Mexicans Plan “Nothing Gringo!” Boycott

The world is increasingly resembling a deadly children's playground: showing-off, double-daring, bullying, and tit for tat boycotts:

U.S. lobbyists lashed out Wednesday at the Mexican "Nothing Gringo" campaign timed for May 1 to coincide with the "Day Without Immigrants" boycott in the United States.

The American Chamber of Commerce in Mexico said organizers are risking a backlash and foolishly targeting some of their best allies, since U.S. corporations have actively lobbied the U.S. Congress for immigration reform including legalization for many of the estimated 11 million undocumented migrants.

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"This is like shooting oneself in the foot," Rubin said. "U.S. companies have been the first to lobby, launching a huge lobbying effort for immigration reform. ... Why hurt something that is helping you?"

Maybe because you're NOT helping them - you're EXPLOITING them! Big difference.

Migrants and their supporters in the United States are being encouraged to skip work and school and not spend money for one day to demonstrate the migrants' importance to the U.S. economy.

South of the border, Mexicans are targeting American stores and chain restaurants - "That means no Dunkin' Donuts, no McDonald's, Burger King, Starbucks, Sears, Krispy Kreme or Wal-Mart," reads one e-mail making the rounds.

Outstanding! Kick 'em where it hurts!

But even activists are confused about which companies are U.S.-owned. Sears is cited by boycott organizers, despite the fact that Sears' Mexico stores were bought by Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim in 1997. And few organizers mention Vips - the chain of ubiquitous Mexican diners - even though they are owned by Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT)

A quarter of Mexico's formal private-sector jobs with regular pay are provided by U.S. firms, according to the chamber, including Walmex, the Mexican Wal-Mart subsidiary that is the nation's biggest private employer with 140,000 workers. Delphi Corp. (DPHIQ), the U.S. auto parts maker, is second with 70,000 workers.

"Certainly, companies could be hurt," Rubin said at a news conference Wednesday.

GOOD! Serves them right! But, isn't something - how we can't tell who owns what in this incestious transnational corpocracy we live under.

The chamber represents more than 2,000 American and other foreign companies doing business in Mexico, and says its members are responsible for $100 billion of investment in the country.

And where is the Mexican government in all this? Why can't they support their own industries? No doubt, for the same reason the U.S. can't support its industries - because they are bought and paid for by international bankers.

The companies say they're helping Mexico by providing jobs, but activists counter they pay so little that Mexicans have little choice but to head north.

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"They continue to exploit Mexicans with badly paid jobs and no labor rights," . . . "They're kind of two-faced: they support, but they exploit."

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A cashier at Subway [earns about $189 a month in Mexico City. In Colorado . . . $824.

Companies also often hire workers for three-month periods to avoid paying health insurance or other benefits [.]

So, they're lobbying to bring them here where employers can start cashing in on those savings for domestic operations!

The only way to stem immigration is to narrow the income gap between the two countries, said Robert Pastor, director of the Center for North American Studies at American University in Washington. He pointed to the European Union, where migration slowed after heavy investment reduced the income gap in its poorer countries.

Right. But, the equalization must be UPWARD - NOT DOWNWARD!

Washington does not invest directly in job creation in Mexico. The U.S. Agency for International Development gave Mexico $31 million last year, but it went toward scholarships [subversive think tanks], tuberculosis, AIDS prevention [BIG Pharma] and advice to lending institutions. [!!!!!!!!]

Can it possibly get any more outrageous than this? Not only do lenders get first dibs on low interest capital, but now they get free advice on how to rape the natives with it???

But raising wages would cause Mexico to lose ground to countries with cheaper labor, such as China and India. Felix Boni, director of equity research at Scotiabank's Mexican brokerage firm, suggested boosting Mexico's productivity and job growth.

"U.S. aid is not going to do it," Boni said. "It doesn't make sense to pour money into something that's broken. Mexico needs to make structural changes."

The kind of changes that allow 'investors" to control EVERY natural resource - lock, stock, and barrel.