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On Tuesday, the Treasury secretary said nothing new. Measurements according to international World Bank and International Monetary Fund, Mexico is a middle income country.
For quite some time the country has this classification despite having very serious problems of poverty. Nor is it a contradiction or a mistake to say that middle-income country with a serious problem of poverty that, contrary to popular legend, has been declining in recent years thanks to a combination of economic policies such as fighting inflation and credit recovery, one of the best ways to achieve prosperity.
The reality is that Mexico is a predominantly middle class. As a friend, "****ing middle class, but middle class. " The numbers do not lie. According to the latest Census of 2010, we are 112 million inhabitants. The Coneval (National Council for the Evaluation of Social Development Policy) estimates that 50 million Mexicans living in poverty or misery. If the math does not fail, this means that there are 62 million Mexicans who are not in this situation, that is, living as middle class. Are most 55% of the population. Why deny this reality?
Many simply refuse to believe it. Maybe because we have been dragging an idea deeply rooted in our history: that Mexico is a country that is mostly poor.
If most Mexicans are middle class, why are there millions and millions of illegals from Mexico living in the U.S. Canada is a majority middle class country, yet the number of illegals from Canada living in the U.S is nowhere near as high as the number of illegals coming from Mexico.
If most Mexicans are middle class, why are there millions and millions of illegals from Mexico living in the U.S. Canada is a majority middle class country, yet the number of illegals from Canada living in the U.S is nowhere near as high as the number of illegals coming from Mexico.
Reread your statement and you'll realize your folly.
Middle class is defined differently in different countries. The middle class in Canada has a much higher standard of living than the middle class in Mexico.
Notwithstanding that, there are 50 million people in poverty in Mexico. That isn't American "poverty," but instead real poverty. That's where your immigrants come from.
If most Mexicans are middle class, why are there millions and millions of illegals from Mexico living in the U.S. Canada is a majority middle class country, yet the number of illegals from Canada living in the U.S is nowhere near as high as the number of illegals coming from Mexico.
Immigration is a lot more complex than that, tiger.
A lot has to do with desperation and income inequality. Many see the surrounding people improving their lives and seeing society as a whole advancing, but they may feel behind ... so immigration is a way to quickstart that process. It used to be, with a more open border policy, that many Mexicans would go work in the U.S. and take their money back to Mexico.. and go back to work as needed. As the border tightened, many people decided to just get to the U.S. and just stay put. It's not a horribly scientific statement... but it's something I've observed over my life, and the lives of my family members.
Poverty itself may not be a determining factor for immigration. It may be the thing to do... just because. Case in point: The majority of Chinese immigrants to the U.S. up until 10 yrs ago came from only one town in China, Taishan. Taishan wasn't particularly poverty stricken, but it's citizens notoriously immigrated. Even during the cultural revolution, taishan actually fared better off during famines and war than the rest of china, yet many of it's citizens left... because there was an established path for them to go.
Anyway... i think this belongs in the immigration forum.
One statement...I agree with the classification of Mexico as a middle-income country. I have been to the Africa and Central America as well; Mexico was definelty more developed than those places. I traveled all over Chiapas and the Yucatan Peninsula (The so-called "poor" parts of Mexico) on modern-roads, in air-conditioned buses and stayed at modern hotels. This is NOT something that you can do in Nicaragua or East Africa, for the most part. Yes, there is still much poverty and you can tell that Mexico is still behind the developed world. However, compared to the true "third world" Mexico is much better...hence, Mexico is a middle-income country by any standards.
And look what would happen in the USA if there weren't the generous food stamp and other welfare programs like WIC and Medicaid and free government housing.
The USA has about double the unemployment rate of Mexico and big government spending on poverty.
The truth is that in Mexico if an individual stays in school, completes his or her education, delays the start of a family until after the education and marriage and a job, and also limits family size to what they can support they will almost surely be part of Mexico's growing middle class.
Pretty much the same is required in the USA. The biggest difference is the generous safety nets given in the USA but the USA is facing some big economic issues.
The reason for such massive immigration is that those who are poor - and many are poor due to decisions like dropping out of school, pregnancy and many children, will have it easy in the USA.
And look what would happen in the USA if there weren't the generous food stamp and other welfare programs like WIC and Medicaid and free government housing.
The USA has about double the unemployment rate of Mexico and big government spending on poverty.
The truth is that in Mexico if an individual stays in school, completes his or her education, delays the start of a family until after the education and marriage and a job, and also limits family size to what they can support they will almost surely be part of Mexico's growing middle class.
Pretty much the same is required in the USA. The biggest difference is the generous safety nets given in the USA but the USA is facing some big economic issues.
The reason for such massive immigration is that those who are poor - and many are poor due to decisions like dropping out of school, pregnancy and many children, will have it easy in the USA.
It's part of Mexican culture to start a family very early in life. Most Mexican women become mothers in their teens.
It's part of Mexican culture to start a family very early in life. Most Mexican women become mothers in their teens.
Not the middle class. I would guess they start more or less the same ages of other middle class societies. And like middle class anywhere, they would not have more children than they can feed.
Just like in the USA, personal decisions can have a lot to do with how well one will do, what one will achieve in life.
It's part of Mexican culture to start a family very early in life. Most Mexican women become mothers in their teens.
You should watch MTV's Teen Mom, the same "Culture" is embraced by U.S. teens.
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