Yearly Archives: 2013

Luis Rubio The PAN is conditioning its legislative vote for the energy reform on the approval of an electoral reform. The “quid pro quo” proposal makes business sense in that it is understandable within a context of logrolling or trading favors. Some legislators in the world, notoriously the Americans, are famous (but not in a […]

Luis Rubio 1971 was the year that things slacked off. After two decades of experiencing growth rates of more than 6% on average, that year was considered to be one of recession because the growth rate was only 3%. That’s how much things have changed… The politicians’ response was to “stimulate” the economy through heightened […]

FORBES – Luis Rubio In only few instances has Mexico found itself unable to break through the paralyzing inertia that currently characterizes it. Today is one of those: the question is whether it will be able to do it. As the energy-linked monologues reveal, our proclivity for fighting for the past rather than constructing a future […]

Luis Rubio When politicians start making radical adjustments to the fiscal system they run the risk of provoking distortions they could never have imagined. The government presented its fiscal bill, including both incomes as well as expenditures, proposing a “paradigm shift”. This is my reading: – The objective is commendable. The construction of a social […]

Luis Rubio   A poster by the National Education Workers Coordinator (CNTE) on the trunk of a van led me to reflect on the discussion (because nothing akin to a debate is happening here) that characterizes the educative issue at present in the country.  “Everything starts with 1s self. Rebel!!!” (sic). Beyond the demonstrations, the […]

Luis Rubio All governments, in Mexico and in the world, hit the wall at some point. What’s crucial is not the fact itself but whether Mexico’s possesses the capacity to extricate itself from the jam it got itself into. Victory at the polls leads the winning team to believe that the sky’s the limit, that […]

Luis Rubio At the heart of criminality, says Mark Kleiman, lies impunity. When crime is not punished, it recurs. On the other hand, if the punishment is disproportionate or, simply, not credible, its dissuasive power is irrelevant, if not negative. What’s required, says this specialist with a long career in law enforcement prior to devoting […]

Luis Rubio In 1904, Stanley, an Anglo-American journalist, went to Africa in search of a Scottish scientist and missionary about whom nothing had been known for some time. The legend goes that Stanley, on finding the Scotsman and without even asking first, affirmed “Dr. Livingstone, I presume”, after which there followed tea at five, so […]

FORBES – Luis Rubio A survey taken by the UNAM several years in a row in the 80s and 90s concluded that Mexicans abhorred the government, saw few alternatives and had a great fear of violence. The history of recent decades appears to justify the three conclusions: we have not been able to upgrade the […]

Luis Rubio The problem with the political-electoral reform proposals that, from the one in 1977, swarm about the scenario after each election is that their motivation is not constructive but rather arises from a spirit of revenge and impotence. Revenge for not having won, impotence for being unable to win. From there, the contents of […]