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Lakeside increased population?


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2 hours ago, bmh said:

I also live in San Cristobal de las Casas where the traffic has gotten worst as well and where internet service is lousy and we do not have an influx of foreigners... so how do you explain that one?

One good thing is is that cabs are plentyful so I do not drive unless I leave town with heavy packages because there are also lots of public vans that can take you just about anywhere you wish to go unlike Lakeside where people have to drive everywhere because public transportation is not good by Mexican standards.

 

You make a good point about the lack of cheap public transit here.  Why not van shuttles?  Why not those agile moto taxis?  There ar  e a lot of buses running up and down the carretera but otherwise nada.  Why?

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51 minutes ago, gringal said:

I'll bite:  how does this work, specifically?  You lost me.

How many years was the U.S. dollar to peso 10 to one - twenty? AMLO is a popular populist. He has the capability to rouse the Mexican people. Trade wars are never good. 45 sent the farmworkers home, now who is to plant, weed, and harvest the U.S. crops? 2018 and 2019 are going to be unstable, I am not the only predictor of this.

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10 minutes ago, CHILLIN said:

How many years was the U.S. dollar to peso 10 to one - twenty? AMLO is a popular populist. He has the capability to rouse the Mexican people. Trade wars are never good. 45 sent the farmworkers home, now who is to plant, weed, and harvest the U.S. crops? 2018 and 2019 are going to be unstable, I am not the only predictor of this.

Sorry, but I'm still puzzled.  AMLO may be a popular candidate and could win, but how is that related to farm workers being sent back to Mexico, U. S. crop loss and an unstable currency?  Do you think PAN or PRI win would make a difference to that problem one way or another?

There seems to be a metals trade war shaping up now.  Do you see that affecting the dollar/peso rate in the future?  Do you see any change in that depending on who wins the next Mexican election?

I do agree that 2018 and 2019 will be unstable, but for other reasons.  We can start by noticing the gyrations of the recent stock market.  I won't be investing in either securities in the U.S. or Cetes in Mexico any time soon.  It's approaching "mattress" time, IMHO.

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15 minutes ago, CHILLIN said:

How many years was the U.S. dollar to peso 10 to one - twenty? AMLO is a popular populist. He has the capability to rouse the Mexican people. Trade wars are never good. 45 sent the farmworkers home, now who is to plant, weed, and harvest the U.S. crops? 2018 and 2019 are going to be unstable, I am not the only predictor of this.

Hard to tell from my perspective.  Will there actually be a NAFTA? Will there be a steel and aluminum embargo like The present person in the White House stated when no one around him thought he would. Canada is the largest seller of aluminum to the UNited States. They are peeved. Now the career ambassador to Mexico has just resigned to be replaced by whom?  Friend who is connected to some farmers in The San Joaquin valley the area that produces so much of the veggies that we eat in the USA told me it is very hard as it is to find labor. Farmers are offering 15 to 20 an hour and cant get help and much is left to rot. The massive cranberry and blueberry farmers in New Jersey had many issues with finding labor this year and the big supermarkets did not have blueberries from the area , but from Chile. Local stores had them. If the US wants to play this trade war game no one wins but the veggies and fruits will go up like crazy in the USA. Just my opinion.

.

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10 minutes ago, CHILLIN said:

How many years was the U.S. dollar to peso 10 to one - twenty? AMLO is a popular populist. He has the capability to rouse the Mexican people. Trade wars are never good. 45 sent the farmworkers home, now who is to plant, weed, and harvest the U.S. crops? 2018 and 2019 are going to be unstable, I am not the only predictor of this.

Strong indication that he is going to win. It will be interesting to watch what all that will do to a peso and foreign investments..

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18 minutes ago, gringal said:

 Do you think PAN or PRI win would make a difference to that problem one way or another?

