Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Stopping the Migrant Invasion


Trump has a plan to stop the migrant caravan, will announce Tuesday, by Ann Corcoran, 10/28/18.

I have to say: this is the newest news I’m seeing.  Since the whole issue is in flux (and perhaps more so after the shooting at the synagogue in Pittsburgh where we heard the shooter may have been angry over the caravan as well as HIAS’s role in it), things could change any minute.

But, here is what Neil Munro reported at Breitbart yesterday: WashPo: Trump Will Announce Anti-Caravan Plan on Tuesday. President Donald Trump will announce Tuesday how he will use his extraordinary powers over legal immigration to block the caravan and other asylum-seeking economic migrants, according to the Washington Post.

“A draft of the proposal reviewed by The Washington Post says the president can use his authority under Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act to declare certain migrants ineligible for asylum for national security reasons,” the Post reported.

The little-used powers are in Section 212(f) of U.S. law, at 8 U.S. Code § 1182: Suspension of entry or imposition of restrictions by President

Whenever the President finds that the entry of any aliens into the United States would be detrimental to the interests of the United States, he may by proclamation, and for such period as he shall deem necessary, suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens as immigrants or non-immigrants, or impose on the entry of aliens any restrictions he may deem to be appropriate.

But pro-migration advocates say that 212(f) clause cannot stop illegal migrants from jumping over the border wall into the United States and then use U.S. and international law to apply for asylum. These advocates say migrants — even those with invalid cases — are protected by the constitution’s Fith Amendment once they get onto U.S. territory. The clause — “No person shall be … deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law” — allows migrants to get court hearings, despite Presidential opposition, the advocates say.

However, U.S. law does not require that asylum applicants be allowed to stay in the United States while their legal claims are considered by the courts, countered Christopher Hajec, the litigation director for the Immigration Law Reform Institute.

President Trump has the legal authority to deport classes of migrants to an outside location where they can safely live until their appeals are heard, he said. Migrants would be allowed to appeal for asylum in court cases conducted via video, he told Breitbart News. “Some might get asylum,” he added. Much more here.

Remember readers that asylum is the other side of the refugee coin.  The only difference is the means of getting here.

If we fly them they are called refugees, if they get here on their own steam they must apply for asylum (refugee status).  Then, if the migrant is granted asylum, he/she gets the benefits that refugees we transport here receive.


Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

Venezuela Economy


Venezuela once had a Nominal GDP of $96.3 billion and a population of 32 million.  Venezuela’s land mass is 340,561 square miles.

 

Their population is reported as 32 million, but hasn’t had the out-migration subtracted since 2014. I suspect that their current population is less than 15 million.

 

It reports a Nominal GDP of $96.3 billion, but it has a defaulted debt of $60 billion and little oil being produced. 

 

Inflation is 80,000%. Poverty is 87%. Unemployment is 34%. Nominal per capita GDP is reported at $3,300.

 

China is repaying itself for the $50 billion loan it made to Venezuela by pumping oil from Venezuela’s oil fields themselves.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Venezuela

 

Comments

Venezuela should not have nationalized their natural gas industry in 1971 or their oil industry after 1999. Socialism is adopted incrementally.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

Fleeing Venezuela


How Venezuela's crisis developed and drove out millions of people, 8/22/18. BBC News.
 
Venezuela is rich in oil, and has the largest proven reserves in the world. But arguably it's this exact wealth that underpins many of its economic problems.

Venezuela's economy is in freefall. Hyperinflation, power cuts and food and medicine shortages are driving millions of Venezuelans out of the country.

Many are blaming President Nicolás Maduro and his government for the dire state the nation is in. Here, BBC News takes a closer look at how Venezuela's economy descended into its current crisis.

What's wrong with Venezuela? The population of Venezuela was 32.4 million and 2.3 million have left since 2014. 95% of government revenue comes from oil exports. 19 years of Socialist government. 80,000% inflation.

