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Hugo Chavez - Picking on the Wrong Puppy

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Hugo Chavez - Picking on the Wrong Puppy

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,175488,00.html
from JoeUser Forums

Hugo Chavez, the paranoid leader of Venezuela, is trying to piss off as many leaders as he can.  IN the latest episode, he has insulted the Mexican President, and warned Vincente Fox to "not mess with me".

This was precipitated by Fox and Mexico's support of a free trade zone for all the Americas, one that Chavez  opposes.  And in so doing, Chavez called Fox an American "puppy".

The problem is that anyone with any degree of objectivity knows that to be completely false.  Indeed, sometimes Fox and Mexico actually go out of their way to antagonize the US for the simple reason that they want to be treated as an equal to the US, and hence must stand up just to flex their muscles.

And indeed, Chavez, in his myopic stupidity cannot even realize that Mexico does not, as he does, cut off their nose to spite their face.  Mexico has greatly benefited from NAFTA, and would like to see this free trade extended to the whole of the Americas since it has been so good.  But Chavez, and his one trick pony attitude of "If it is American, it must be bad" has trashed the agreement and insulted Mexico all in one idiotic statement.

Trash talking America is one thing.  Indeed, it is the "French" thing to do, and many Americans practice it as well.  But Trash talking your potential allies and insulting them is not the way to gain influence in your hemisphere.  Nor to conduct an economic policy.  Eventually his house of cards will fail, and the people will kick him out of office.  It is inevitable.

And when that happens, you can guarantee that 2 things will occur.  The CIA will be accused of having a hand in it, and it will be Bush's fault.

Maybe for an extra kicker, Pat Robertson will get some credit too!

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9,345 views 35 replies
Reply #26 from JoeUser Forums Top
Nafta caused illegal immigration. Yea right!


slanderer did a damn fine job of providing facts about the harm nafta has done to mexico's farmers.

when mexican farmers can't afford to pay workers to help because their corn, tomatoes, etc. crops can't be sold atta profit, where do you think those farmers and workers wind up going to earn a living?
Reply #27 from JoeUser Forums Top
all those out of work farmers? They got a job a the mills and then in the service industries.


which mexican mills and service industries do you imagine exist? while several auto manufacturers have built plants in mexico, they provide (at best) thousands of jobs...not nearly enough to employ those who've lost their farms. on top of which, guess which type of vehicle they're tooled up to make? hint: it aint hybrids.

did you miss the part about china underpricing mexican manufacturers?
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Reply #28 from JoeUser Forums Top

slanderer did a damn fine job of providing facts about the harm nafta has done to mexico's farmers.

No, Slanderer provided a jingoistic reason for keeping Mexico poor.

Reply #29 from JoeUser Forums Top

did you miss the part about china underpricing mexican manufacturers?

They can underprice them all they want, but there are 2 big deterants, which you miss.  Transportation and Free Trade.  Fox is no one's lackey, and to suggest he is trying to get in good with the US at the expense of his own people is shere stupidity and on par with Chavez' rantings.

Reply #30 from JoeUser Forums Top
2 big deterants, which you miss. Transportation and Free Trade.


transporting what? bloomberg published the following on 11/9.


`This economy is not robust,'' Gray Newman, chief Latin American economist at Morgan Stanley, said in a telephone interview from New York before the report was released. ``The industrial data is not driving Mexico's economy right now, that's clear.''

Mexican central bankers will lower the benchmark lending rate for a fourth straight month at a policy meeting on Nov. 25 in a bid to bolster domestic demand and offset the slump in exports, Newman said. He forecast in a Nov. 6 report that the central bank will lower the rate a quarter-percentage point to 8.75 percent at that meeting.

The central bank, which hasn't made rate adjustments at its mid-monthly meeting once this year, left the overnight rate unchanged at a meeting today.

China

Domestic consumption has taken over as the main driver of the country's economic growth as exports to the U.S. -- the buyer of 85 percent of Mexico's overseas sales -- have slowed. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita curbed Mexican oil exports while Chinese manufacturers have continued to take market share from Mexican companies in the U.S.

China's exports to the U.S. in the first nine months of this year surged 26 percent to $176 billion while Mexico's exports to the U.S. rose 8 percent to $124 billion. Mexico's export growth is down from 12.6 percent in the year-earlier period.

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita disabled oil rigs and refineries along the Gulf Coast, sparking a 1.3 percent decline in U.S. industrial output in September, the biggest drop in 23 years. The damage to U.S. refineries caused Mexican crude production to drop 1.9 percent in the month from a year ago.

The drop in oil offset a 7 percent gain in September production of automobiles, which make up about a fifth of manufacturing output. Mexico produced 147,209 vehicles in September as manufactures such as Volkswagen AG and Ford Motor Co. launched new models.

`Better Results'

The rebound in auto production, which also jumped 17 percent in October from a year ago, indicates industrial production may begin to pick up in the fourth quarter, said Mario Correa, an economist with Bank of Nova Scotia's unit in Mexico City.

``In the last quarter we are going to see better results in the industrial sector,'' Correa said.

Slower-than-expected industrial production and damage from Hurricanes Wilma and Stan in Mexico's southern states led the central bank to lower its 2005 economic growth forecast to between 2.75 percent and 3.25 percent last month, the second reduction of the year. The economy expanded 4.4 percent in 2004, the fastest pace in four years.

``The deceleration in the industrial sector has been significant, especially in the manufacturing sector,'' Bank of Mexico chief economist Manuel Ramos said during an Oct. 31 presentation in Mexico City. ``This is a reflection of our loss of competitiveness'' in export markets.
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Reply #31 from JoeUser Forums Top
What he's refering to there kb when he says transportation is this.....It's one hell of a sight cheaper to ship to the US from Mexico than from China.

2 big deterants, which you miss. Transportation and Free Trade.


transporting what? bloomberg published the following on 11/9.
Reply #32 from JoeUser Forums Top

`This economy is not robust,'' Gray Newman, chief Latin American economist at Morgan Stanley, said in a telephone interview from New York before the report was released. ``The industrial data is not driving Mexico's economy right now, that's clear.''

Seems Reality belies bloomberg, since I recently wrote an article of the problems that Mexico was having with Illegal immigration of its own.  Why?  Because it is the Strongest Economy in Central America.  By US standards, it may not be hot.  But by their own history it sure is.

Reply #33 from JoeUser Forums Top

What he's refering to there kb when he says transportation is this.....It's one hell of a sight cheaper to ship to the US from Mexico than from China.

I thought that was obvious, but the king has a bee in his bonnet.

Reply #34 from JoeUser Forums Top
Latour999:
Uh, he has been democratically elected twice and survived a recall, with large margins of victory, much larger than George Bush ever got.


Are you saying that Chavez is more legitimate a president because he got a larger margin of victory? Then Saddam must be the most legitimate ruler ever. He would run elections and miraculously win with 99% of the vote.
Reply #35 from JoeUser Forums Top

Are you saying that Chavez is more legitimate a president because he got a larger margin of victory? Then Saddam must be the most legitimate ruler ever. He would run elections and miraculously win with 99% of the vote.

I think Stalin and Hitler got larger margins!