Juarez Mayor: US money to pay for GPS radios, El Paso Times, March 15, 2010I've been saying for years that Mexico Is Rich and can afford to pay for its own internal programs without Uncle Sucker's assistance.Juarez Mayor Jos?© Reyes Ferriz announced during the weekend that the U.S. government will provide $15 million to increase security in his city, which has been plagued with violence responsible for 4,700 deaths since January 2008.
Reyes Ferriz said U.S. authorities approved the funding for the purchase of digital radios with Global Positioning System, or GPS, a satellite-based navigation system, for police units in Ju??rez.
The $15 million is part of an initiative U.S Ambassador to Mexico Carlos Pascual supported during his visit to Ju??rez two months ago, said Jaime Torres, a spokesman for the City of Ju??rez.
How rich is Mexico? It consistently ranks around #14 in world GDP. The country is very wealthy, although many of its people are poor. The newly announced richest man on earth is a Mexican, namely Carlos Slim (for the second time; the first being in 2007).
Yet even in today's disastrous economic climate, Washington continues its Mexi-spendathon by shoveling money we don't have to a corrupt neighbor that doesn't need it. The Bush administration's ill considered Merida Initiative sent $1.4 billion to the narco-state. Now Obama is "seeking an additional $310 million for drug enforcement aid for Mexico in its 2011 budget" according to the Washington Post. The same article (February 24) mentions seriously increased US involvement: U.S. to embed agents in Mexican law enforcement units battling cartels in Juarez.
Can this policy change be connected with the recent cartel hit of the American government workers in Juarez? Were the drug gangs sending a message to Washington to back off? Maybe.
Here's more about the embedding (U.S. Agents To Join Mexico Drug War):
