# We do $1.5 billion a day in trade with Mexico...



## mes1952 (Dec 11, 2012)

We do $1.5 billion a day in trade with Mexico, and we spend $1 billion a day in Afghanistan. Not smart.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/24/opinion/sunday/friedman-how-mexico-got-back-in-the-game.html?_r=1&


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## Guategringo (Nov 9, 2012)

I completely disagree with Friedman. He is looking at the country through the eyes of the elite class that is where they are for the most part through corruption. As long as 95% of the wealth is held by 5% of the population the country will not find its way out of the deep hole it has been in following years and year of PRI rule. Fifty percent of the country is below 29 years of age and they are unemployed, unpaid if they do work and live in poverty generation after generation. They earn 5% of what developed countries pay employees, but still have to pay similar cost for electricity, phone service and even gasoline. How can a country that is ranked sixth in the world in oil production charge so much for gasoline? 

My bet is on China or India. Learn Mandarin or one of the Indo-Aryan languages... Watch out India is sneaking up on China!!!!


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## Detailman (Aug 27, 2011)

mes1952 said:


> We do $1.5 billion a day in trade with Mexico, and we spend $1 billion a day in Afghanistan. Not smart.
> http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/24/opinion/sunday/friedman-how-mexico-got-back-in-the-game.html?_r=1&


And you should note that the article has been updated to correct the amount being spent in Afghanistan. They now state it is $300 million - not $1 billion.

Mind you, that would still buy a lot of tequila!


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## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

Guategringo said:


> I completely disagree with Friedman. He is looking at the country through the eyes of the elite class that is where they are for the most part through corruption. As long as 95% of the wealth is held by 5% of the population the country will not find its way out of the deep hole it has been in following years and year of PRI rule. Fifty percent of the country is below 29 years of age and they are unemployed, unpaid if they do work and live in poverty generation after generation. They earn 5% of what developed countries pay employees, but still have to pay similar cost for electricity, phone service and even gasoline. How can a country that is ranked sixth in the world in oil production charge so much for gasoline?
> 
> My bet is on China or India. Learn Mandarin or one of the Indo-Aryan languages... Watch out India is sneaking up on China!!!!


I take You are already learning Mandarin or an Indo-Aryan language


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## joaquinx (Jul 3, 2010)

Guategringo said:


> He is looking at the country through the eyes of the elite class that is where they are for the most part through corruption. As long as 95% of the wealth is held by 5% of the population the country will not find its way out of the deep hole it has been in following years and year of PRI rule. Fifty percent of the country is below 29 years of age and they are unemployed, unpaid if they do work and live in poverty generation after generation. They earn 5% of what developed countries pay employees, but still have to pay similar cost for electricity, phone service and even gasoline.


Which country are you writing about? It sounds a bit like India not Mexico.


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## Guategringo (Nov 9, 2012)

joaquinx said:


> Which country are you writing about? It sounds a bit like India not Mexico.


Mexico law states the minimum wage is $7 MXN per hour, based on an eight hour day that is $56 MXN or about US$4.48 per day. Not everyone makes that amount of money, but a very large portion of the Mexican population are employed in the "informal" market - selfemployed, markets, small comedores, farm workers, etc etc therefore overall the average salary is very very low... This salary is similar to here in Guatemala and I used to pay by secretary (two years ago) the equivalent of US$ 250 per month.... that is about one tenth of what she would make in the U.S. 

Mexico has huge reserves of oil but they are charging just less than what gas costs in the U.S. why? Venezuela charges US$0.15 per gallon. 

I was referring to Mexico in my comments not India.


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## joaquinx (Jul 3, 2010)

Guategringo said:


> Mexico has huge reserves of oil but they are charging just less than what gas costs in the U.S. why? Venezuela charges US$0.15 per gallon.
> 
> I was referring to Mexico in my comments not India.


And Venezuela just adjusted their currency and has problems feeding their people. It stills sounds like India not Mexico.