Arguably the biggest problem facing Venezuelans in theirday-to-day lives is hyperinflation. The annual inflation rate reached 83,000% in July, according to a recent study by the opposition-controlled National Assembly.

Prices have been doubling every 26 days on average. This has resulted in many Venezuelans struggling to afford basic items such as food and toiletries.

How did hyperinflation come about? On the most basic level, there are more people wanting to purchase goods than the number of goods available.

Because it has so much oil, Venezuela has never bothered to produce much else. It sells oil to other countries, and with the dollars it earns, imports the goods Venezuelans want and need from abroad.

Its oil revenues account for about 95% of its export earnings. But when the oil price plummeted in 2014, Venezuela was faced with a shortfall of foreign currency.

This in turn made it difficult to import goods at the same level as before, and imported items became scarcer. The result: businesses increased prices and inflation rose.

Add to that the government's willingness to print extra money and regularly hike the minimum wage in an effort to regain popularity with Venezuela's poor, and you get money which loses its worth rapidly.

The government is also increasingly struggling to get credit after it defaulted on some of its government bonds.  With creditors less likely to take the risk of investing in Venezuela, the government has again taken to printing more money, further undermining its value and stoking inflation.

What's the government doing about it?  The government lopped five zeros off the old "strong bolivar" currency on 20 August and gave it a new name - the "sovereign bolivar". It also began circulating eight new banknotes worth 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 sovereign bolivars and two new coins. The new currency is part of an "economic package" of measures which the government says is the "magic formula" to help Venezuela's battered economy recover.

Among the measures are: Raising the minimum wage to 34 times its previous level from 1 September. .Anchoring the sovereign bolivar to the petro, a virtual currency the government says is linked to Venezuela's oil reserves. 

How are people reacting? Many people have been voting with their feet and leaving Venezuela. According to United Nations figures, 2.3 million Venezuelans have left the country since 2014 when the economic crisis started to bite.

Main Destinations for Venezuelans migrating in 2017 to:
Colombia 600,000
US 290,224
Spain 208,333
Chile 119,051
Ecuador 39,519
Brazil 35,000
Peru 26,239
Total is 1,028,142 partial count for 2017.

The mass migration is one of the largest forced displacement in the western hemisphere.

What faces those staying in Venezuela? While the new currency is likely to make cash transactions easier for a while, its introduction caused confusion. Some Venezuelans managed to get hold of the new bills, but others reported long queues when banks opened.

Some economists have also warned that the new currency could soon face the same problems as the old one unless the root causes of hyperinflation are tackled. They say that within months its worth could be decimated by rising prices.
Employers have also said that they do not know how they will pay for the 34-fold rise in the minimum wage.

Meanwhile, shoppers still face empty shelves in supermarkets, and in some cities there have been water shortages and power cuts caused by a lack of investment in Venezuela's crumbling infrastructure.

But while the power cuts and lack of running water are a problem for households and businesses, they have proven deadly in Venezuela's already run-down public hospitals.
Many of those fleeing the country say they are doing so because they cannot get the operations and medical care they need. 

Who do people blame? Some of the problems go back a long time, but since the socialist government has been in power since 1999, first under President Hugo Chávez and more recently fronted by President Nicolás Maduro, many Venezuelans blame these two men for what is happening.

They say that while the socialist policies of President Chávez may have been aimed at helping the poor - Venezuela was a country of huge inequality when he came to power in 1999 - they backfired.

Take price controls, for example. They were introduced by President Chávez to make basic goods more affordable to the poor by capping the price of flour, cooking oil and toiletries.  But this meant that the few Venezuelan businesses producing these items soon no longer found it profitable to make them.

Critics also blame the foreign currency controls brought in by President Chávez in 2003 for a flourishing black market in dollars. Since then, Venezuelans wanting to exchange bolivars for dollars have had to apply to a government-run currency agency. Only those deemed to have valid reasons to buy dollars, for example to import goods, have been allowed to change their bolivars at a fixed rate set by the government. With many Venezuelans unable to freely buy dollars, they turned to the black market. At one point, the dollar was trading for 6.5m bolivars.

