Mexican President Calderon Addresses US Congress

The Speech, or at least bits of it, as it was called by the commentator on C-SPAN, from Mexican President Felipe Calderon. My comments are in the brackets [… ] Our Congress is standing around… apparently no one told folks you don’t start a party for someone until they are in the building… The speech starts and I switch to Univision because after yesterdays horrible translation job, I want to hear the message in Spanish. Felipe is speaking in English, and they are translating back into Spanish. I switch back to C-SPAN. Calderon states at the top that Mexico was the first country in continental America to abolish slavery… Mexico is confronting organized crime with determination and courage… [that line gets a standing ovation even if it is a failed effort] Calderon states that to restore public security in Mexico will cost still more lives, but will ultimately be won… He states that the challenge to their security has roots on both sides of he border… that the US desire for illegal drugs is part of the problem… Here is what Mexico is doing to solve the problem. They are using the military and weakening the financial abilities of the gangs and arrested many felons, [except those from the Sinaloa Cartel… see this NPR Report]. They are moving to an open and transparent judicial system… [finally Felipe] Mexico needs help… please stop the flow of assault weapons across the border… I’ll let the GOP work on that… He states that he admires the US Constitution and the 2nd Amendment, but, our open gun laws are helping fuel the violence in Mexico… The violence in Mexico, Calderon states, primarily started in 2004, when the assault weapon ban was lifted… Calderon is asking for help here… half of Congress stands and applauds… the other half sits quietly… Mexico is trying to keep their public deficit at 1% of GDP… [imagine of we did that] Felipe is touting the investment of the gov’t in the infrastructure of Mexico… [I am still waiting to see that investment in the areas where I work] Mexico did not bail out their banks, not one cent went for bailouts… [take that you bailout favoring socialists!] Calderon is making his case that Mexico is determined to move forward, and because of an economic recovery, [that I am not seeing] the country is already moving forward, expecting 4% economic growth... [good luck] And he says they are auctioning national wireless opportunities… [just give them to Slim and save yourself time, he’s gonna get them anyway. Carlos Slim owns almost 90% of the Mexican telecom market] “We are improving the quality of all Mexicans under the principle of equal opportunity for all.” Great statement Felipe, but you didn’t say that your reported drop in poverty has done little in the indigenous south… [and all the numbers were from 2006, before the worldwide economic crisis.] Felipe says they are providing more and better education… [Tell that to the maestros de Oaxaca] I think Pelosi is falling asleep… Universal health care by 2012... [Long a goal of the PAN Party, but I will wait until I see it. Again, one side of our Congress sits and another applauds, even though since a lot of our politicians say Mexicans come here for free medical care, universal care in Mexico might just keep some of them home, a fact Calderon quickly points out as he heads to the issue of the day, IMMIGRATION] Now Nancy wakes up, and Felipe switches to Spanish to speak to his paisanos in what for many, is their native tongue, I am sure some in Congress are loving this now… And he says… in Spanish, we are working hard for your rights in Mexico and we miss and admire you for working hard to make America great… But we are working to provide you jobs in Mexico… we are determined to assume our responsibilities for the immigration problem… we do not favor the breaking of rules… I fully respect the right of any country to enact and enforce it’s own laws… but we need to fix a broken system… we favor laws that work for everyone… The goal of Mexico is to provide people the opportunities they are looking for… I am convinced that comprehensive immigration is crucial to securing our borders… however I strongly disagree with the law in Arizona… [no surprise there] Now onto climate change… global warming demands the commitment of all countries and Mexico was one of the first to commit to reductions… because of your global leadership, we need your support in November in Cancun… [are you inviting me? Nancy was pretty quick on this applause line, maybe she has never been there] Mexico is transforming… to a country of laws, security, and a place free of fear… with a future where dreams can come true… I believe in North America as the most prosperous region in the world. Let us work together to give our people the future they deserve… God bless America, Viva Mexico! President Calderon had a lot of nice things to say. He was correct in some areas, and he was putting the best foot forward on some others. Whether Mexico can become the Mexico of his dreams, remains to be seen. Calderon is still deeply disliked by many in the country who resent his election and believe Mexican Courts illegally intervened to give him the Presidency in 2006. [Sound familiar?] This fact, and the ascendancy again of the PRI party, a group very effective at saying no, should make real progress difficult in the near future. Time will tell.