Mexican Civil War

With all the protests in the news, I think it's time to take a look at our southern neighbor and assess some options.

First of all, the Mexican socio-poli-economic system has failed. Not "ill", not "ailing", FAILED.

The only reason that Mexico is still a country, is that the Mexican government has been using the United States as a safety valve.

You've all seen the reports about how illegal immigrants in this nation are in the tens of millions, if not hundred million.

It is a preferable state of affairs for the Mexican Government for those tens or hundreds of millions of Mexicans to be employed in the United States, rather than UN-employed in Mexico.

Tens of millions (or hundreds of millions) of your citizens sitting in your country starving tends to wind up with the Great Unwashed Masses grabbing torches, pitchforks, ropes and the occasional guillotine before storming the castles.

Just ask the French.

This isn't the worst part of the situation.

The Mexican Government has discovered that each of those tens (or hundreds) of millions of illegal folks in the U.S. is sending money home. Money that the Mexican Government doesn't have to guarantee, back with assets, or print.

Think about it: say the U.S. is hosting 20 million illegal immigrants. Now, postulate that each one of those illegal immigrants is sending one U.S. dollar to the folks back home every Friday.

20 million dollars a week. 52 weeks in a year ... how many U.S. dollars a year is that going into the Mexican economy? Something around a billion dollars? And that's only $1 a week from 20 million.

Like any other welfare junkie, the Mexican Government can't give up this free cash. It can't afford to.

So.

We can close the border. It'll take some cold-blooded pragmatism and some legis-critters with spines, but it can be done.

Then what happens? Yeah, some of you are already figuring it out.

Mexico loses that billion dollars American-- or more. And it suddenly has tens or hundreds of millions of people who can't feed their families.

That is a recipe for civil war. Revolution at the least.

At the best of times, having our southern neighbor involved in a full-scale coup (with attendant atrocities) is a bitch-kitty.

Anyone would have to agree that these aren't the best of times, what with the Global War on Terrorism, occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan, and all that.

So.

There are a couple of options.

The first is to put off the oncoming collapse of the Mexican government as long as possible. We keep safety-valving their workers, and we keep propping up their monetary system until it is Someone Elses Problem.

Perusing the border solutions proposed by Congress, this seems to be the route favored by the current U.S. government.

It is the cowards way out. It makes the false assertion that We Are Doing Something without actually doing anything -- except guaranteeing our children or grandchildren will have to deal with a WORSE mess.

The second option is pragmatic. It fixes the problem almost immediately, and provides the best solution for folks on both sides of the border.

Annex Mexico.

Dissolve the central government. Make each Mexican state a territory of the United States. As each Mexican state cleans up it's problems, allow them to petition for Statehood.

Their workers get to freely move throughout the U.S., seeking jobs where they may; we get to have a say in the government finances down there; and they get to have a taste of being forced to teach bilingual classes in High School.

LawDog