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 Editorials | Issues | April 2008 
Former Mexican President Tackles Trade, Education
 Lydia McCoy - Courier & Press
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| | Vicente Fox, former president of Mexico | | |
Vincente Fox is living out the dreams of his grandfather, who lived in Cincinnati and "decided with that very special spirit, that very strong character" to say goodbye to his parents and go to Mexico.
"He came down to Mexico as a migrant without a dime in his pocket, crossing deserts, mountains and his head full of dreams," Fox told a group Thursday evening at the University of Evansville. "He made this dream of the Americas in Mexico. Our nations, both United States and Mexico, were constructed through the efforts of migrants. We are all here, most of us here, we have a migrant origin, and that makes us a very special people."
Fox, who served as Mexico's president from 2000 to 2006, spoke to several hundred people at the University of Evansville's International Speaker Series.
His presidency ended the 71-year rule of the Institutional Revolutionary Party. While in office, he focused his early efforts on improving trade relations with the U.S., calming civil unrest and reducing corruption and crime.
UE also awarded Fox with the university's Medal of Honor, its highest honor.
Fox said he often is asked why Mexico doesn't take care of its people and why they travel to America.
For many years, the Latin American countries were in the hands of dictators, he said.
"That's why we're lagging behind," Fox said. "The answer is that unfortunately Latin America, compared to other regions of the world, did not have the process of development as others did. But we woke up at the end of the century. People are starting to change ... and we got rid of dictators, and we started economic reforms in all nations of Latin America."
Thoughts on NAFTA
The former president talked about his thoughts on the North American Free Trade Agreement, the future of Mexico and the war in Iraq. And he shared what he feels it means to be a leader.
At one point, several hecklers interrupted his speech. Fox said they could stay to hear the discussion as long as they remained quiet, but they were escorted out before he continued.
Fox said NAFTA should be improved with the addition of a clause to "keep integrating our economies (and) associating our resources" to compete in a global market.
"NAFTA is a creation of the three of us — Canada, the United States and Mexico. We decided to partner, and we decided to partner for many reasons," he said. "We need to gain competitiveness, the three of us. We are losing jobs to China in Mexico. Canada is losing jobs to China ... and it is happening today in the United States. Individually you cannot compete anymore."
The vision of Mexico 30 years from now, he said, will be changed because of education.
"You can totally change a community. You can totally change a nation, but only through education," he said. "So what I see is a Mexico that has narrowed and closed and eliminated that gap with education levels with the United States. The income gap is the same trouble. An average worker in the states will make six times more income than an average worker of the Mexican south. So that gap is our problem, and it's a problem for both of us ... because as long as there is that difference, people will continue to cross the border. Everybody wants to do better." |
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