But there is still a loyal core of people who support the government and who say that Venezuela's problems are caused not by President Maduro or his predecessor, but by a hostile and coup-mongering opposition inside the country, and "imperialist forces" like the US and neighboring Colombia outside it. They say that US sanctions have hampered the government by making it hard to restructure its debt. Often, they have benefited directly from the government's social programs - and argue that despite the shortages, they are still better off now than before Mr Chávez came to power in 1999.


Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

Poorest Countries on the Planet


In 2015 the UN listed the countries with the lowest nominal per capita GDP included: Somalia $92, Burundi $273, Malawi $294, Niger $364, Mozambique $379, Central African Republic $394, Madagascar $451, Gambia $484, Sierra Leon $497, Congo Democratic Republic $512, South Sudan $534, Afghanistan $584, Togo $585, Liberia $598, Uganda $610, Guinea-Bissau $620, Burkina Faso $627, North Korea $665. Guinea $683, Ethiopia $687.

In 2017, the IMF published their list of the countries with the lowest nominal per capita GDP and they were: South Sudan $228, Burundi $312, Malawi $324, Central African Republic $387, Mozambique $429, Niger $440, Madagascar $448, Congo Democrat Republic $478, Gambia $480, Sierra Leone $491, Yemen $551, Afghanistan $588, Togo $611, Burkina Faso $664, Uganda $699, Liberia $729, Guinea $749. Rwanda $772, Haiti $784, Comoros $788, Guinea-Bissau $794.


Populations in Poor Countries 2017

South Sudan population is 12,919,053
Burundi population is 11,216,450
Malawi population is 19,164,728
Central African Republic population is 4,737,423
Mozambique population is 30,528,673
Niger population is 22,311,375
Madagascar population is 26,262,810
Congo Democrat Republic population is 84,004,989
Gambia population is 2,163,765
Sierra Leone population is 7,719,729
Yemen population is 28,915,284
Afghanistan population is 36,373,176
Togo population is 7,990,926
Burkina Faso population is 19,751,651
Uganda population is 44,270,563
Liberia population is 4,853,516
Guinea population is 13,052,608
Rwanda population is 12,210,000
Haiti population is 11,112,945
Comoros population is 838,546
Guinea-Bissau population is 1,907,268

Total roughly 340,000,000

Source: Google Search

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

UN Caravan Reaction is Nuts


UN to Trump: You must let them in!  by Ann Corcoran, 10/29/18.

Here we go again! The United Nations is demanding that we follow international law and let those fleeing violence in their Central American countries (not a criteria for granting asylum) into the US.  What happened with that supposed effort to tell Mexico to grant them asylum—that is what international law says! The first safe country asylum seekers reach is where they must ask for asylum.

Clearly the UN is endorsing the concept of “asylum shopping” a term used around the world where migrants are on the hunt for their best deal. But, you know all of that.

The caravan is an anti-Trump public relations stunt in the run-up to the midterm elections and it seems the whole world is in on it.

UN: Countries Must Allow People at Risk to Request Asylum

GENEVA —The U.N. refugee agency is urging Washington to allow people fleeing persecution and violence, including those who are traveling with the Central American caravan, to request asylum on U.S. territory.

U.S. President Donald Trump has vowed to prevent a caravan of thousands of immigrants from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador from entering the United States. The Pentagon has announced plans to send hundreds of troops to the border in what is described as a support role.
The U.N. refugee agency will not weigh in on whether it is legal for a country to close its borders to refugees and asylum seekers. But it says international law clearly states any person whose life may be in danger has the right to seek asylum and benefit from international protection.

What you see happening with gobbledygook in that previous paragraph is a strategy to make you think that every person on the move anywhere is a legitimate refugee.  We aren’t there yet, but the UN is driving public opinion in that direction.