Those parties tried and failed. AMLO has the ability, I don't know if this is right word, but to"galvanize" Mexicans.  Watch one of his rallies on youtube. He is in his political prime. His rhetoric is building a new Mexico, not dependent on the U.S.A., Mexico becoming a giant in Latin America.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPeGJM8equg

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38 minutes ago, Mainecoons said:

You make a good point about the lack of cheap public transit here.  Why not van shuttles?  Why not those agile moto taxis?  There ar  e a lot of buses running up and down the carretera but otherwise nada.  Why?

Have you seen the pulmonia taxis in Mazatlan. That may be an option but I d'ont know how they will to on the stone streets

 

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5 minutes ago, CHILLIN said:

Those parties tried and failed. AMLO has the ability, I don't know if this is right word, but to"galvanize" Mexicans.  Watch one of his rallies on youtube. He is in his political prime.

You haven't addressed my questions as yet.  What do Mexicans want him to do?

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5 minutes ago, michael2595 said:

Have you seen the pulmonia taxis in Mazatlan. That may be an option but I d'ont know how they will to on the stone streets

 

When I think of these carts and topes and cobblestones, my back hurts.  Great solution for busy but smoother streets.

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The Mexicans are sick  of the samo samo just like the American, the French, the Germans and the Brits so they are willinng to try someone who is not from the parties that have been in before. I just went to one of his meeting and the people there were from middle class, educated to campesinos. 

The joke going around now is that Meade (PRI) Anaya(Pan), AMLO and a poor person are sitting at a table with 20 cookies. Meade take 9, Anaya take 10 and turns around to warn the poor to watch out for AMLO because , he (AMLO) will take everything from him..

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These "golf carts" would be a complete nightmare in the village of narrow cobblestone lanes. Bigger buses carry hundreds of Mexican people.   What we need is to widen the main road or get an underground built going from Chapala to Joco. :rolleyes:  Otherwise, I have no problem to hop on the local bus with the other population . We also got a taxi driver we like and treat him well. He is always available when we need him. This is not a "northern" way but it is how it is done here and works well.

I know...no need to comment.

 

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The pulmonias of Mazatlan are actually VW bugs, converted with a fiberglass body. They do just fine on topes and cobblestones, as have “vochos“ for half a century, or more. They have 15“ wheels and robust suspension.

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2 hours ago, michael2595 said:

Hard to tell from my perspective.  Will there actually be a NAFTA? Will there be a steel and aluminum embargo like the present person in the White House stated when no one around him thought he would. Canada is the largest seller of aluminum to the UNited States. They are peeved. Now the career ambassador to Mexico has just resigned to be replaced by whom?  Friend who is connected to some farmers in The San Joaquin valley the area that produces so much of the veggies that we eat in the USA told me it is very hard as it is to find labor. Farmers are offering 15 to 20 an hour and cant get help and much is left to rot. The massive cranberry and blueberry farmers in New Jersey had many issues with finding labor this year and the big supermarkets did not have blueberries from the area , but from Chile. Local stores had them. If the US wants to play this trade war game no one wins but the veggies and fruits will go up like crazy in the USA. Just my opinion.

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Interesting piece here on that labor situation from the perspective of wine growers but also discussing the relationship to other agricultural labor.  This sentence was a bit of a surpise:

Quote

The numbers don’t lie: there has been a steady loss of immigrant labor back across the Mexican border for the past 10 years, and it’s creating a true brain drain. The Mexican economy continues to accelerate, meaning fewer workers are motivated to head north. Many migrant workers have decided not to return to America for a variety of reasons, including cost, fear and uncertainty about how they’ll be treated. If they can get a job and live at home with their families, why leave?

Note "the past 10 years."

That last sentence is the nub of it.  Surveys consistently show a lot of the Mexicans who went up north really do not want to stay, they want to be back home with their families.  Various trends are making that more and more possible.  Rapidly falling birth rate in Mexico impacting the surplus of labor here.  There are more and more job options.  They learn a lot in the U.S. they can use to make a living here.  (We see a lot of that around here.)

