Economic Freedom Remains Elusive to Our Neighbors to the South
Israel Ortega /
Mexican President, Felipe Calderon, is set to address a joint session of Congress today to address issues of mutual interest on both sides of our almost two thousand mile border. Among the issues that will likely dominate Calderon’s prepared remarks will include the ongoing drug violence engulfing Mexico and threatening to spill over to our border states even more.
But beyond this critical issue of mutual concern, rest assured that Mr. Calderon will use this opportunity to speak about immigration. Mr. Calderon will likely talk about the thousands of men, women and even children that die every year in the US-Mexico border yearning for an opportunity to live in our country. But what Mr. Calderon will likely not tell us is how true economic freedom remains elusive for the vast majority of his citizens.
This claim is validated in our most recent Index of Economic Freedom that pegs Mexico in the 41st position. Despite modest improvements in many of the ten key economic indicators in our Index, economic underdevelopment continues to plague Mexico. (more…)