What's wrong with Mexico?!!

[Sidhe]

The most famous example of the same problem exists with the Euphrat and the Turkish planned Dam which would leave practically whole Syria waterless and poor. Or the Golan-heights in/around/by/near/whatever Isreal.

The wars of the future will be about water most probably. So, this whole Mexican-America thing doesn't surprise me at all. It'd now be wise from the Americans not just to take the water but look at it as some sort of "help", I mean, if you take a look at it on the whole, what's more important, agriculture of flushing toilets in San Diego? Of course, this can be debated, but I don't think water has become crucial in San Diego yet...

mitsho

I read an article on this and Israel are pretty mean about their water rights.(Im sure there's a joke in there somewhere ) However a positive note was that Israeli and Palestinian scientists were trying to work together to find better solutions, sometimes in conflict with their own governmental remit.

 

[silver 2039]

That's sad.

The people in the US get ALL the water they ever want, and we can't give, just a little to a few Mexicans.....

What's next? Are Americans going to have to pay to breathe Canadian air?

Capitalisim at its finest. Water is a resource and an important one at that. Why should it be given to Mexico for free with no returns?

 

[Sidhe]

Capitalisim at its finest. Water is a resource and an important one at that. Why should it be given to Mexico for free with no returns?

I agree, but for political reasons, considering Mexico just found a big oil reserve, it may be wise to encourage political good will.

 

[Fox Mccloud]

Capitalisim at its finest. Water is a resource and an important one at that. Why should it be given to Mexico for free with no returns?

This is why I'm starting to question Capitalism.

 

[Odin2006]

Give it to them! Why?

If you don't, even more people will cross the border!

On of the ways Mexico tried to get support of NAFTA was by saying "You either take our goods or you take our people (illegal immigrants)."

 

[BasketCase]

This is why I'm starting to question Capitalism.

There may not be a practical alternative.

CFC Poll: Equal Distribution of Wealth?

When everybody wants more than their fair share, one of two things will happen: either people will fight for it or somebody will simply give up. Warfare or hegemony? Pick one. Refuse to pick one, and you'll get one at random anyway.

Completely random segue involving Iraq: conventional wisdom with Iraq is that the U.S. shouldn't be messing around inside Iraq's borders. Well, there ya have it. Mexico is just fine with messing around inside our borders when it suits their purposes.

 

[Fox Mccloud]

Completely random segue involving Iraq: conventional wisdom with Iraq is that the U.S. shouldn't be messing around inside Iraq's borders. Well, there ya have it. Mexico is just fine with messing around inside our borders when it suits their purposes.

How else are they going to get water? Should we just let them suffer? Do you think you would act the same way if you were without water?

 

[Dreadnought]

How else are they going to get water? Should we just let them suffer? Do you think you would act the same way if you were without water?

The government should biuld their own canal or something. US money should not be going to a country that can't even control immigration policies!

 

[spankey]

How else are they going to get water? Should we just let them suffer? Do you think you would act the same way if you were without water?

Do you think that their troubles are because of geography? No their troubles come from a lack of property rights, a lack of economic development (because next), a complete and pervasive corruption in the government sector that has spanned most of the time since the country's independence.

Just because you need something doesn't give you the right to take it. And this isn't about survival. That area wouldn't support farming except for America's irrigation efforts. These communities sprung up artificailly. There is plenty of water in other parts of Mexico.

 

[spankey]

This is why I'm starting to question Capitalism.

Demonstrate another economic system that has worked better. Capitalism with government regulation has worked quite well as long as the regulation does not approach socialism.

 

[Dann]

Yeah, and don't even mention the Phillipene tragedy.

It's not too late you know. You can still make things right by retaking it. Coming from there I'd even help.

 

[Perfection]

Capitalisim at its finest. Water is a resource and an important one at that. Why should it be given to Mexico for free with no returns?

Well, the question is, do we have the right to it in the first place? Rainwater is a natural resource, not a product.

 

[Elrohir]

It's about time the US government started to get it's act together. If Mexico want water, they can pay for it instead of mooching off the US.

 

[silver 2039]

Well, the question is, do we have the right to it in the first place? Rainwater is a natural resource, not a product.

If this canal orignates from the US then it is theirs. The US should look after the water needs of its own citizens above that of Mexico's.

 

[Oerdin]

Mexican farmers' loss will be California's gain: Scarce water that will no longer be able to seep away instead will help flush toilets and water lawns more than 100 miles west in San Diego.

I shall flush my toilet with pride.

On the serious side the Mexican farmers south of the Imperial valley may have gotten used to getting free water leaking from the All-American canal but they have no legal right to it. It was an entirely artificial creation of the Americans and up until now the federal government has just been to cheap to line the canal so water leaked into the water table which Mexicans then pumped out of the ground for free. I'm happy they were able to make use of a wasted resource but now that waste is going away and they're unhappy about losing it. That's tough cookies and they should get their own government to build them a canal instead of protesting the Americans using the rights agreed upon in a treaty between the US and Mexico.

 

[Oerdin]

If this canal orignates from the US then it is theirs. The US should look after the water needs of its own citizens above that of Mexico's.

Been to this canal, seen the canal, and it's water will indeed provide a fair amount of tap water for San Diego (the city I live in). The canal goes from the Colorado River through Imperial County and ends in eastern San Diego County. The plan is to extend the canal so that in addition to it's current job of supplying agricultural water to east county & Imperial county it can also provide tap water for the coastal cities. As part of this extension the Federal and State governments have agreed to line the canal with plastic and concrete to prevent water leaking from the canal into the water table. This is expected to save a lot of water for urban use.

The US and Mexico do have a treaty governing the use of Colorado River water which requires the US to make sure a certain amount of water passes down the Colorado to Mexico and that the quality of this water meets certain water quality standards. The US has always exceeded this requirement in both quantity and quality though massive diversions of water on the Mexico side as well as dumping of raw sewage have left the Colorado delta (in Mexico at the northern end of the Gulf of California) into an ecological waste land. It is a shame since it used to be an ecologically valuable area but I guess that's life in a third world country.

 

[h4ppy]

Well, the question is, do we have the right to it in the first place? Rainwater is a natural resource, not a product.

And look where that resource is coming from, the U.S.

 

[Uiler]

And look where that resource is coming from, the U.S.

Not to mention it's an artificial canal. If the US didn't build the canal in the first place, none of that rainwater would have come anywhere near Mexico.

 

[Oerdin]

This reminds me of the previous news about the Mexican government lambesting American imperialism for the plans to build border walls to stop illegal immigrants, comparing it to the Berlin Wall. Now, I think the wall plan is stupid, a white elephant, useless and a PR disaster.

I live near where they are proposing to build this wall (actually about 30-35 minutes north by car) and I think it is a bad idea. The wall would cut through a lot of valuable ecologically productive land and there are large parks and open spaces on both sides of the border which would be cut in two by this wall. Currently wildlife (as well as people) move freely north and south and this would stop or would be much more difficult if the wall was built. Yes, we have the legal right to build it but it's a red herring since it won't stop illegal immigration and so it will only harm the environment and allow politicians to grandstand without actually doing much else.

 

[h4ppy]

Why do you not think it will stop (or atleast cut down on) illegal immigration.