[MEXICO] Mexico's Slim becomes 'world's richest' person

Yes I'm jealous of how great Mexico is... Why would anyone want to leave it?

 

ive never been to india or africa, but what ive seen in mexico cant compare to the poverty in those countries (at least what ive seen in photo/video). i would call mexico 2nd world - its not quite up to u.s. standards, but its not as destitute as india.

that being said, ive been up in the mountains in oaxaca where people are living in shacks made out of discarded materials - no electricity or running water. or driven out of mexico city and its 10-20 miles of people living in conditions similar to slumdog millionaire.

 

dude is a crony..nothin to be proud of.

neither india or mexico are third world countries..more like developing nations

 

He's chastised people like Gates and Buffett in the past for simply donating money or giving it away as a way of philanthropy. I think he said he'd rather build infrastructure or give tools to people to better themselves. Personally, I don't see why he couldn't do both, but hey, it's his money.

From what I've read in the past, I think most of his riches comes from the fact that Telmex and American Movil are pretty much monopolies allowed to exist by the Mexican government. There are activists in Mexico that have raised an eyebrow and complain to the fact he dominates both industries and may be stifling competition.

BTW, is it just me or do Lebanese immigrants seem to churn out an incredible number of famous people in all kinds of fields considering how small that country is? Oh well, more power to 'em!

 

when they say the rich get Richer
they mean it.

It is amazing some of the GROWTH these folx experience

Rocket River

 

This really depends on where in India you go. There are middle class and upper class like anywhere. What you see of the slums in India isn't everywhere, and not everyone who doesn't have running water is necessarily considered poor. The worst part of India to me was staying in a luxury hotel (thank you Air India) and seeing a block or two away 5x5 slum shacks made out of throwaway crap with people calling it "home". It's one of my most vivid memories from when I was a kid. I don't think there's a ton of difference among the poorest of the poor in places like India, Africa, etc., and there's really nothing in the US that I can think of that can compare. That being said, India's got a mess of new billionaires, too.

 

The funny thing is that Bill Gates' wealth has actually plummeted from its peak during the DotCom days. In the late 90's he used to be worth around $100 billion. I have to take my hat off to him though, he and his wife seem to really be going ape helping unfortunate people out with monetary, technological, etc. donations through their philanthropic fund. And to top it off, Buffett saw them doing it and he's doing the same through their fund.

BTW, as crazy as Gates' wealth was at its peak, I remember Forbes(?) ran an article a couple of years ago that showed who would be the richest people in history when adjusted for inflation. Rockefeller was #1 and estimated to have been worth over $300 billion at his peak, Carnegie was close behind at just under $300 billion. Vanderbilt and Mellon were also in there.

Here's a ranking done by the NY Times a couple of years ago of richest Americans ever with somewhat different results, but still interesting : http://www.nytimes.com/ref/business/20070715_GILDED_GRAPHIC.html#

 

India now in some places is nothing like India 15 years ago. I remember hyderabad (where most of my family lives) having a majority of dirt roads with cows roaming the streets. Today its nothing like that and everytime I go back you can see how economic growth has transformed the city. Now obviously its somewhat of an exception as it benefits disproportionately from foreign investment but you get the idea.

Mexico on the other hand is a stage 3 country (using the European scale of development in which India is a 2, Mexico is 3 and the US is 4) However Mexico has actually stagnated and in many cases declined over the last 20 years. its growth is nowhere close to comparable stage 3 countries and its been harmed by several problems. Its not India but India is experiencing nearly unparalleled gdp growth that only a few countries can surpass right now.

 

yeah, i was definitely over-generalizing there. but i think its safe to say that the really bad 3rd world type conditions are more prevalent there than mexico or anywhere in latin america.

ive got friends i travel to mexico w/ frequently who have also lived in india (hindi grad students) and say the worst in mexico doesnt compare to the worst in india. they talked about seeing dead bodies just lying in the streets in dehli.

 

LMAO! That was my first thought too.

Their two best Gross National Products: Slim (Lebanese descent) and Salma Hayek (Lebanese descent).

I guess we know who really runs Mexico :grin:

 

That AND (perhaps most importantly) the absence of a large middle class. When most people living in a country can basically be characterized as "very rich" and "really poor", that is textbook definition of third world or the more PC label Developing World.

A viable middle class is key to a real advanced economy.

 

The third world was actually a term that came out of the Cold War.

1st world -- United States & allies
2nd World -- Russia & allies
3rd world -- Everyone else

 

It is not just you. It is a well known fact the Lebanese and Jews are running the world :grin: Indians are making a serious push for it too, especially in the U.S.

No seriously they are AMAZING business people. Their curse is a small country located in the Middle East with all kinds of outside influence and domination from their neighbors who just won't leave them alone. Had Lebanon been stable and war-free the past 30 years or so, or somehow was magically able to transplant itself into Europe, they would have put Switzerland to shame.

I was surprised recently to learn than not only are they (meaning Lebanese) dominating many business sectors in Latin America, but also in WEST AFRICA and even HAITI!

This is why I so desperately want to marry a Lebanese girl, because I wanna get rich off her ass :grin:

 

So how much poor mexicans are getting from his $53.5 billion? Oh yeah, nothing...

 

What does that say about the USA, which had topped the list until Slim's gains?

 

He should follow his own advice.

Me thinks he didnt like the pub Gates/Buffet got for being generous.

 

I'm sure it's my media-polluted mind, but when I see a dude from Mexico that is that wealthy, with a middle name that is a nickname in quotes, I just assume he built a large portion of his wealth through corruption or criminal activity.

And while that doesn't sit well with me, I'm sure my idea of Bill Gates would be somewhat skewed if his name was Bill "Lefty" Gates (and if he didn't do so much for charity).

I know nothing about this guy, I realize it isn't fair, but I thought I'd go ahead and admit my pseudo-subconscious prejudicial intuition. Knowing is half the battle.

Sorry, Sir Swoly.

 

http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=183610

 

I'm sure your absolutely right in your assumptions. There is no way this guy got there without some shady dealings.

 

the real slim shady