Thank you for your history and observation. My uncle lives in Midland and it always a pleasure to visit him there. NAFTA was big news in Berkeley when discussed in the early 1990’s. Sad how political correctness blocks sound judgment. NAFTA is a mess. Even Ralph Nader knew it was horrible. The damage of NAFTA to the old style small ranchers is tragic and sad.
The area I now live in is much the same as where I grew up-just further from the border-the pain is here, too-even the tourists for the guest ranches, roadside markets, restaurants and bars don’t come any more-and the snowbirds from the N. US and parts of Canada who rented cabins and RV spaces for the winter from locals have felt the economic pinch-the numbers started dropping off in 2009 and it has not let up-empty cabins and spaces, closed up small riverside taverns, canoe rental places etc-it sucks, but since most of us are natural food types who garden, keep chickens, etc we do have an excellent barter system-we may be trashy and broke, but we’ll be healthy and not starve...