Random browsing led me to this:
Go read the whole thing. I’m interested in Dopers’ responses.
Why should the Mexicans believe that the oligarchs in DC, who don’t even speak Spanish, will give a shit about them?
This will make them want to join the US how?
Anyway, it would be an interesting precedent. Can you imagine Canada making the same offer to certain northern US states?
One reason is that if some Mexican states tried to break off, there might very well be a civil war. See the thread in Elections about CA leaving the US. Plus, why would the US want to add a bunch of poverty-stricken states to our union? It would be like downgrading Mississippi and then multiplying it. Once a Mexican state was part of the US, you’d see a mass migration from there to other US states. No bueno.
Why is this something either country would want?
If these Mexicans join the US, then they’ll have the right to vote their own oligarchs into DC. Those Spanish-speaking oligarchs can then decline to give a shit about their Spanish-speaking constituents, exactly the same way that the current English-speaking oligarchs decline to give a shit about their English-speaking constituents.
Don’t you mean West Coast? Having Brenda as Head of State might be a bit of an issue.
The country of Mexico most likely wouldn’t want it. They already lost Texas, California, and the entire southwestern United States to the United States. The people that live in certain Mexican states might like it, though.
Suppose the question were put to the people in Sonora. They would have truly free trade with the United States, the ability to move throughout North America without visas, and have the protections of the U.S. Constitution. They would eventually see the elimination of most of the corruption in their government and institutions, and most them wouldn’t choose to leave Sonora. People in eligible jobs would be eligible for U.S. minimum wage. The only reason they might not accept to join is Mexican nationalism.
The benefit to the United States would be an increased number of taxpayers. Sonora has at least one semi-high volume seaport that’s close to the current U.S. border. With U.S. rule-of-law, it’s ripe for property development and tourism along much of the coast, which spurs all kinds of related economic development.
The downside, of course, is that the border with Mexico would become a lot larger. At that point, we should just consider annexing everything down to Panama so that we only have to worry about controlling a tiny border with Colombia. Oh, and we’d control the Panama Canal once again.
The US could have had Mexico, at least as far south as Mexico City, 170 years ago. It didn’t want it. New Mexico Territory had a large population and a stable and continuing seat of government, but unlike California or Colorado, there was no big gold rush to really bring in the Anglos. It took years for the territorial borders to get set to where the state borders are today. It took 60 years for statehood, and there were attempts in New Mexico at becoming a state as early as 1850.
I think the bigger head explosions (and possibly armed revolt) would occur in places like Texas and Arizona. If Northern Mexico became part of the United States all those brown skinned Spanish speaking potential dishwashers, farmer laborers, and house workers, etc., would be citizens and voters.
Illegal immigration is a major political hot button right now, and you want to float a proposal to turn the majority of illegal immigrants into citizens with full rights? Plus you want to add a whole slew of voters who don’t even speak English to the US? I can’t see this getting any serious contemplation.
I agree but that doesn’t mean it’s an actual problem … just a dodge so the politicians can avoid dealing with the real problems of our country …
I’ve been advocating this for decades … make even damn one of the Mexicans a citizen of the USA … it would lower the standard of living for those north of the border a little … but it would rise the standard of living greatly south of the border … in the end the sum will be much higher than what we have now …
Together we are stronger than being divided …
Surprisingly, a considerable number of Mexicans are rather conservative in their politics … I know they tend to vote Democrat but that’s because Democrats tend to cater to the Mexican vote … with Mexicans on the voter rolls I think they would return the Republicans back to their core values … family, honesty, a fair day’s wage for a fair day’s labor … and this might not be true today, but as late as the mid-70’s one would hear Dutch spoken more often than English in Copeland, Kansas … the USA has a long glorious history of peoples not necessarily learning English …
The name’s watchwolf … when you see that name on your ballot … go ahead and pull that level … I promise not to be serious about anything …
The only two things wrong with this is that most Americans and most Mexicans don’t want it. Canadians don’t care much about this “issue”. By itself wouldn’t change trade or tourism. Mexicans remain very patriotic and have strong memories of negative foreign interventions. “De facto” is a meaningless status, read second-class citizen. And making an insincere offer? To what purpose? Yo estoy hasta la madre que me ponga en sombrero?
Yes, but you’re some random dude on a message board, you’re not even an elected official or person with significant government influence. It’s not something that’s going to be seriously contemplated by America or Mexico.
The problem here is, there’s a significant portion of the US electorate who will never accept a “lower standard of living” by any amount, for any reason, no matter how beneficial it might be for society in general. Take a look at the debate over Obamacare and universal health care coverage, food stamps, or any other program intended to raise some people out of poverty, and watch how many people’s heads explode at the suggestion that they should pay anything extra in taxes to help out others.
I am at a complete loss as to why this proposal would make heads explode in Canada. Head scratching, that I can see.
…perhaps just Baja Norte…its practically American anyways…of course that would piss off all the retirees there, after the prices got jacked up.
Fabulous 1000+ mile coastline all the way to the Baja Sur at the tip…hotels and golfcourses here they come.
Well, the reactions would be mixed I’d say. Laughter in some, anger in others. There would even be a small number of Mexicans who would think it’s a good idea. But overall, the basic reaction would be ‘no thanks’. Or, about what you’d get if the US invited some of the southern provinces in Canada to join the union. Obviously, both governments (Mexico and Canada) would take a MUCH dimmer view of the US trying to annex large chunks of their territory and populations of their citizens.
As for the US reaction, I don’t see that happening either…but not for the reason most folks in this thread seem to think. The biggest issue WOULD be the Republicans, no doubt, but it would be based completely on the fact that it would unbalance things massively wrt elections and the composition of the house and senate. Assuming this fantasy happened somehow (i.e. the Mexicans in Northern Mexico would be good with it), you’d get several states that would be pretty much solid democrat. Hispanics are pretty overwhelmingly democrat already…and this would shift everything from the current balance in Congress and the Senate to the presidential races. It would be very similar to what would happen if the Canada fantasy happened, and would be opposed pretty much for the same reason, despite the fact that Canada is perceived as mainly ‘white’.
US trying to annex a large section of territory from a weaker neighbor might worry the neighbor on the other side just a bit. Jumping that far out of international norms for a land grab should worry Canada, it would be more palatable for the US to annex mostly white, mostly English speaking territories so whatever prompted the Mexico venture would probably apply more to Canada.
As the comments in the link say, it’s not for real; it’s just to make the heads in Mexico City and elsewhere explode.
This isn’t annexation: it’s an offer, not forced.