Tag Archives: politics

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The great economic shift

What does this mean? What we are seeing is the shift of economic power from the United States & Europe to markets elsewhere, and especially China, India and parts of the Middle East are in good shape to reap the rewards.  However, since the system is built around the countries of the G7 with the US as the main motor of worldwide consumption, co-operation between all countries is needed, or else the rise of protectionism will amplify the current situation.

I wouldn’t be surprised if in case the crisis lasts long (hopefully not) China ends up bailing the US so that its own economy can keep on growing…

in english

Déjà vu

A man without an abundant experience in politics, a man very different from his predecessors and one of whose parents had been born abroad, runs for the presidency of his country through a grassroots movement, great oratory and the promise of change in big, bold letters.  His campaign imposed his candidacy on his party and eventually clinched the presidency with enormous expectations.  The handover between administrations was smooth and the incoming government met with support from the international community.

I'm not talking about Barack Obama in '09, but Vicente Fox in 00'.  I hope against hope that the sky-high expectations don't crash this time, as the challenges are many.

in english

Mexico a failed state… not

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There's been a lot of discussion in the traditional media and the blogosphere about Mexico becoming a failed state after a report by the US military on such eventuality.  Frankly, as gross as the news on the Mexican drug cartels are, I think it is an exaggeration for two simple reasons:

I'm not innocent enough to say that everything is going beautifully, but I have a thermometer that most people in the international media don't: family and friends living in the country.  I'm sure many of them would among be the first to start leaving if the situation becomes as untenable as these reports claim.  Otherwise I'll keep on hoping for the best and agreeing with opinions like this.

In the meantime, tourism seems to be more affected by the international credit crunch than by that kind of news items.  Fair, since most tourism attractions are very far away from where these sad events are taking place.  As a tourist, I'd be more afraid in Los Angeles or Chicago than Cancún or San Miguel de Allende.

in english

Monocle’s Mexican fixes

I'm a big fan of Monocle magazine, and was quite amused when they talked about their main tips for the Mexican government in the year to come, which I quote below:

  1. Streamline the tax system and make it easier for people to pay.
  2. Stop police corruption by hiring better-educated cops and paying them more.
  3. Create a third television network so the media is not in the hands of so few.

Even though all are relevant and rather urgent, the first one was the one that got me thinking.  One of the things that works especially well in Finland compared to Mexico is the taxation system. 

We might disagree on the amount of taxes you have to pay (that's a whole other discussion), but it is amazingly easy to pay them: you only give an estimate at the beginning of the year, get a tax card, give it to your employer and then taxes are discounted automatically during that fiscal year (which is the same as the calendar year). If your estimate was off the mark, you can check your pre-filled tax return the next May, and you may even get a refund the next December.  In 7 years I've never needed to ask any help from an accountant, and I've never had a problem.

No wonder Mexican tax payment levels are lower than Botswana's compared to GDP.  Can they try to improve this for the new year?

in english

When the news hit you personally

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Those who follow news about Mexico might know that on the same night Barack Obama was elected president of the United States, there was a very dramatic tragedy in Mexico City, as a small airplane carrying the secretary of the interior of the country crashed in the middle of the business district.  The news was quite tragic, but that was it.

Then, I started hearing some more personal accounts.  My brother-in-law works in the area, and the plane crashed 12 metres away from his office.  He saw everything, and was quite shocked by the time he got home.  Understandably, I was quite upset when I heard about it.  Then I found out that a friend of mine was injured and is in hospital, and am frankly still in shock.

My prayers go to her and her family.

in english

Municipal elections in Finland

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Municipal elections

Originally uploaded by Chiva Congelado

After a couple of months of campaigning, the municipal elections in Finland took place yesterday. The main outcome of this democratic exercise was a general shift to the right in this country, where both the centre-right and populist right parties won more seats in municipal councils across the nation.

Especially the wins by the Perussuomalaiset, or True Finns, are rather troubling for a guy like me, as many of their candidates have openly expressed racist attitudes. I might sound a little paranoid, but I believe in this country, I’ve invested in it and I cannot bear the thought that 1 out of 10 people in the bus or the mall would like to kick me out of this country just because I look different, even if I’ve contributed to this society too.  Sad.

in english

Support the people, not the policies


US infantryman

Originally uploaded by Chiva Congelado

I was leaving Seattle when I found this gentleman. He had recently come back from a tour of duty in Baghdad and I was so curious I just had to talk with him and get his impressions.

He said that war is hell, but he had to fulfill his duty which doesn’t surprise me. As much as I disagree with the reasons why they are there, I hope that both the soldiers and the people of Iraq can weather the current situation.

I was quite touched since he’s the first person I’ve ever met that is involved in a war, and talking to him he seemed pretty normal guy.  I couldn’t help but wonder what would I do if I ever were in a similar situation.

in english

“We changed the world and then we fucked up the endgame”

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On a recent flight I saw Charlie Wilson's War, and it brought to the silver screen (or LCD, in this case) a couple of interesting points.  We already knew that for the Soviets the invasion of Afghanistan was an equivalent of the Vietnam War for the Americans, but I didn't know that many details (still sketchy, after all, it's only a movie) on the American covert operations there.

The movie is funny and well-paced, but one thing that I would have liked to see more is a better job at bringing home the point that some of the "freedom fighters" of the 80's became the "terrorists" of the 2000's due to neglect.

Interestingly enough, I remember some of the newsclips shown in the film, even though then I was a small kid.

in english

The Finnish NATO predicament

Finland has a continuous history of being a non-aligned country, but some politicians hereabouts have started to wonder whether they should be joining NATO.  They know that they would be most welcome, but domestic public opinion seems to oppose it, preferring the status quo of universal military conscription.  Somebody close to me summarised the situation with the following line:

"Who do I trust to defend Finland, crooked foreign politicians or drunken Finnish teenagers?".