Reverse Amnesty: A Modest Proposal - Mexico's Drug Legalization Cannot Go Unanswered

America needs productive people. Mexico appears to want more drug abusers. Perhaps we should consider a swap.

by Rod D. Martin
May 12, 2006

A semi-feudal oligarchy and an impoverished peasant and urban slum-dwelling class.

High unemployment and rock-bottom wages.

Inefficient capital allocation and low productivity.

Insufficient respect for private property, rule of law, and personal freedom.

Endemic corruption at every level and within every branch of its oppressive, overbearing government.

Since before independence, that's been Mexico's story in a nutshell. While its current leader, Vicente Fox, has attempted to institute some reforms, he's clearly failed to turn his country around.

Now comes a doozy of a proposal by Mexico's government -- a proposal to legalize marijuana, cocaine, and virtually every other hard drug you've ever heard of, introducing every Mexican to the joys of drug addiction and turning every traveler from Mexico -- illegal immigrant and American tourist alike -- into a suspected (and pretty likely) drug mule.

If border security wasn't important enough to certain leaders before, it…