I thought NAFTA was going to fix that? They would be prosperous, blah, blah, blah.... Mexico is a failed state no doubt about that, and I’m sorry folks NAFTA has not done anything for them or us.
Mexico ranks 11th in GDP: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_between_U.S._states_and_countries_by_GDP_%28PPP%29
(these Wikipedia stats are from the US Dept of Commerce)
The Mexican middle class is booming and expanding: http://www.paymentsnews.com/2006/03/mexicos_middle_.html
(I’ll look around from a more recent article. I spent a month in Guadalajara last year and the country was hopping.)
Take a trip there (away from the border towns) sometime and see it for yourself.