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Don't they have a new president?
But I'm afraid a certain amount of corruption is simply the Latino way, exported from Spain and Portugal centuries ago.
The only LA country that seems to be kind of immune is Uruguay, for whatever reason.
I'm curious, what makes a corrupt politician ? I think it's some one who accepts bribes and contributions to look the other way. That sounds like most people in Congress to me. In other words you don't have to look south to find corruption.
I'm curious, what makes a corrupt politician ? I think it's some one who accepts bribes and contributions to look the other way. That sounds like most people in Congress to me. In other words you don't have to look south to find corruption.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Angelino19
And our politicians arean't ?
It is actually quite different in Latin America. The "bite" is accepted as normal. The police officer is not paid a living wage. He is expected to use the "bite" to survive. There is actually a whole etiquette to it. How much and under what circumstance.
And even on a legitimate transaction it is common to pay a reward for service. We actually got a guy who ran the customs at the airport to create a form for us to get a piece of fancy electronics up to the Tijuana airport and back to PV without encountering duty or going through Mexico City where such items disappear. We pulled it off and presented the custom guy with a $50 bottle of scotch. We did not have to...but we wished to sweeten the path for the next American boater or such.
And we Americans play the game. There are dozens of illegal Americans in the harbor and tourist area of Puerto Vallarta. They survive and do business by paying the cops and the immigration guys. There are a whole mess of polite fictions made. Americans do not spend money for services from other Americans...they barter. Turns out to be services bartered for dollars but no one admits it.
The Mexicans are NOT great people. This can’t be blamed solely on their leaders. On the whole, Mexicans (including those living in the USA) are our stated enemy.
The Mexicans are NOT great people. This can’t be blamed solely on their leaders. On the whole, Mexicans (including those living in the USA) are our stated enemy.
Absurd. They will follow the Italians and the Irish and vanish into "American". See it in the second gen kids already. They mostly will marry non Hispanics and vanish into the rest of us.
Absurd. They will follow the Italians and the Irish and vanish into "American". See it in the second gen kids already. They mostly will marry non Hispanics and vanish into the rest of us.
Sorry but perhaps you are not old enough. I remember well a 60 year ago run in with the very Italian lady who would later be my my mother in law. She was very annoyed with Irish me. Said my only redeeming feature was that I was not Black. That was not the term she used but lets us be nice to the departed. So you could see the pecking order of a 1960 Italian.
I married her daughter any way. And no one would classify any of my children as either Italian or Irish. And that is good because they are not. Interesting though that as they have become middle age they are much more friendly with the Italian side than I would have thought possible. Some interesting friction on occasion but they get along with their level cousins quite well.
It is actually quite different in Latin America. The "bite" is accepted as normal. The police officer is not paid a living wage. He is expected to use the "bite" to survive. There is actually a whole etiquette to it. How much and under what circumstance.
And even on a legitimate transaction it is common to pay a reward for service. We actually got a guy who ran the customs at the airport to create a form for us to get a piece of fancy electronics up to the Tijuana airport and back to PV without encountering duty or going through Mexico City where such items disappear. We pulled it off and presented the custom guy with a $50 bottle of scotch. We did not have to...but we wished to sweeten the path for the next American boater or such.
And we Americans play the game. There are dozens of illegal Americans in the harbor and tourist area of Puerto Vallarta. They survive and do business by paying the cops and the immigration guys. There are a whole mess of polite fictions made. Americans do not spend money for services from other Americans...they barter. Turns out to be services bartered for dollars but no one admits it.
I've been to Tijuana twice in the past six years and have never paid a bribe, or as Mexicans call it, a "mordida. My most recent trip was 4 years ago. Fortunately a friend who calls Tijuana home gave us a tour of this city of over 2 million inhabitants. I expected to see squalor and poverty everywhere, but that was not the case. In fact it's somewhat of a modern city. We saw no beggars or vagrants on the streets, which was also a pleasant surprise. You'll see more vagrants and beggars in the streets of most US cities than in Tijuana. Having said that, along the US border with Mexico, there was a long canal with several homeless and drug addict encampments. Apparently the local police keep a watchful eye on this section of the city.
I'm sure the city has been impacted greatly by the recent arrival of thousands of Central American migrants making their way to the US border.
I was also in Mexico City many years ago and never paid a bribe to anyone. I always tip generously, especially when traveling abroad, but I wouldn't call that a bribe.
Last edited by Angelino19; 05-17-2019 at 11:25 PM..
It is actually quite different in Latin America. The "bite" is accepted as normal. The police officer is not paid a living wage. He is expected to use the "bite" to survive. There is actually a whole etiquette to it. How much and under what circumstance.
And even on a legitimate transaction it is common to pay a reward for service. We actually got a guy who ran the customs at the airport to create a form for us to get a piece of fancy electronics up to the Tijuana airport and back to PV without encountering duty or going through Mexico City where such items disappear. We pulled it off and presented the custom guy with a $50 bottle of scotch. We did not have to...but we wished to sweeten the path for the next American boater or such.
And we Americans play the game. There are dozens of illegal Americans in the harbor and tourist area of Puerto Vallarta. They survive and do business by paying the cops and the immigration guys. There are a whole mess of polite fictions made. Americans do not spend money for services from other Americans...they barter. Turns out to be services bartered for dollars but no one admits it.
I was made aware of the large numbers of Americans and Canadians living and doing business in Puerto Vallarta by a friend who owns a vacation condo in PV. He said there were also many Americans, evading US law, who call PV home. I've only been there once, and fell in love in the place.
Absurd. They will follow the Italians and the Irish and vanish into "American". See it in the second gen kids already. They mostly will marry non Hispanics and vanish into the rest of us.
Great observation. California is a perfect example of that. I've met Mexican-Armenian, Mexican-Italian, Mexican-Irish, Mexican-Chinese, Mexican-English, and yes, even Mexican-Australian couples, and it seems very normal here.
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