This is basically a core dump of stuff I've been thinking about lately, but have lacked the time/inclination to flesh them out:
1. Immigration, which is apparently a big deal to some people these days. An idea I have heard exactly no one address is the US putting some pressure on Mexico to privatize their petroleum industry and/or allow for foreign investment in the oil infrastructure of Mexico. It seems to me that the US has more than enough economic leverage to convince them to do pretty much whatever we want. Especially since they just elected and another (relatively) free market-friendly president. If Pemex wasn't the only game in town, I find it hard to envision that this wouldn't create at least a few decent jobs south of the border, and maybe reduce the insurmountably powerful incentives many Mexicans have to immigrate to the US, legally or otherwise.
To me this seems so obvious that there must be a flaw in it. I'd love to know what that is.
2. Currency for the blind. The Treasury Department lost a lawsuit this week which basically means they have to make US currency more friendly to the blind (i.e., not have all bill denominations be the same size and texture). Those that have traveled even a little will likely note that the US is waaaay behind the curve on this. Now, the reasons for doing away with the current uniform standard are not trivial: namely, that every cash register, wallet, ATM, and vending machine in the US is based on it. But if we went to different sized bills, wouldn't the cash registers and wallets at least be OK as long as none of the new bills were any longer or taller than the old ones? So what if some of our bills end up the size of Monopoly money? It might be problematic for machines that have to read bills electronically (i.e., vending machines) but isn't that no different than dealing with recent changes to 20's 10's and 5's?
(By the way, this would be even easier if we just got rid of the $1 bill and replaced it with a coin. And my current wallet has accommodated Euros, Pesos, and Canuck Bucks without a hitch.)
Again, this seems so obvious to me that there must be something wrong with it.
3. Iraq--isn't it obvious that all we really have to do is...I'm just kidding. I haven't got a clue how to deal with that mess...
5 comments:
Pemex is the third rail, dude. I am not going to claim I am an expert in Mexican history but the company was nationalized in the face of some seriously asshole dealings by foreign oil companies.
Cardenas was the Franklin Roosevelt of Mexico and (I think) founder of the PRI. Real populist pinko type. Pemex was an enormous deal for Mexico and a real big part of establishing a post-colonial independence.
I guess. Too bad it's keeping them poorer than they need to be.
Reminds me of Atlas Shrugged.
i avidly support tossing the $1 bill. so does the treasury.
but...
somebody named kennedy sits on the same committee that decides these issues, and the manufacturer of currency paper just happens to be among this guy's consituents.
every time the issue is brought to the fore, it gets killed in committee.
aint gonna happen anytime soon.
brian:
mail me,
mrgino64@yahoo
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