There has to be a reason for “danger,” generalized danger is not a reason for granting asylum.  To be granted asylum a person must prove that he or she would be persecuted for race, religion, political views if returned to one’s home country.  Running from gang violence or poor job prospects does not make someone a refugee!

UN spokesman Andrej Mahecic says there are security risks for the migrants as they travel through Mexico.  Well gee, is that our problem? The UN can simply and easily get them back to their homes. (If they were really that concerned.)

“Our position globally is that the individuals who are fleeing persecution and violence need to be given access to territory and protection including refugee status and determination procedure. And, if the people who are fleeing persecution and violence enter Mexico, they need to be provided access to the Mexican asylum system and those entering the United States need to be provided access to the American asylum system,” he said.

But to get to the US they must pass through Mexico!
So that (above) tells me that any migrant caravan marchers who didn’t ask for asylum in Mexico when they crossed in to that country are admitting they aren’t asylum seekers after all. Hence when they reach the US border they will all be illegal aliens and we can keep them out!

Mahecic keeps trying to send his message: He said it is urgent to stabilize the situation, to provide proper reception and to improve basic conditions for people on the move. In regard to people seeking asylum, he says their international protection needs must be properly assessed before any decision is taken on their return or deportation. More here.

Remember that Mahecic and his bosses are trying to drive public opinion world wide to their view that migration is a human right.  If they succeed then obviously that spells the end of the concept of national sovereignty.

Trump’s America First! message is completely antithetical to the UN’s objective, thus their on-going effort to destroy him.
Don’t you just feel like telling the UN to shut up! Of course, using only non-violent means by cutting off their funds entirely!


Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

Refugee Crime in Italy


Italy: three migrants arrested in teen’s death, fuels Salvini’s anti-immigrant message, by Ann Corcoran, 10/27/18. Of course it does!

From the BBC:  Desirée Mariottini killing: Migrants held in Italy over girl’s death

Three migrants from Senegal and Nigeria have been arrested by police investigating the rape and killing of a girl whose death has been seized upon by the populist right.

The body of Desirée Mariottini, 16, was found in a derelict building in an area of Rome known for drug trafficking. She had been drugged and gang raped.

Right-wing Interior Minister Matteo Salvini hailed the arrests, condemning those behind the murder as “worms”. It would not go unpunished, he said.

Salvini: No protection for migrants who are not legitimate refugees!  Mr Salvini, who leads the anti-immigration League party, has spearheaded measures aimed at scrapping protection for migrants not given refugee status, as well as stopping NGO ships carrying rescued migrants from landing in Italy. Italian leftwingers who want more migration to Italy call Salvini “jackal.”

When he visited the scene of Ms Mariottini’s murder on Wednesday close to Rome’s main Termini station, he was given a mixed reception of cheers and insults. There were shouts of “jackal”, an insult used by critics who have accused him of taking political advantage of human tragedy.

Investigators believe the victim fell unconscious for several hours last week after being given a cocktail of drugs by several people, and died of an overdose. She was sexually abused before she died. More here.

And, if it’s a long rainy day today where you live, you might want to take some time and scroll back through my ‘Invasion of Europe’ files here.


Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

Tuesday, October 30, 2018

Smaller South American Economies


Those countries with lower GDP are not in a position to be much help in offering employment to fleeing migrants. The smaller economies and their GDP includes

Panama $66.71 billion, Poverty 23%
Costa Rica $57.08 billion, Poverty 21.7%
El Salvador $24.81 billion, Poverty 34.9%
Nicaragua $13.81 billion, Poverty 30% 
Belize $1.838 billion. Poverty 41%

GDP in Guatemala is $76 billion, but poverty is 59%. GDP in Honduras is $23 billion, but poverty is 60%. Jobless South and Central American citizens are migrating. Venezuela is bankrupt and uninhabitable, because their Socialist government over-borrowed and overspent on social programs in order to get elected. I blame the voters.

