EconWatch.com > The Neo-Liberal Road to NAFTA

[Economist's View] But [T]he 3.6 percent rate of growth of GDP, coupled with a 2.5 percent per year rate of population and increase, means that Mexicans' mean income is barely 15 percent above that of the pre-NAFTA days, and that the gap between their mean income and that of the US has widened. Because of rising inequality, the overwhelming majority of Mexicans live no better off than they did 15 years ago (indeed, the only part of Mexican development that has been a great success has been the rise in incomes and living standards that comes from increased migration to the US, and increased remittances sent back to Mexico).

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Argmax.comhttp://www.argmax.com [Argmax.com] ArgMax Economics Weblog: Evaluating NAFTA: The proponents claim that NAFTA will create jobs and helpthe economy via free trade, while opponents claim that jobs will be lostto low wage workers in Mexico. The new report seems to have left the primarydebate substantially unaltered - proponents take it as evidence that theagreement is good for the economy (since 311,000 trade-related jobs associatedwith Mexico and Canada were created);

[Blogs.iht.com] Managing Globalization » Business Blog » International Herald ...: You could also ask whether an anti-NAFTA stance is really in Mexico’s best interests. Under NAFTA, exports have grown from the equivalent of 13 percent of gross domestic product to 31 percent.

[Economistsview.typepad.com] Economist's View: NAFTA and Illegal Immigration: “When officials in any of the NAFTA countries attempt to tackle environmental problems through regulation, they face the threat of an expensive lawsuit, thanks to NAFTA protections for foreign investors. For example, investors are allowed to demand compensation for "indirect expropriation", interpreted to mean any government act that diminishes the value of a foreign investment.

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Foodfirst.orghttp://www.foodfirst.org [Foodfirst.org] Policy Brief No.7: Agricultural Trade liberalization and Mexico ...: The opening of the Mexican market to US corn led to a massive influx of subsidized, and hence cheaper, US corn. Corn prices are currently $1.74 a bushel, and the latest US Department of Agriculture figures show production costs at about $2.66 a bushel, the difference being attributable to direct and indirect subsidy.iv Mexico has experienced devastating crop “dumping” - when the international price is lower than the domestic cost of production.

http://mparent7777.livejournal.com [CRIMES AND CORRUPTIONS OF THE NEW WORLD ORDER NEWS] Mexico's Two Presidents: Mexico's current political crisis developed out of the lack of public confidence in an exceedingly tight and contested presidential election. The Electoral Tribunal's declaration of Felipe Calderon as the official winner on September 5 failed to restore credibility in representative government for three fundamental reasons: a bad count, a lack of transparency, and the belief of poor Mexicans that the new government will not represent their interests.

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