Wages of the poorest paid will continue to rise.  Yes some of the figures cited look pretty big already but remember this is not full time work with a lot of benefits.  The harvest seasons are short.  There is little or no work in the winter.  The wine growers are an exception in their ability to hire full time, most agriculture can't do this and stay in business.  There will be a lot more mechanizing and a lot fewer people migrating up there from Mexico.  At some point the U.S. will have to (IMO) reinstate large bracero programs, probably mainly using Central Americans.

As for the next election here everyone knows what side of the political spectrum I occupy.  However I think having someone who will upset the hopelessly corrupt PRI/PAN/PRD same old same old is what Mexico needs now.  Remember Morena will not control the Congress and that will drive compromise.  The biggest thing needed is a thorough house cleaning of all the corrupt government departments and that just isn't going to happen with same old same old. 

My biggest concern is the corruptos will assassinate AMLO at which point chaos would ensue.  Political assassination happens all the time in this country, albeit usually at lower levels these days.

Not sure any of us would be safe here if that happened.

 

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15 minutes ago, Mainecoons said:

My biggest concern is the corruptos will assassinate AMLO...

Not sure any of us would be safe here if that happened.

 

1

What? Most will tell you they dislike (hate) the US government but love Americans. I see nothing that could possibly happen to change that.

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No the figures quoted for farm labor are not big..We paid that whe I l left the Napa Valley in 98 but we paid by the ton not by the hour.. If you calculated by the hour is was 20 dollars an hour back then but as everyone was  non documented we paid no benefit. SS was deducted though as everyone had to have a SS.

Are the farmers paying undocumented workers by the hour now?  The Central Valley wages were also below those of the Napa valley so I wonder what they are paying now  in Sonoma and Napa..The situation was bad back then as far as finding workers so with the immigration being down I wonder what it is now.

My biggest concern is not the assassination of AMLO but the messing around with the results of the elections. It promises to be interesting. ALready the parties are going at each other in Chiapas and there are plenty of problems in the indigenous communities, some places are telling me not to go as it is too dangerous.

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On 3/2/2018 at 4:19 PM, Mainecoons said:

I'd agree with your observation Lakeside7.  IMHO there are two primary causes:

1.  Mexican car ownership has skyrocketed.  In Jalisco for example car sales are increasing annually at a rate around 20 percent or higher.  Put that with the renewed popularity of a newly mobile of the city of 6 million we live very close to and that translates to a lot more visitors.   I note people observing similar impacts in places like Mazamitla, Tapalpa, Puerto Vallarta and other popular recreational destinations.  The Tapatios have wheels and money in their pocket and they like to get out of town.

2.  Unfortunately this influx has not been met with increased and better services and management locally.  Quite the contrary.  Whether it be trash removal, road repair, addressing traffic issues outside of Chapala the local government is AWOL.  It is noteworthy the Pueblo Magico visitation committee commented on the general trashiness and obvious failure to manage solid wastes and other environmental issues.  And they've been handing out building and business permits for ugly and damaging projects like candy not to mention the ear shattering concerts.

Look at the broken benches and the rotting bridges on our Malecon.  Together with the trash and the potholes the overall presentation of this town has gone down.  Way down.

When we moved here 10 years ago, street repair was systematic and consistent.  Yes we had cobblestones but those were kept in far better repair.  As for trash removal you could set your watch by it.  Major streets like the carretera and around the plaza were swept regularly.  No more.

Jalisco in general has gone backwards in environmental protection and road maintenance.  Let's face it Chapala highway is a bone jarring, car wrecking nightmare.  Just about every road in this state is nearly as bad or getting so other than those pricey toll roads.

The current Jalisco government cut road maintenance nearly 30 percent and it shows.  It shows locally too since they are responsible for the maintenance of the carretera and there basically isn't any at all.

After two years of failure to provide reliable and consistent trash service Ajijic is a lot trashier than it used to be.  The Pueblo Magico people noticed it, my visitors notice it and we notice it.  It is a regular occurrence to have to bring the trash back in on missed pick up days.  Unfortunately not everyone does that so the stuff gets scattered all over the place.

