What most people don't know about Mexico
Unfortunately, most people never see the real Mexico. They get their ideas about Mexico from the resorts and tourist shops they visit on their holidays.“According to UN statistics, you're 3 times more likely to be a victim of crime in the U.S. than you are in Mexico.”
But that description isn't any more accurate than a person visiting Disneyland, assuming they have seen the U.S.
And, for these people, Mexico outside the tourist areas is the Mexico they've seen on television... much like the old Wild West that the U.S. was so long ago. But nothing could be further from the truth. Contrary to what the press would have us believe, Mexico is actually safer than the U.S.
According to UN statistics, you're 3 times more likely to be a victim of crime in the U.S. than you are in Mexico.
Recent FBI statistics paint the picture even more clearly... The murder rate (per 100,000 people) in Baltimore is 43.3... in Washington DC it is 29.1... and in Detroit 47.3... But in Mexico, the murder rate again is just a third of that... about 13.
Anyone can tell you that there are certain neighborhoods in Los Angeles, Washington, or Detroit you should avoid. That's where the crimes happen. Likewise, people living in Mexico would tell you about isolated areas in their country (like in Mexico City, or those along the border) that you should avoid.
Unfortunately, when people vacation, they often leave their common sense at home. And sometimes they do risky things they wouldn't otherwise do.
The truth is, people in Mexico are more honest, friendly, and welcoming than the media would have you believe.
And there is a lot more to Mexico that most people just don't know...
- According to U.S. government figures, Mexico's economy moved ahead of Australia's last year, making it the 13th largest economy in the world.
- BusinessWeek reported on Mexico's growth too, saying, “The ranks of that middle class have swelled to record levels... Millions have access to mortgages, solid jobs provide security, and a class of strivers saves to put its kids through college.”
- Unlike the U.S., Mexico is one of the world's largest oil exporters and sells 1.7 billion barrels of oil to the U.S. each day. As a result, Mexico's economy is actually strengthened by today's rising oil prices.
- Mexico's stock market has also taken off. In fact, over the past five years, Mexican markets have outperformed U.S. stocks (as measured by the S&P500) by 10 to 1.
- This year, Mexico's government has launched a 5-year, $250 billion program to build new highways, railways, airports and ports throughout the country.
- And today, there are countless state-of-the-art hospitals and care homes being built specifically to service the aging baby boomers arriving from north of the border.
Mexico can give you all the conveniences of modern life that you're used to. It has a stable government and a First-World infrastructure, including high-speed internet, mobile telephone networks, high-tech medicine, paved multi-lane freeways, and much Mexico will stay undiscovered for long...