Austere vacations

Like any working person, those involved in politics are entitled to an annual vacation period. Vacations allow for not only rest but also the strengthening of family and friendship relationships.

There are many vacation options, from rooftop in Acapulco to visiting the tourist attractions in the city where we live to traveling to nearby towns and resorts. There are beachside vacation spots that fit any budget. People with ample financial means often travel abroad, becoming intercontinental tourists who stay in luxury hotels and dine at the finest restaurants. I want to write about these today.

I would like to point out that all of those mentioned here, except one, have had economically productive professions or have held high-ranking, and therefore well-paid, government jobs for long periods of time, allowing them to save enough to spend on vacations. What's not acceptable, I would say, is the saying: "Don't count your money in front of the poor." Alejandro Jodorowsky paraphrased this saying: "Count the poor in front of your money."

The catalog of travelers I'll feature in this column are part of the National Regeneration Movement (Morena), a political organization that has been known for preaching, from coast to coast and border to border, that we must live with republican austerity. Furthermore, I believe they should set an example and vacation in the beautiful and welcoming places our country offers. Why not take a trip on the Mayan Train? A visit to the rehabilitated Islas Marías would be a good idea, a comprehensive project of the AMLO government that transformed the defunct Penal Colony into a Tourist and Cultural Recreation Center. How about Oaxaca? The Riviera Maya? Tulum, Playa del Carmen, and/or Cozumel?

The first to be spotted vacationing abroad was former soccer player, former governor, and soon-to-be former congressman Cuauhtémoc Blanco: he apparently went to give a clinic on the "cuatemiña"—a play he created—to the Milan team, which was in the US at the time for the Club World Cup.

In Spain, having breakfast at the prestigious and expensive "Flor y Nata" restaurant in Madrid, Congressman Ricardo Monreal was seen with his wife, with whom he celebrated 40 years of marriage. The Zacatecas native explained that by doing so, he fulfilled a promise he made to his wife. "I'd rather look bad in the eyes of the opposition than in the eyes of my wife," he said. "And he made her the 'Empress of Lavapiés.'"

For his part, the Secretary of Public Education traveled to Portugal. He was honest during the morning press conference: "Yes, I did indeed go away for a few days, using my own resources and without neglecting my responsibilities."

Not to be outdone by the men, Governor Layda Sansores decided to rest in Amsterdam, while in Campeche she left veteran journalist Jorge González to rest. He will be unable to work for two years and will have to close his newspaper Tribuna for having published anonymous texts that caused psychological damage to the governor.

The most controversial of the travelers was Andrés Manuel López Beltrán, the only one who didn't have a job or a position to justify the expense of a 15-day trip to Tokyo. Because of this trip, he missed the National Council Meeting of Morena, the party of which he is Organization Secretary. In a letter written by his worst enemy, he explains that he decided to go on vacation "after exhausting" days of work. Any neurophysiologist specializing in rest knows that the best way to rest is to get on a plane and fly for 16 hours.

I conclude with a proverb that emphasizes the importance of reputation and public perception, even beyond objective reality: “Caesar's wife must not only be Caesar's wife, but also appear to be Caesar's wife.”

Full stop

What do you call a cow that supports the idea of an independent Jewish state? A Zionist cow.