Attempts to address poverty with social welfare programs have backfired on Central and South American countries who adopted these programs. Government policies failed to address the need for families to be able to grow their own food. Poverty breeds crime and socialism and both are destructive to families.

The Drug Problem will continue to plague these countries until it is eradicated. But poverty breeds coca production and drug money breeds government corruption. Colombia has reduced their drug problem and other countries should be copying them.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

Panama Economy


Operating the Panama Canal and related services accounts for 75% of this country’s GDP. The US government took over the building of the canal in 1902. It was finished in 1914. Panama became independent in 1921. Between 1983 and 1989, a drug cartel ran Panama. In 1989 the US intervened and a new government was established.

Panama has a population of 4,162,618 with a land area of 29,157 square miles.

Nominal GDP is $59.05 billion. Per capita GDP is $24,300. GDP growth is 5.3%. Labor force is 1.633 million. Poverty is 23%, Unemployment is 5.5%. Inflation is 1.6%.

Labor force by occupation is agriculture 17%, industry 18.6%, services 64.4%.

Exports are $15.48 billion and include fruit and nuts, fish, iron and steel waste, wood sold to US 21.4%, Netherlands 15.2%, Costa Rica 6%, China 5.6%.

Imports are $21.22 billion and include fuels, machinery, vehicles, iron and steel rods, pharmaceuticals purchased from US 25.7%, China 9.2%, Mexico 5.3%.


Government revenue is $12.6 billion. Spending is $13.56 billion. Government debt is 38.8% of GDP. External debt is $86.55 billion

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

Costa Rica Economy


Costa Rica has a population of 4,953,199 with a land area of 19,730 square miles.

Nominal GDP is $58.91 billion. GDP growth is 3.8%. Per capita GDP is $17,200. Labor force is 2.229 million. Unemployment is 8.1%. Poverty is 21.7%. Inflation is 1.7%.

Exports are $10.55 billion and include bananas, pineapples, coffee, melons, ornamental plants, sugar; beef; seafood; electronic components, medical equipment  sold to US 41%, Netherlands 5.8%, Panama 5.7%, Belgium 5.4%, Nicaragua 5.2%, Guatemala 5.2%.

Imports are $15.55 billion and include raw materials, consumer goods, capital equipment, petroleum, construction materials bought from US 37.1%, China 13.5%, Mexico 6.9%.

Government debt is 66.2% of GDP. Government revenue is $8.262 billion. Spending is $11.34 billion. External debt is $25.83 billion. Reserves are $7.523 billion.


Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

El Salvador Economy


The population of El Salvador is 6.4 million with land area of 8.124 square miles.

Nominal GDP was $24.81 billion.  GDP growth was 2.3%. GDP by sector was agriculture 10.5%, industry 30% and services 59.4%. Inflation was 1.1%. Poverty was 30.7%.
Labor force was 2.6 million. Unemployment was 7%
Main industries are manufacturing and include food processing, beverages, petroleum, chemicals, fertilizers, textiles, furniture and light metals.

Exports were $5.8 billion in offshore assemblies, coffee, sugar, textiles, apparel, gold, ethanol, chemicals, electricity, iron and steel sold to the US 45.8%, Guatemala 14.9%, Honduras 9.6%, Nicaragua 5.8%.

Imports were $10.44 billion in raw materials like thread from the US, consumer goods, capital goods fuels, foodstuffs, petroleum and electricity from the US 34.4%,Guatemala 10.8%, Mexico 6.8%, Colombia 5.7%. Cjoma 5.5%, EU 4%.

Government revenue was $4.835 billion, spending was 5.534 billion. Economic aid was $300 million. Gross external debt was $12.84 billion Foreign reserves were $2.8 billion.



Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

Nicaragua Economy


Nicaragua is located south of Honduras next to El Salvador and north of Costa Rica in Central America.