No, if we came today for the first time and saw this we probably would have looked elsewhere.  The situation is manageable IMO but this local government isn't going to do it.  Given the reformers can't seem to understand that running 5 candidates is a sure bet for reelecting the current regime I don't see a lot of hope for a better municipal future here.

 

I have to weigh in on this talk, and totally agree with the statements above....in my 10+ yrs. here it has gotten worse...and its a joke to think this town could ever be Magico!!!    Too many people coming in from NOB and GDL...with no parking, no housing to rent,  no general maintenance of streets, traffic lights, garbage on road.  The Librimento is a horror of garbage, Revolution is half assed fixed with sand? and rocks, but all debris left where it lands half finished, and garbage piled on top of it!!  Its ugly...and though I own and want to stay here, every day I almost die at some driver's hands and would never have stayed or bought a property here had it looked like it does today.  And the current administration are useless.....   I could go on and on......and will suffer sarcasm I'm sure from other posters...........but that's how I and many other long timers here feel now!!

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1 hour ago, poptarte_22@yahoo.com said:

Too many people coming in from NOB and GDL...with no parking, no housing to rent,  no general maintenance of streets, traffic lights, garbage on road.  The Librimento is a horror of garbage, Revolution is half assed fixed with sand? and rocks, but all debris left where it lands half finished, and garbage piled on top of it!!  Its ugly...

That really is the nub of the problem, this local government.  Mazamitla and Tapalpa for examples are both getting the same flood of newly car owning Tapatios but they managed to stay clean and in good repair.  The flip side of the increase in tourism is the increase in tax dollars to cope with it.  Clearly these towns have.  They are much more crowded than 10 years ago but if anything have improved their maintenance and presentation.

Just as clearly that is not the case here.  Simply restoring the level of service and maintenance that existed 10 years ago would help significantly.  If in fact the very substantial increase in revenues were really put to work instead of into someones pockets we would be able to cope with this situation much better just as the other tourist towns are.

Pueblo Magico without cleaning up city hall will result in any increases in revenues disappearing like all the rest.  I am told the Mexican community here is as fed up as we are but will they actually turn out and make the needed change?  It is hard not to feel that 3 more years like the last 2.5 will turn this place into a complete dump.

 

 

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7 minutes ago, Mainecoons said:

That really is the nub of the problem, this local government.  Mazamitla and Tapalpa for examples are both getting the same flood of newly car owning Tapatios but they managed to stay clean and in good repair.  The flip side of the increase in tourism is the increase in tax dollars to cope with it.  Clearly these towns have.  They are much more crowded than 10 years ago but if anything have improved their maintenance and presentation.

Just as clearly that is not the case here.  Simply restoring the level of service and maintenance that existed 10 years ago would help significantly.  If in fact the very substantial increase in revenues were really put to work instead of into someones pockets we would be able to cope with this situation much better just as the other tourist towns are.

Pueblo Magico without cleaning up city hall will result in any increases in revenues disappearing like all the rest.  I am told the Mexican community here is as fed up as we are but will they actually turn out and make the needed change?  It is hard not to feel that 3 more years like the last 2.5 will turn this place into a complete dump.

 

 

Wouldn't you agree that if the roads were put into tip top shape including the ones to GDl  and this " potential" pueblo magico was restored to what it once was, more clean and fixed up and swept etc that in turn would make traffic worse and bring in more noise etc. because more people from GDl and other towns would be coming here in greater numbers. Example.. We had a town road very close to where we lived that was pretty beat up but there were large estates on this road. Potholes galore. I wouldn't drive that road. The town came in and fixed the road, repaved,etc and the landowners on that road sued to restore it back to its real bad state. They saw an influx of cars on the road as a result of the improvements made because it was a great short cut but the homeowners liked their privacy. The road was torn up and brought back to its original shape.

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