I visit Mexico often, have many friends there, both Mexican and ex-pats. The Mexico I know is so different than many commenting here seem to believe.
Yes, Mexico is dysfunctional, it has serious problems with corruption, modernizing/extending infrastructure, urban pollution, the rural poor, urban underclasses and a justifiably intractable native population. Mexican bureaucracy is openly corrupt and frustrating to deal with; but ours is as well. Not corrupted by obvious graft(or so we like to think), but by regulation, entitlements and ennui.
And, yes, the oligarchs control access to credit, own the politicians and impose high tariff barriers to control trade for their own profit. Mexico must address a support net (other than illegal immigration/US dollar repatriation) and bootstrapping for their poor to stabilize and grow their economy; sooner than later.
However the infrastructure, quality of life and opportunities have dramatically improved over the last ten years. There is an expanding, upwardly mobile middle class much like ours was in the 1960′s when we moved to suburbia en mass.
Regional cities in D.F.’s orbit have become satellite centers of business, service sector and industry. Affordable housing developments grow in every direction, cell phones are as common as in the US, cable TV, wifi and internet usage expands at a fast clip.
Mexico is our southern gateway; one that can swing both ways to a common good or one that must be perpetually barred and guarded. I’m not advocating erasing our borders, but we need to work out an accommodation for our own security and prosperity.
