Conspiracy theory: I-69

If there is a weird theory out there – whether it concerns the assassination of JFK, the virginity of Jesus’ mom, or the whereabouts of some undiscovered Nazi gold – you can bet my dad believes it. He is a conspiracy theorist. \nThere are two ways to look at life: either things happen for a reason or they don’t. People of a postmodern persuasion, such as myself on normal occasions, tend to believe the latter. But people of the former, that is, religious folks, optimists and conspiracy theorists, see an overarching structure guiding life on Earth.\nHowever, when it comes to the intents and purposes of Mitch Daniels’ pet project I-69, an insidious neoliberal plot indeed exists. When and if this thing is built, it will ease the exploitation of workers and natural resources in Central and South America.\nListen up. \nThe proposed portion of I-69 between Evansville and Indy is bad for the economy, bad for the environment and great for globalization. Of those three issues, globalization has by far the bleakest ramifications.\nThe Puebla-Panama Plan, or PPP, proposed by former President of Mexico Vicente Fox in 2001, is a model for how poor nations fit into globalization’s larger picture. The project involves massive development of rural areas in southern Mexico from the state of Puebla to the country of Panama. The $8 billion plan will build roads, railroads, electrical grids and hydroelectric damns, among other things, to ready the region for corporate investment (read: sweatshops).\nSince the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994, Mexico’s exports to Canada and the U.S. have tripled, yet 40 percent of Mexico’s population still lives below the poverty line. Vicente Fox invited multinational corporations to undeveloped regions of Mexico in order to stimulate the economy, but the country’s economic growth does not necessarily mean economic prosperity for its people. Mexico’s gross domestic product is not reflected in the wealth of its citizens.\nLabor is cheap in Mexico, and it’s even cheaper in rural indigenous areas where the PPP builds. This means that big American companies will outsource to Mexico where they can pay workers less. With new roads, electricity and an uninterrupted I-69 highway through the U.S., it will be more profitable for American companies to move to Mexico and ship their goods back north. The outsourcing of industry means fewer factory jobs in the U.S. \nAs the PPP depends in part on ease of transit via I-69 corridors down south, so does another big project in Canada, known sinisterly as “Atlantica.” This is a geographic region of the Northeast U.S. and the Maritime Provinces of Canada and a proposed spot for a superport. The port allows Mexican goods made from exploited labor to be shipped internationally. \nLurking behind Daniels’ promises of economic growth in Indiana is the prospect of nation-states dissolving into economic trade units. NAFTA began this trend, and I-69 is our close-to-home reminder of the insidious neoliberal plot to proliferate cheap goods made from exploited labor faster and easier than ever.