Charles Bowden reporting honestly on Juarez

From what I understand, Mexico is a very corrupt government. Like many in Africa, you find petty dictators taking over the government for their own gain and the people be ######. Yet in my experience, the people in general are a good hard working people who value family above all.
Its my opinion that there is more than one government involved in Mexico, keeping its people poor and making a killing for themselves.

 

Ive lived in Mexico for most of the past 5 years (I'm in Mexico right now -- in Cuernavaca, a city about 60 miles south of Mexico City), and it's really a complex situation. Any one who's really interested in this can find redible sources with a lot of info about what's going on. 60 minutes just did a story about a town here where the mayor was killed. Cartels offer the police "plomo or plata" (lead or silver). Work with the cartels and you'll stay alive and make money (the plata). Work against them and get shot (plomo). Police here don't make much money (about $500 - $600 USD a month), so you can see how tempting it is to accept a deal to work with the cartels, especially if you want to live. For the most part the violence is restricted to those involved in the drug war here, but it's true some ordinary citizens are afraid (I can only speak about where I live -- there is drug violence here but other parts of the country have it worse)

I agree with Cho that in general the people here a decent, friendly and hardworking, but like anywhere else in the world there a few bad people. I've personally never had a bad experience here and enjoy living here, but the violence has increased dramatically since Calderón (the president here) launched his war against drugs. Still, I don't have any fear about going out and living my life here as I always have. I have mixed feelings about legalizing all drugs (I think pot definitely should be legalized), but if they were then you would think the violence would be drastically reduced. Of course the drug cartels would figure out a way to engage in some other illegal activity, but drugs would be taken out of the equation (at least in the illegal trade).