It takes a pillage to raze a village

15 November 2010

I mean to write at greater length about the 13.3 Billion (13,300,000,000) peso jump in 2011 Mexican federal budget for military expenditures and what it might mean. I’ve got a long post about half done, but it keeps meandering off into tangents, and I need to make some serious cuts. Speaking of cuts…

SDPNoticias reports that PRI Deputy Hilaria Domínguez Arvizu has confirmed that the federal budget cuts a whopping 4.4 Billion (4,400,000,000) pesos for rural development and agricultural spending.

Ms. Domínguez — who is openly campaigning to lead the CNC (Farmers’ cadre within the PRI) — denies rumors that the party might face mass defections (possibly to PRD or one of the other parties of the left) if these cuts are not restored.

If this doesn’t mean both the PRI and the left have more reason than ever to change the course in this “drug war” — if only to guarantee their own survival (and, one would expect, heavy interference from the U.S. to try to prevent this change), I think this might mean that farmers are getting screwed over by the “drug war” not just by the narcos, but by the government response to the narcos as well… and rural Mexicans will be left with no choice but to work for the narcos as a result of ever declining opportunities … which will mean MORE money for military spending, and less for rural services, which will mean…