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## Guategringo (Nov 9, 2012)

joaquinx said:


> And Venezuela just adjusted their currency and has problems feeding their people. It stills sounds like India not Mexico.


So you disagree with the wages I stated both the minumum wage in Mexico and the number of workers that work in the informal market in mexico?


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## joaquinx (Jul 3, 2010)

Guategringo said:


> So you disagree with the wages I stated both the minumum wage in Mexico and the number of workers that work in the informal market in mexico?


No.


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## mes1952 (Dec 11, 2012)

GARYJ65 said:


> I take You are already learning Mandarin or an Indo-Aryan language


Most Americans don't speak any foreign language including Spanish which is much easier than Mandarin so I doubt that will happen.


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## Guategringo (Nov 9, 2012)

a man of many words... guess I will stop trying to squeeze them out of you... hope all is well in Xalapa


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## Guategringo (Nov 9, 2012)

mes1952 said:


> Most Americans don't speak any foreign language including Spanish which is much easier than Mandarin so I doubt that will happen.


Some say about 20% of Americans can speak a second language... if you take the naturalized Americans into account it is probably higher than that. I know in my family that includes about 30 between my brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews and sisters and brothers in law... I am the only one who speaks a second language.

I start classes in mandarin in queretaro with a private teacher on March 25th.


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## tepetapan (Sep 30, 2010)

Guategringo said:


> Mexico law states the minimum wage is $7 MXN per hour, based on an eight hour day that is $56 MXN or about US$4.48 per day. Not everyone makes that amount of money, but a very large portion of the Mexican population are employed in the "informal" market - selfemployed, markets, small comedores, farm workers, etc etc therefore overall the average salary is very very low... This salary is similar to here in Guatemala and I used to pay by secretary (two years ago) the equivalent of US$ 250 per month.... that is about one tenth of what she would make in the U.S.
> 
> Mexico has huge reserves of oil but they are charging just less than what gas costs in the U.S. why? Venezuela charges US$0.15 per gallon.
> 
> I was referring to Mexico in my comments not India.


 It seems you are referring to news stories, adding a bit of minimum wage law and coming up with an idea that really does not fit Mexico. Exactly how many people have you hired IN Mexico for minimum wage? I know in my town no one will work for the legal minimum wage and in fact it is hard to find unskilled labor for twice that amount. 
Mexico is not Guatemala. Mexico has the 10th or 12th largest economy in the world. Mexico is expected to be the world´s largest exporter of autos in a few years, by estimates of most all the experts in such business. Mexico is emerging as an aerospace manufacturer with hundreds of millions of dollars being invested by foreign companies. There are two helicopter factories, one of which is built, coming into Queretaro. 
Mexico has the man power, the universities and the capital to go head to head with China and India plus one very important feature. Location, Location, Location. Already companies are moving back to Mexico due to the high cost of shipping and the not so low price of labor in China and India.


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## Guategringo (Nov 9, 2012)

But all of those industries you mentioned employ a very small percentage of the 110 plus million who live in Mexico. Also, just because people who work in your town will not do so for the minimum, millions and millions others do as they have no other choice. In actuality the minimum wage of Mexico is lower than Guatemala. I do not pick up news stories. I have worked in Mexico, traveled extensively there, have family in Chetumal and will be hiring 10 people within the next two months in the country. I have done my homework and know what I have to pay them. 

China has oodles and oodles of manufacturing from sneakers to high tech tablets and computers.. it does not mean their minimum wage is any higher just because of the big industries there. heard of Foxconn? 

If Mexico was as well off as you seem to think and workers were being paid well how come they continue to risk life and limb to cross the border to find work in the U.S. How come they enter lotteries for a green card, or line up at different foreign embassies in DF to inquire about work visas????


