Marcy Kaptur: “I really do believe in democracy, I really believe in every single person being able to develop to their full human…”

“I really do believe in democracy, I really believe in every single person being able to develop to their full human potential whether they live in the United States, whether they live in Mexico, whether they live in China, whether they live in Cuba, wherever they live, I believe in people first. We ask the question, ``Look, if the United States is going to be giving this big bailout of guarantees to Mexico, what conditions are being put on this money to expand democracy in Mexico?'' I asked the question really in this way: I said, ``Which political parties down there are sitting around a table talking about the stabilization plan?'' And basically we were told the ruling party may be talking to some of the other parties, ``But, of course, we haven't been in any of those meetings,'' so it is business as usual. That nation will not only suffer those huge wage decreases because of the peso devaluation, but whose productivity has been increasing because they work under very, very difficult conditions, they have been working very hard, and their wages have consistently been cut and cut and cut in 1993 and 1994, and now this cuts it by another 40 percent.”