Our neighbors to the South, Mexico are currently fighting a vicious war against drug cartels. The violence keeps getting worse. It is sad and scary that these heinous crimes are happening so close to home. Why doesn’t this problem take more precedence with or press and government? We have brutal terrorist’s right next door!
“More than 15,000 narcotics-related homicides occurred in 2010 alone, an increase of almost two-thirds compared to 2009.” Travel.state.gov. “According to Government of Mexico figures, 34,612 people have been killed in narcotics-related violence in Mexico since December 2006.” It is estimated that some 300 tons of cocaine pass through Mexico to the U.S. yearly-Wikipedia .
The United States has made some effort to help fight the Mexican cartels. In June of 2008, the U.S. Congress passed legislation to provide Mexico with $400 million and Central American countries with $65 million in an agreement called “the Merida Initiative.” This funding was supposed to continue, in varying amounts, over the next three years. The funding was supposed to be used to purchase aircraft, surveillance software, and other goods produced by private contractors in the United States. In addition to providing equipment, the money was to be used by the Mexican military and law enforcement. Sadly, it doesn’t seem like these efforts are working.
In February of 2011, the president of Mexico, Felipe Calderon said that the U.S. government isn’t doing enough to help Mexico in its fight against drug cartels. He said that the U.S. government should help by reducing drug use in the United States. I hate to break it to Mr. Calderon, but he is stating the obvious.
I’m not real sure what we can do to better this situation. I find it bothersome that these cartels seem to have such an upper hand. I certainly think this issue is more important than some of the other worldly affairs we are involved in at the present time. It is no wonder we have so many immigrants trying to illegally relocate their lives to our country. In addition to the poverty problems they face, they also have to be afraid of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. This war should become more of a priority.
3 comments:
Fellow blogger Amy points out an issue that she believes is under represented by the media and largely ignored by our politicians. She highlights the violence in Mexico and along the border that is attributed to the Mexican drug cartels. She is exasperated and searches for a solution. As unorthodox a solution as this might be, it may be time to consider legalizing and regulating drugs to combat the problems that the cartels create.
When trying to solve a problem, it is normally best to determine the root of the problem and mitigate that. In the case of drugs, the driving motivator is the money. These cartels wouldn’t have intense turf wars, kidnappings, murders, and corruption of officials if there was no money in it for them. As a case study, let’s consider the prohibition of alcohol. Most gangster organizations of the time were centered on bootlegging, speak easies, and selling of alcohol. A black market was created by making the substance illegal. Those markets attracted characters that were already shady and the money only enhanced their lifestyle. A direct correlation can be drawn to the cartels in Mexico. If the government were to create laws similar to alcohol and tobacco laws to regulate the sell and consumption of the products, the cartels would have to compete on the open market. A small black market may continue to exist, but it would essentially drop the bottom out of the current market. There wouldn’t be money in it any longer and those cartels would slowly dissolve on their own. The Federal Government would then be able to tax the sale of drugs as they do tobacco and alcohol. This would increase the revenue stream to the government. Freely available drugs would also drop prices for those that choose to use. This would likely drop the instances of burglary that those individuals cite as occurring because they are trying to support their habit.
I definitely don’t support the use of drugs. I don’t think even tobacco and alcohol are healthy habits, much less the harder drugs that are out there. But I do believe that legalizing at least some of the drugs would create market conditions that would eliminate the cartels in Mexico and have more benefits than detractors when evaluating the situation after the fact.
Trying to stop the war on drugs is like trying to stop the sun from rising. Its not going to happen. With that said, why don't they stop the fight and start the control. The Mexican cartel has power, because we let them. We're giving them business. There are solutions.
You always hear "Legalize it!" and there's an obvious rift in American's about the subject. The 70's and 80's were the major cocaine era's, but these day's, it seems almost out of fashion. Especially with younger generations. The American struggle is now in marijuana. So, how do we stop the violence over this? Legalize is right. Imagine government grown, inspected, and distributed marijuana. With the quality difference alone, the American's would stop buying from the cartels. Not to mention the in house money the nation would acquire to settle our debts. As for the other drugs, keep up the good fight. You have to crawl before you walk.
The solution for Mexico might be one similar to Portugal's. Portugal decriminalized all drugs and the numbers have shown dramatic drops in all areas. Specifically, the use by teens and homeless people. The savings they acquired has accumulated in vast numbers due to less prison sentences and offered therapy sessions to peoples out of control. This would not work for the United States, being that we are a little more conservative than most. But, like I said before, baby step, and the cartels will fall;on both fronts.
I agree with Madame Amy's Thoughts on our Government blog The Bad Boys Next Door. Unfortunately, I think I might have disturbing answers to the questions she poses in it. As far as why there isn't more news coverage of it I think it because our government is partially to blame. We, along with other countries,helped trained the Grupo Aeromovil de Fuerzas Especiales (GAFE) a group of elite Mexican Soldiers that then defected to the Los Zetas drug cartel due to better pay. It has also come to light recently that the American government ,specifically the ATF, gave the okay to the Federal Firearms Licensees to participate in suspicious firearms deals South of the border even after they voiced concerns and such guns were suspected to be used by the cartels in the killing of Border Patrol Officer Brian Terry as recently as December 14,2010.
I don't believe legalizing drugs here is rational or possible. I think marijuana wouldn't be that bad,it doesn't seem any worse than alcohol. However, I would be scared to live in the country where people can do cocaine or meth, even if they had a prescription! And the drug cartels don't deal in just pot or even just drugs. Even if we legalized marijuana, it wouldn't hurt them that bad and they would probably just step up their sex/human trafficking.
The problem, I believe is at all levels of their government from the police that just admitted to helping kill the mayor of Santiago to Julio Cesar Godoy Toscano who was sworn into the Mexican Congress September 23,2010 while being sought on drug trafficking charges. I agree with the article when it says how actively he is being investigated is up to debate, but I doubt it's very much. I guess the sad part is how much can you blame the people for working with the cartels when the consequence is a horrible agony filed death which regularly includes torture? I think the only way for Mexico to solve this problem is a revolution. I think at this point it is too endemic and that all government figures and many corrupt lower level people would need to be gotten rid of.
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