ATTENTION: President Fecal shows signs of expressing sincere interest in helping construct a more just Mexico!

In the last two days, President Fecal has announced ambitious plans to strengthen two sectors of the Mexican society that are in dire need of attention: 1) infrastructure and 2) health services. He has promised to increase the percentage of Mexico's GDP allocated to infrastructural development from 3 to 5.5%. This US$250 billion will come from private and public investments. And he has promised a 16% raise in government funding of the fledgling health sector. In addition, he will devote an additional US$1.1 billion to Mexico's Popular Security fund.

It's certainly nothing new for Mexican politicians to be talking about helping the poor and oppressed, but to do so with the reinforcement of serious legislation, currently pending Congressional approval, is a whole different story. You might think I'm being overly optimistic here, but I think it's exactly our role as informed global citizens to encourage Fecal, but really any political leader, in their occasional displays of sensible governing. Here's an excerpt from a speech Fecal gave yesterday on improving the health sector in Mexico.

Through this effort, governments, i.e. federal and local governments will continue our commitment to reinforce public policies that will enable us to construct a Mexico in which everyone has timely, adequate medical care, mothers will not experience the pain of seeing their children suffering from illnesses that could have been prevented or cured and the gaps between Mexicans with health services and those with nothing will be narrowed.

In order to reinforce these policies, a few days ago we also presented the National Health Program that proposed specific actions for improving the population's health, reducing inequalities in health services, providing quality, warmth and security for patients while preventing impoverishment due to exorbitant expenses as a result of health problems and enabling poverty to be overcome through access to quality services.

Fecal, I give you a thumbs up, however tentative, for these recent announcements. Now don't let me, but more importantly the 50% of Mexicans trapped in poverty, down.