Powerful Mexicans versus Powerful Mexican Institutions

Mexican Senate heavyweights Carlos Navarrete, Gustavo Madero, and Emilio Gamboa joined Carlos Slim in attacking Mexican banks for their huge interest rates, which represents an unusual union of the Left, the Right, the vague Middle, and the Rich. Gamboa said of Slim's comments, "He's a banker. We like that he's made this pronouncement. It goes against his own interests." Credit has long been expensive in Mexico (at least to someone accustomed to the easy money in the States over the past several years), and Slim says that banks are charging two or three times more than they should be on credit cards. Extra obstacles to consumption are especially unwelcome now, what with consumption naturally dropping as a result of the slowdown/recession.