What these students may think and repeat is quite free from experience. The Latin actuality is STILL the inequality of wealth and la tendencia de la tierra. When free trade came in in 1994, the ejido (communal farm) went out. The nationalizations like oil (Pemex) of President Cárdenas around 1930, and some ideals of the Mexican revolution were abandoned in favor of privatizations and free trade of President Salinas and President Cedilla in 1994 on to President Fox, 2000-2006.

Land tenure has ever been a terrible mess in much of Latin America and the basis of CA revolutions. If your pickup has absorbed small-arms fire, you appreciate this issue.

The contention that some free trade act WILL damage the environment might imply that it has NOT yet been greatly damaged, which is juvenile. Ideas and studies like sustainability, biodiversity before-n-after free trade are foolish, because the rampant environmental damage was done long ago. Saving resources that no longer exist seems a trifle difficult !

The joint declaration of Belice, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama, a community of mesoamerican nations, from Merida, Yucatan, 27 June, 2002 proposed raising the standard of living and developing a sustainable democratic society with respect to human rights and permanent peace. These are good intentions. Such provoked the comment of Robbie Burns, "The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry." Next, we have to face political corruption and disillusionment.