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## mickisue1 (Mar 10, 2012)

Guategringo said:


> Mexico law states the minimum wage is $7 MXN per hour, based on an eight hour day that is $56 MXN or about US$4.48 per day. Not everyone makes that amount of money, but a very large portion of the Mexican population are employed in the "informal" market - selfemployed, markets, small comedores, farm workers, etc etc therefore overall the average salary is very very low... This salary is similar to here in Guatemala and I used to pay by secretary (two years ago) the equivalent of US$ 250 per month.... that is about one tenth of what she would make in the U.S.
> 
> Mexico has huge reserves of oil but they are charging just less than what gas costs in the U.S. why? Venezuela charges US$0.15 per gallon.
> 
> I was referring to Mexico in my comments not India.


Apples to oranges.

While it may be argued that the minimum wage is low in relation to the cost of living, comparing it to the minimum wage in the US is meaningless.

How the average wage and/or the minimum wage compares to the cost of living within a country is what matters. If you paid your secretary $250/month, and the cost of living was $240; good for you. If you paid your secretary $250/month, and the cost of living was $260; shame on you.


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## Guategringo (Nov 9, 2012)

mickisue1 said:


> Apples to oranges.
> 
> While it may be argued that the minimum wage is low in relation to the cost of living, comparing it to the minimum wage in the US is meaningless.
> 
> How the average wage and/or the minimum wage compares to the cost of living within a country is what matters. If you paid your secretary $250/month, and the cost of living was $240; good for you. If you paid your secretary $250/month, and the cost of living was $260; shame on you.


Mickisue I don't agree. Here's why. I mentioned that someone in Mexico earns a mimimum wage of about $4.50 per day, but forget than say it is $9.00 a day and considr they work seven days a week that is about $270 per month. Here is why I compared it to the U.S. - prices for cellular service, electronics, cell phones, gasoline and other items are similar to what they cost in the U.S. or other developed nations...


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## mickisue1 (Mar 10, 2012)

Guategringo said:


> Mickisue I don't agree. Here's why. I mentioned that someone in Mexico earns a mimimum wage of about $4.50 per day, but forget than say it is $9.00 a day and considr they work seven days a week that is about $270 per month. Here is why I compared it to the U.S. - prices for cellular service, electronics, cell phones, gasoline and other items are similar to what they cost in the U.S. or other developed nations...


True. And minimum wage, no matter where you live, is unlikely to get you any of those things.

Do you really think that people in the US, living on the whopping $15000/year that approximates minimum wage, can afford those items? 

It's valid to comment that minimum wage, wherever you are, is inadequate in a technological age. But to claim that it's worse in country X than in country Y, you'd need a whole lot more data than you're presenting.

One of the issues addressed in President Obama's SOTU was raising the minimum wage, so that two adults earning it could raise a family of four above the poverty level. Currently, that is far from the case in the US. There is a reason why so many Mexicans hold more than one job. The same goes in the US.


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## Guategringo (Nov 9, 2012)

This certainly does not look look positive news for such a thriving country...

UPDATE 2-Mexico shares slump to 2013 low on America Movil woes | Reuters


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## joaquinx (Jul 3, 2010)

Guategringo said:


> This certainly does not look look positive news for such a thriving country...
> 
> UPDATE 2-Mexico shares slump to 2013 low on America Movil woes | Reuters


You seriously had to search for this. Anyone who is following the markets daily would know that the US and European markets were down more than just a slight drop today. Try better next time.


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## Guategringo (Nov 9, 2012)

joaquinx said:


> You seriously had to search for this. Anyone who is following the markets daily would know that the US and European markets were down more than just a slight drop today. Try better next time.


Actually you are very mistaken. I write about the markets in Asia, Europe, the States and even Latin America... I did not have to search I have a direct feed to reuters and all their stories come to me.. today I received 258 new articles about business worldwide.


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## joaquinx (Jul 3, 2010)

Guategringo said:


> Actually you are very mistaken. I write about the markets in Asia, Europe, the States and even Latin America... I did not have to search I have a direct feed to reuters and all their stories come to me.. today I received 258 new articles about business worldwide.


Good for you.


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