Dan Pfeiffer: “To summarize, Johnson demands a border bill in exchange for passing Ukraine aid; the White House and Senate work on a border bill; Johnson opposes the bill without even seeing it, despite repeatedly declaring that the ‘crisis at the border’ is the House GOP’s top priority.”
“Some commentary suggests that Johnson keeps moving the goalpost to prevent his caucus from having to vote on Ukraine aid, which is vehemently opposed by MAGA Republicans but enthusiastically supported by the Republican establishment and more moderate GOPers. With Johnson in perpetual danger of being McCarthy-ed, I am sure avoiding a tough vote is a factor. However, I think Johnson and the Republicans have another more nefarious reason — they want a crisis at the border to help them in the election.”
I say let’s really piss the republitards off, and make Mexico our 51st nation-state. Not by force. But by the willing cooperation of the Mexican people and government. It’s pretty clear the mexican population would rather be part of our country, and not separated by all these barriers.
Hundreds of thousands of Americans commute to Mexico for work, and vice-versa, every day of the week. So why do we erect barriers and even have a division at all? I know this is a very simple and radical idea - but honestly the whole world sees America as being both our country and mexico as one combined area. And once, most of western America WAS part of Mexico. Most of our problems in this country are from home-grown americans, not “drug dealers” or “rapists” from mexico - fentanyl is being carried in by americans who go to mexico to get it. It is not the immigrants who have anything to do with it at all.
We could combine with Mexico to put our federal forces to work eradicating cartels and regulating the hell out of drug production, which is what we do best, and allow our capitalism to help put money into the coffers of the people of mexico.
51st state? How about 51-65th state? Have you ever spoken to a Mexican that lives in Mexico?
It’s not at all clear that that’s the case.
Maybe you should give those lands back to Mexico. Way fewer people would be changing countries than if Mexico joined the USA.
You know that they have capitalism in Mexico too right?
Yes I’ve been to Mexico more times than I can count, and every part of it and I do speak Spanish so it’s been very rewarding. And they all say they are envious of my life here in the U.S. and that they wish they had our opportunities.
You do know that even though they have capitalism in Mexico, it doesn’t trickle down to benefit any of the people there, right?
I just do not understand why every concept that might work always has to be questioned this way as if it was anymore ridiculous or intolerable than he current migrant situation at the border.
As a Canadian I also sometimes envy the opportunities that exist in the USA but I absolutely would not want Canada to be a 51st (& 52nd?) state. (Not would I actually seek to move there)
Yes, this is an inherent challenge with capitalism (capital concentration).
I mean I think it’s important to question ideas before implementing them, but you’re right that your country (and mine) have some serious challenges to tackle with respect to migration. Mexico also struggles with migration across its southern (and coastal?) border(s).
It looks like in 2013 about 60% of Mexicans favoured forming a single country with the USA (if doing so would improve their standard of living). That data is over 10 years old and a lot has changed since then but honestly it’s higher than I would have thought.
Well Canada is a great country also, I’ve been to all the provinces and I spent a couple weeks in Banff and one of the other national parks that I somehow got lost in and had fun finding my way around.
I think Canada is much more independent and well developed than Mexico. My suggestion about Mexico was only in regard to their struggles to be as independent and gain some financial well being as a people.
After all I’m merely making a hypothetical suggestion, and not saying it would be easy or could happen overnight. Frankly I’m just a “world without borders” kind of idiotic optimist. I think we make the immigration situation so much harder by denying people the right to even set foot in another country. I’m sure most Mexican nationals would prefer to stay in Mexico if they had the same economic opportunities (and could live without fear of the cartels).
Yeah I’m also interested in reducing barriers to migration from a human rights perspective.
But I think we need to reduce international disparities in standard of living before open borders would really work.
I think trade penalties against countries with high degrees of wealth concentration and/or without living wage regulations etc might help. Idk.
I agree. I feel that we can reduce those disparities if we have more open congress between us and the people we view as “others.” At any rate, I don’t think building high walls and putting up razor wire is ever going to be a good solution to anything going on in the world.
I’m going to take your post at face value to explore the foundational premise that the Mexican population wants to be part of the USA.
Do they? Sure, many come here, because of opportunities, but making Mexico a state won’t suddenly make Mexico rich. Hell, Central Pennsylvania has been a part of the US since the beginning, and it’s as poor as dirt.
I don’t know - I’m not qualified to speak on behalf of any immigrants, except perhaps my great-great-something Euro ancestors - but I suspect the Mexicans who come here do so despite the fact that it’s America, because it’s better than starving at home. Making them us is probably just as distasteful to them as is would be to the RePubeLickans. Now, if we could help make them more prosperous… that, they’d be happy about.
Aside from what other people are pointing out , it’s not reasonable to assume illegal immigrants from that border are even Mexican.
https://www.wola.org/2022/11/migration-country-by-country-at-the-u-s-mexico-border/
https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/venezuelans-become-largest-nationality-to-illegally-cross-us-mexico-border-as-september-numbers-surge/4790221/
Well that’s true enough, I know a lot of them are from other countries including the middle east. I was just thinking in general of the whole ridiculous notion that we’re somehow a different planet than Mexico and “they” must be walled off from coming here.