Is the truth stranger then Fiction?

Every once in a while there is an interesting tidbit about Mexico that I hear.  Some are funny, some are interesting.  I am going to make a collection of them here.  About half way down I am going to have a "only in Mexico" section.  

From the Newspapers..

More then 80% of the workers in Mexico make less then 5 times the minimum daily wage, which is 35 peso's.  or $3.50 US.  You turn that around and it says that less then 20% of the workers earn more then $15 US dollars a day.

87% of the people in Mexico say they are Catholic.. But only 37% go to church.

A study at the Central Warehousing complex in Mexico City conducted by the working minors support group, estimated that there are 300 boys under 16 years old that work there.  They work on the average 12 hour shifts and each move roughly 2.5 tons of produce daily -- all for a very small wage.

An article talking about how tax money is distributed from the top down mentions that the city of Navolato has 13 working police cars, 111 pistols for its 210 officers, who are each rationed 8 bullets a day.  If they shoot at someone they have to replace the  bullets. 

There was an article in the paper  about the town of Tuxla which is near Acapulco.  It’s a town of 50,000 and has 5 churches, 62 schools and 80 bars.  They thought that was a bit to many bars. 

Only in Mexico...

I know a young Mexican who is a good friend.  He is madly in love with this girl and talks about her a lot.  I asked him if he had been to her house and he said yes.  I asked him if it was nice (he is rather poor) and his comment was a killer.. he said "her house has real floors".  Meaning she had concrete or tile floors rather then dirt.   Betcha never hear that in the US.

Stange but true.

Propina's

Mexico does not have a civil service so the government employees are basically appointed for 6 years.  Then a new set of people come in with the new President or Governor.

These people can come up with some unique ways to make money.

For a bus driver to drive between cities in Mexico he must have a permit from the Federal govt.  He goes to Mexico City and the permit only costs 25 peso's.  But it will not be ready until the next day.  So he must pay for 2 meals and a room.  But, if he gives the lady who does the permits an extra 50 pesos she will have his permit in 1 hour. 

This lady and her boss both drive nice new cars an a very modest government salary.  

In one of my Spanish Classes the teacher was talking about Propina's.  He says he likes them.  He grew up with them and is used to them.  He tells the story about how he and a few of his classmates were flunking a course in high school.  They all got together and gave the teacher a bribe for a passing grade.  

In the 1820's the US ambassador to Mexico was a man named Poinsett.  His one claim to fame was that he took the native Mexican flower the "Nochebuena" renamed it the Poinsetta and took it back to the US where it became famous as the Christmas flower. 

Based on a tip from a policman.  The federalies made a drug raid and found lots of drugs and over 2000 Us dollars in cash.  Where?. The state prison in Morelos