Power Line News

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The House of Representatives on Thursday voted to scale back President George W. Bush’s plan to aid Mexico in its increasingly deadly war on illegal drug cartels.

The so-called Merida initiative—which Bush proposed last October as a three-year $1.4 billion package providing aircraft, equipment and training—was initially pegged to give Mexico $500 million in the current fiscal year ending September 30.

Lawmakers instead reduced this year’s segment to $400 million in a 256-166 vote on legislation that also expanded benefits for U.S. veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and lengthened unemployment benefits for American workers.

The Democrat-controlled chamber sought to restrict support for the Mexican military, while extending resources for social institutions including the country’s judiciary.

But analysts said the cutback was less than expected and described the vote as an important U.S. gesture toward Mexico.

More than 1,100 people have been killed in Mexico this year as drug gangs fight each other and the security forces.

Good!  I’d give Mexico nothing!  Why isn’t Mexico spending the money on this that they aren’t spending for infrastructure, etc. for their own people???  Is this “deadly war on illegal drug cartels” not as bad for Mexicans, or worse, than for the U.S.?

Feh.

Pandora - 15 May 2008 08:14 PM

Good!  I’d give Mexico nothing!  Why isn’t Mexico spending the money on this that they aren’t spending for infrastructure, etc. for their own people???  Is this “deadly war on illegal drug cartels” not as bad for Mexicans, or worse, than for the U.S.?

Feh.

I agree.  Besides, it is foolish to think that the money we were giving them was increasing the amount of money spent for that purpose.  Any time you give a government money, it simply increases the total amount of revenue available to that government.  Even if the money is earmarked, what this means is that they can decrease the spending they would otherwise have made for that purpose, and then spend it on something else instead.  If we want to get rid of their drug cartels, we can legalize the drugs and make them here.