Nicaragua has a population of 6.3 million with a land area of 50.338 square miles. Nominal GDP was $13.7 billion. GDP growth was 4.5%. Labor force is 3.5 million, Poverty is 29.6%. Unemployment is 6.5%. Inflation is 4%.

Exports were $3.611 billion including coffee, beef, gold, sugar, peanuts, shrimp and lobster, tobacco, cigars, automobile wiring harnesses, textiles, apparel sold to US 51.5%, Mexico 13.8%, El Salvador 6%, Venezuela 5.9%

Imports were $6.426 billion including consumer goods, machinery and equipment, raw materials, petroleum products from US 19.7%, China 12.9%, Mexico 9.7%, Costa Rica 7.8%, Guatemala 6.5%, Netherlands Antilles 5.7%, El Salvador 4.8%

Government revenue was $3.8 billion. Spending was $4.074 billion. Government debt is 46% of GDP. External debt was $11.36 billion. Reserves were $2.521 billion.


Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

Belize Economy


Belize was formed in 1973. The population of Belize is 382,444 with a land area of 8,867 square miles, about the size of El Salvador.

Tourism is their primary industry. Belize occupies the Atlanta Ocean beachfront and borders Guatemala and Mexico north of Honduras.

Nominal GDP is $2 billion. GDP growth is 2.5%. Per capita GDP is $8.300. Labor force is 120,500. Unemployment is 10.1%, Poverty is 41%. Inflation is 1.8%.

Labor force by occupation is agriculture 10.2%, industry 18.1%, services 71.7%. 

Exports are $483.4 million sugar and include bananas, citrus, clothing, fish products, molasses, wood, crude oil. Sold to Burma 30.7%, US 22.6%, UK 19.3%.

Imports are $944.4 million and include machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods; fuels, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; food, beverages, tobacco sold to US 37.2%, China 11.6%, Mexico 10.8%, Guatemala 7% (2016)
Government revenue is $500 million, spending is $550 million. Government debt is 88.5% of GDP. External debt is $1.326 billion


Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

Monday, October 29, 2018

South American Problems


When we close the US borders to the poor, they will need to go back home and begin to pull themselves out of poverty.

South America has had a history of banana republics, unstable governments and poverty forever. The history of South America includes early civilizations, European conquest, colonialism, independence and chaos that keeps resurfacing. The absence of property rights assured a large impoverished population in most of these countries. Governments have spent their money in the cities where the wealthy live, but have no policies to allow their rural areas to develop an economy.  Most voted for socialism and that always collapses under its own weight and creates a disaster.

The economic food chain in South America is measured by GDP. But to turn the corner, they have to reduce theory poverty rate.  Brazil and Chile win the prize.

Brazil’s GDP is $2.14 trillion. Poverty 8.5%
Mexico’s GDP is $1.15 trillion. Poverty 42%
Argentina’s GDP is $639 billion, Poverty 28.6%
Chile’s GDP is $325 billion. Poverty 11.7%
Colombia’s GDP is $307.5 billion. Poverty.27.8%

Other countries in Central and South America continue to have problems with their economies.  The poverty rate remains between 30% and 50%, even in large countries like Mexico, Argentina and Colombia.  The US poverty rate ranges between 11% and 15%. In Chile it is 15%. Like elsewhere, poverty is more common in rural areas. In South America it’s a jungle out there.

Many of the governments of poor countries cling to their cash cows, even if this is a poor short-term strategy. Many politicians in these poor countries have won office with the backing of special interests who support their national economy at the expense of the population. These governments need to reduce regulations to allow their citizens to engage in commerce and provide them with private property rights.

Capitalism is actually the answer for these countries.  But these countries are often Socialist or Communist, where this unsustainable ideology is the law. In other countries, instability and corruption come from warring factions.

Poor countries need capital, but their poverty does not attract capital. The harvesting of needed raw material does attract companies engaged in mining, oil drilling, tree harvesting and some agricultural products. These are often the only industries you will find in many poor countries.

