The last few
chapter readings seem to have a common theme with Texas being a greater part of
it. Mexicans and American settlers had radically different ideas of what Texas
would be. Texas gains its independence and became a republic first and
eventually a part of the U.S.
Would the
U.S. function well without Texas or being the grand state it is be integral to
the U.S. economy?
What would happen if Texas would not be a part
of the U.S., would we have issues with immigration, the U.S. - México border
and conflicts with cartels?
From Grace and Christina
To say that the US would be better off without Texas is not the smartest idea. First off Texans contribute a major force in the population and economy. Texas is one of the few oil producing states in the US, and without the free access to the reserves that they sit on, the US economy, which is heavily reliant on petroleum products would not be as strong as we know it to be. Culturally, Texas brings a lot to the table. It gives the US its image of the Wild West, and the Tex-Mex culture is an inescapable part of daily American life.
ReplyDeleteGoing back to when Texas was its own "Republic" and the United States was debating to annex it into the Union, it was very smart to make Texas a state. Even back then it was flourishing with all the agricultural industry it was providing. Also Texas is a very big state and had a lot of land to be sold to new incoming people that would be able to work the land and boost the economy more. So in terms of today i don't think Texas can run without the US and the US can't run without Texas. As for the immigration issues, well even if Texas wasn't apart of the US there would still be problems. Not only because there are other border states between Mexico and the US, but because if Texas was its own country it would be very east to corrupt and have illegal activities happening in Texas and around its borders.
ReplyDeleteTexas does have some of the nation's most important ports and cities. A disproportionate percentage of Texans also fill billets in every branch of the military. Also a major movement in American history really begins with the annexation of Texas. However it is not a completely integral part of the United States. Without Texas the United States could function, with the varied economy and independent culture, Texas could most probably function as its own national state. Due to its close proximity and the fact that no place is truly in a vacuum if Texas was independent its economy would still be very much a part of the US economy like Mexico's economy is closely tied to the US economy. For example most Ford motor products were actually built in Mexico until fairly recently. The pull-out of several Ford plants left a job and economic vacuum in some of the parts of Mexico that are now seeing growing violence and lawlessness.
ReplyDeleteThe border problems would not be solved completely with an independent Texas but would be greatly reduced as one third of the US Mexico border would not exist. However if Texas was still a province of Mexico the problem would be all the worse, since that still would not fix the desperate economic woes of Mexico. To fix the problems of Mexican economy and seeming lawlessness the most effective solution would be to end the Prohibition on now illegal substances. That historically defeated the problems of the Volstead Act in the 1920's United States. Undermining the cartel's would take a large portion of their power away and some would turn to legitimate business in the same industry while others based more on black market dealings would destroy themselves from within. Only after a stabilizing of daily life and law will tourism and industry return many jobs to the historically beautiful and complex nation.
Neither the United States nor Texas would be well off if it were not a part of the country. Not only is Texas a vital part of the US, but Texas needs the United States to survive.
ReplyDeleteIf Texas weren't part of the US I think we would still have the same border issues and cartel problems. Texas being part of Mexico just moves the border up further and would cause those same issues in another state. If anything, it would give those cartels more ground and probably make the issues bigger. Texas culture is also a vital part of America and the United States would not be the same without it.
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ReplyDeleteThe United States and Texans benefit from having Texas as a part of the United States. There are important contributions coming from Texas that have helped the U.S. I see that the U.S. is better off with the territory because of how their government runs and with the ideals that were in place to make that territory a prosperous one. It is sad to see however, from the other point of view that in order to gain that land, the U.S. had to live up to their expectations of being hungry for land and live up to their "manifest destiny". The U.S didn't follow by the treaties they made, and failed to protect those who owned land. Like my classmates, I also feel that the issues with immigration and with the cartels would be the same. There would still be corruption between the border patrol agents and drugs, I feel, would still be smuggled into the country. The only difference would be a different border line to cross through.
ReplyDeleteAs many of the other students have said, I think it's essentially undeniable that the US is better off with Texas as a part of us. Regarding Grace and Christina's question of whether it's integral to our economy, the answer is absolutely yes. According to a 2011 article by Dennis Cauchon in USA Today, Texas is now the United States' second-largest economy and could even overtake California as its largest. In the economic world, there's no question of Texas' contribution to the American economy.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with both Nick's assertion that Texas brings a lot culturally to the US and Charito (and company)'s claims that a lack of Texas would lead to a dearth of border crime; as Charito said, the only difference would be the border line.
When we posted this, were wondering how other people thought of this situation. As for me, i also believe that there would be no difference in the drug wars with Texas being a separate country it could even be worse. Also as mentioned i believe Texas brings a lot of culture to our country.
ReplyDeleteAs some of you have said I also believe that Texas plays an important part to the U.S not just economically but culturally. Due to the fact that texas has been a strong state when it comes to government decisions. Therefore, I think that without Texas the U.S at some point wouldn't have gotten this far. On the other hand, I also believe that even without Texas the U.S would still have problems with drug cartels due to the fact that the issues is not about just Texas but all the U.S and Mexico borders. There are drug cartels all over which makes it difficult to control.
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ReplyDeleteGetting rid of Texas would get rid of a state that is extremely important to the US economy. According to CNBC, Texas was ranked 2nd as the best state to do business in. This is probably why over 1.8 small businesses choose to set up shop in the biggest state in the union. On top of this, four of the top ten ports in the US are located within the state. Without these ports, the US economy would suffer even more than it already does.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to the question of whether or not we would still have drug/immigrant issues if we didn't have Texas, I believe that we would. The border would just be a little farther south, but there would still be hundreds of thousands of people who want to come to the US for better opportunities.