enough to keep these people out. No amount of fences, walls, bigoted ballot measures, or unworkable laws are going to keep desperate people who are trying to feed and shelter their families out of the US. It is literally a hopeless and impossible solution. These are the people who pick the fruit and vegetables we eat, who dig the trenches at the construction sites of the homes we want to buy, who wash the dishes we ate off of in restaurants, who clean our hotel rooms that we trash, and who nanny our kids. Do these people not deserve just a little respect and dignity, instead of the hateful diahrreah mouth rhetoric we get from talk radio, TV pundits, and Republican politicians? It it the one and only reason I am voting Democrat in 2008. My wife is from Mexico and the bigots during the last immigration debate could have easily been talking about my wife. It frightened the hell out of me. I’m at odds with much of what the Democratic agenda consists of, particularly the hot button cultural and social issues, but I’m 100% against the Republican hate machine when it comes to immigration and for that reason along, Hillary (presumably) will get my vote.
Gaseous and windy, Lee, but fun. You’re even better than Charles at the Slog.
#2 — What part of the Republican hate machine are you in favor of?
Towely is great!
“I choose both!”
Well played.
A+++ Would Read Again!!
We need to come to terms with drug use in America. People like to get high, and that’s their business, despite what O’Reilly and Dobbs have to say about it. The war on drugs has been a failure and wasteful use of resources. It’s time for legalization of drugs and cessation of the futile war against them.
On the other hand, no matter what happens in Mexico, we cannot adopt that country. Mexico needs to solve its corruption problems – we can’t do that for them just as we can’t get the ethnic battles inside Iraq under control.
I do not favor an open border with Mexico or Canada, for that matter. I suspect the Canadians would not appreciate a massive flow of Americans into Canada any more than we appreciate a massive flow of Mexicans and other Latin Americans into our country from the south. We need to deport illegal aliens, regardless of their country of origin and punish those employers who knowingly employ them. If there is no economic incentive for illegal immigration, there will be no illegal immigration.
@7
On the other hand, no matter what happens in Mexico, we cannot adopt that country. Mexico needs to solve its corruption problems – we can’t do that for them just as we can’t get the ethnic battles inside Iraq under control.
Mexico’s corruption problems, by and large, are as bad as they are because of the drug war. If we just do the common sense solution that you advocate in the first paragraph, Mexico will be able to tackle its corruption problem. It’s no different than Chicago or Boston in the 1920s during alcohol prohibition.
If there is no economic incentive for illegal immigration, there will be no illegal immigration.
Part of that is helping to grow Mexico’s economy. Where I disagree with many on the left on the immigration issue is that I don’t believe that NAFTA plays much of a role in the immigration problem. Why are so many US-based places of business employing illegal immigrants when those places of business (factories, etc) could theoretically just move to Mexico and be completely legal? Because Mexico has deeper problems that make doing business there difficult. The drug war is a very big part of that.
Somebody please notify the Pulitzer folks.
Most excellent and funny!
Except the money shot resolve line “Americans take drugs because everyone seems to have their heads up their asses”.
Should be: Americans take drugs because THEY have THEIR heads up their asses.” (so to speak)
The main problem being the off the charts demand FOR DRUGS. IN THE FIRST PLACE not the SUPPLING drug lords. No matter where they are located. Drug lords, we probably agree, would be out of business if there were little or no demand.
As we know, we as a society could legalize drugs and control quality and price. Give the drugs to the addicts and tax the living shit out of the use of drugs to support problems that maybe create by a subculture of junkies.
Then the government and medical people would become sort of the legalized drug lords. Even though it be sort of messy around the edges. Junkies wouldn’t have to steal to support their habits it is argued. Crime would be reduced.
But the bigger problem is how to get people to not use hard drugs in the first place.
One of the common denominator characteristics of drug addiction is blaming the need to take drugs on SOME factor that’s outside of oneself. It sounds like this: society to blame or the boss, or the wife, the cops, dad, mom, family, upbringing, too little or too much education or money the dog, luck etc. The so called BAD cards I’ve been dealt in life excuses.
In this game the user never has to look INSIDE for the source of the PROBLEMS that drive the addiction.
This problem of blaming outside circumstances and people is commonly called self centered “unmanageability”. This feeling of not fitting in is what the addict or alcoholic is treating with the substances they use. Drugs become the solution to how they feel sober. Which is a general feeling of not being part of…the world around them. Making them, in this delusional way of thinking, always a victim.
This is one of the key problems that needs to be resolve. It can be done. Once it is done the user finds they are on a path where they no longer have a need to use drugs.
I feel the billions in aid to fight drug lords would be better spent to support drug treatment programs here rather then giving it to corrupt officials in Mexico.
Re Illegal” drugs vs “legal” ones- The last time I checked, death by legal drug misuse, accident, etc is so far off the chart, when compared to illegal drugs, that a comparison can only be disheartening. Also, my 10 year-old PDR runs to 3000 pages- and the illegal drugs (mostly plant derivatives) will fit on a couple of notebook pages. If anything is ironic, it’s the fact that the “illegal drug” biz is the closest thing to a Pure “free-market” phenomenon in the world… despite adverse attention by governments, despite “word of mouth only” ad campaigns, despite no access to the commercial world of Credit (cash only economic model), it thrives apace.
If there’s any way to deal equitably with people at the border, perhaps it’s an acknowledgement that these people are “Capital”. If EVERYONE’S Capital were treated equally, then maybe we could see more equitable treatment in this world. WHAT IF All capital that crossed a border- ANYWHERE- were subject to legal reciprocation- ie if rich Mexicans can send money to Wall Street, then their gardener’s children may legally cross the border with THEIR capital as well- (their physical attributes & intelligence)– AND it has to work in both directions- ie an American is free to invest her money in Mexico-&/or go there to legally look for work. If the US Government had to treat people with the same, uh, “respect” that money is treated, it’d be… equitable & Interesting, no? Because, you know, Capital IS Labor… Slave Labor. ^..^
Drugs are powerful because they can be used to control how we see the world, drugs can articulate expectations, and drugs can be used to control how long people live.
By virtue of facility of imaginations and physical mobility people have built in expectations to control all other things and THE EARTH as habitat. , Because drugs are handy as a way to fulfill frustrated expectations drugs have power, Living longer and feeling successful is a very powerful incentive; no surprise there about the nature of corruptive power.
So, what happens when any person is able to reprioritize their expectations of personal status??? In an urban setting, this might be something like people taking public transportation instead of driving personal cars. In all living settings, this could be things like eating less meat and eating more simple grains. This could be things like telling simple truths about added value in human transactions than telling elaborate lies of deception to gain inequitable advantage. It might include having fewer children and ignore the temptation to argue for political capital about abortion as a threat to right to life. The main idea is subordination of prestigious expectations for more economical expectations. It might be something like becoming a time traveler to a simpler time period but at the same instant maintain the wisdom of acting life out as a more learned person.