The Mexican
Pizza Riddle

Discussions on the
Economics of
Poverty
Table of Contents
Part 1. The Mexican Pizza

  • Part 2. Mexican Pizzanomic Theory

  • Part 3. Consequences

  • Part 4. Conclusions

  • Part 5. Contrasting Views

    Recent Postings Archive


  • The Initial Posting That Started It All

    • . . Why is a third world country like Mexico stuck in poverty, while a nation like the United States has a flourishing economy? What are the factors, policies, or whatever that have made the difference? What could the Third World do to create thriving economies? These are the kinds of questions we discuss on the inner pages of this site, beginning with an analysis that uses something as humble as the Mexican pizza and the people who make it as the starting point.
    . . These exchanges took place under the subject, "The Mexican Pizza Riddle," on the Newsgroup, "alt.politics.economics," beginning March 4, 1997. They are presented here with a minimum of editing to the text itself. Duplications, signatures, and other extraneous and irrelevant materials have been removed. Details on the sources, authors, etc., are available at the Newsgroup sites. The text of the discussions is presented here in a subject-related order, rather than in the sequence in which it occurred on the Newsgroup.

    . . NOTE: Visitors to this website are encouraged to join in these conversations by posting messages to the Usenet Newsgroup. If this is not possible for any reason, comments, questions or other discussion related to these topics for posting here may be emailed to the editor:


    Please put "Conversations on Mexican Riddle" in the Subject line.

    . . Comments received by email, as well as those posted on the Newsgroups, will be posted temporarily in the order received, and in their original form, on the Recent Postings Archive (See Table of Contents). Those same postings will be included permanently under the proper headings on these pages. The discussion is not moderated on the Newsgroups; it is moderated, however, on this website, and improper or unrelated comment will not be posted here.

    . . EDITING: As much as possible, spelling and other obvious grammatical errors will be corrected. Sometimes words will be inserted to facilitate transitions or to clarify references. And, of course, unnecessary personal affronts will be deleted. The original postings, available in the Archives, are treated as drafts, and changes thereto will not be indicated in the redacted text. This practice more or less follows that of newspaper editors in printing Letters to the Editor. There will be, of course, absolutely no intention whatsoever to alter the meaning of the posting. If anyone thinks an alteration is unjustified or misleading, they can notify the editor and the original version will be restored (with appropriate editorial disclaimers). If anyone wants to "improve" what they have previously written, that can be done by the same process, and probably without disclaimers. The purpose here is to produce thoughtful analysis, not to make an historical record of a Newsgroup event.
    For some great political thoughts, visit:

    Thomas Jefferson on Politics & Government

    Over 2,100 excerpts from Jefferson's writings describe the founding principles of American self-government.

    For an interesting biography of Jefferson, visit:

    Life of Thomas Jefferson, by B. L. Rayner

    Rayner's lively and interesting full-length biography, published in 1834, emphasizes the role of republican principles in Jefferson's life and thought.

    And for some extended comments on Jefferson's thoughts:

    The Jeffersonian Perspective

    Commentary on today's social and political issues based on the writings of Thomas Jefferson.
    Web Sites with Links to
    The Mexican Pizza Riddle

    Jim Blair's Home Page

    Top of This Page | Part 1

    This page hosted by GeoCities. Get your own Free Home Page.