China and other Asian countries with poor populations have benefitted from having cheap labor with no regulations. This worked for China, Vietnam and others, but off-shoring for cheaper labor costs is damaging to national economies. US Tariffs designed to restore US manufacturing has caused companies to rethink their supply chains.

Off-shoring US manufacturing has reduced quality along with product costs. US corporate tax reduction should enable companies to return manufacturing operations back to the US. Automation assisted manufacturing holds close tolerances required for parts and ensures quality in finally assembled products.

Our US Corporate Tax Cuts, Tariffs and Border Wall plans are not good news for countries in South America. US manufacturing is headed gradually back to the US. But this is an opportunity for reform of the governments and economies of these countries. If they can clean up their act, they will attract legitimate investors to provide capital to drive their GDP.

South American agriculture needs to be family owned, but highly mechanized and technically competent.  Countries need to develop “national brands” of durable goods to expand their own manufacturing. Their products need to be developed, patented and marketed. Countries need to raise their “ease of doing business” scores and remove unnecessary barriers from their laws and regulations.  Countries need to de-bureaucratize and encourage free market expansion in the private economy. South American countries need to solve their drug, crime and corruption problems. Cronies and special interests need to go.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

Brazil Economy


Brazil has an established economy and is a bright spot in South America.

Brazil has a population of 210,867,954 with a land mass of 3.288 million square miles.

Nominal GDP is $2.138 trillion. GDP growth is 2.4%.Per capita nominal GDP is $10,224. Labor force is 120 million. Inflation is 4.17%. Poverty is 8.5%. But Unemployment is 12.3%.

GDP by sector is agriculture 5.5%, industry 18.5% and services 76%. Labor force by sector is agriculture 8%, industry 22% and services 70%.

Main industries include textiles, shoes, chemicals, cement, lumber, iron ore, tin, steel, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts and other machinery and equipment.

Exports are $217.7 billion and include transport equipment, iron ore, soybeans, footwear, coffee and automobiles sold to China 21.8%, EU 16%, US 12.3%, Argentina 8%, Japan 2.4% and others.

Imports are $150.72 billion and include machinery, electrical and transport equipment, chemical products, oil, automotive party and electronics. Purchased from EU 21.2%, China 18.1%, US 16.5%, Argentina 6.2%, South Korea 3.4% and others.

Government debt is 78.5% of GDP. Revenue is $511.9 billion, Spending is $462.6 billion. External debt is $884.6 billion.  Reserves are $373.9 billion.


Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

Mexico Economy


Mexico has a population of 130,759,074 with a land area of 758,400 square miles.

Nominal GDP is $1.15 trillion. GDP growth is 2.3%. Nominal per capita GDP is $9,304. Inflation is 2.5%, Poverty is 42.3%. Labor force is 53 million. Unemployment is 3.44%.

GDP by sector is agriculture 3.6%, industry 36.6%, services 59.8%.

Labor force by occupation is agriculture 13.4%, industry 24.1%, services 61.9%.

Main industries include food, beverages, tobacco, aerospace, chemicals, iron, steel, petroleum, mining, textiles, clothing, motor vehicles, consumer durables and tourism.

Exports are $406.5 billion of automobiles, electronics, televisions, mobile phones, LCDs, oil and oil products, silver, fruit, vegetables, coffee and cotton. Sold to the US 80.3%, Canada 2.7%, China 1.5%, Spain 1.5% Brazil 1.2%.

Imports are $417.3 billion including metalworking machines, steel millproducts, agricultural machinery, metals, repair parts for motor vehicles, aircraft and parts and oil production equipment from the US 49%, China 16.6%, Japan 4.4%, Germany 3.4% and South Korea 3.4%.

Government debt is $341 billion or 47.9% of GDP. Government revenues are $234.3 billion. Spending is $263.8 billion.  Economic aid is $189 million. Reserves are 179.214 billion.


Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader