Thread: Latin America aid spike

Latin America aid spike
President Bush's proposed budget for fiscal year 2009 contains $2.7 billion in overall aid to Latin America, a 25% increase compared with 2007. Adam Isacson, a researcher at Center for International Policy think tank in Washington, says the bad news is that most of the increase comes in the form of military and police aid and "not economic development or institution-building aid."

Mexico for example would receive $328 million in miltary aid in '09 on top of $367 million this year, or nearly 10 times what it was getting in 2007. It's all part of Bush's so-called Merida Initiative, or "Plan Mexico," to help fight drug traffickers.

Central America potentially is another big winner. If Congress approves, the region would get $544 million in overall aid in 2009, up from $355 million in 2007. The military part of that would be more than $86 million, or nearly six times what the region is getting this current fiscal year.

The administration's focus on combating Central American gangs such as the Mara Salvatrucha is the big reason for the increase. (The Associated Press photo at left shows hooded Mexico CIty police arresting drug trafficking suspects on Jan. 20)

--Chris Kraul in Bogota

February 04, 2008 | Permalink
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/laplaza ... ica-a.html

Mexico for example would receive $328 million in miltary aid in '09 on top of $367 million this year, or nearly 10 times what it was getting in 2007. It's all part of Bush's so-called Merida Initiative, or "Plan Mexico," to help fight drug traffickers.

This money should stay in the US, to pay for the money spent on Mexican citizens in the US!

President Bush's proposed budget for fiscal year 2009 contains $2.7 billion in overall aid to Latin America, a 25% increase compared with 2007.

Yet, the 'informal' aid sent to Mexico (in the form of remittances by non-US nationals) is $50 billion/per year to Mexico ALONE! ()
Seems to me, we're already sending large amounts of 'aid' and the formal total is just the icing on the cake.

Can someone tell me why we don't tax money sent / wired from individuals in the US into private Central/South American bank accounts?