Not a Drop to Drink
            
             The main issues discussed in this section of the film are the shortage of water on the border of Mexico and the U.S., and the pros and cons of factories in this area. There is a lot of conflict regarding these issues. First of all, Americans use as average of 250 gallons of water per day, while Mexicans use a mere 90 gallons each day. Secondly, Mexicans get paid immensely less then Americans do for the same type of work.
             Here in Minnesota we normally aren't worried about having enough water to get by. This is completely different down on the border. Researchers have calculated that if the water from the Rio Grande is used at the same rate it is being used, the resources will be exhausted in 15 to 25 years. Poor communities outside of town don't have access to running water. A truck from town delivers them water once a week, but this water takes a lot of work to keep clean so it is suitable to drink and cook with. Mexicans greatly value water and wouldn't consider wasting it, while just across the river, us Americans have underground sprinkler systems and water parks where millions of gallons of water are constantly going to waste.
             Maquiladoras are the Mexican equivalent to a U.S. factory. These factories are situated in town, along the great Rio Grande River. They are placed here because they need energy from the river to operate, and the cities are a good source of employees. Maquiladoras bring both good and bad aspects to Mexicans. They are helpful because they provide many job opportunities for poor families. They are hurtful because the hours are long and not very flexible. This makes it really hard to have a close family life. Most people who rely of factories for money are too poor to live in the city, so they are bussed an hour to a factory to work. This takes up a lot of valuable time, and the wages aren't that great so it is very hard to have a stable family.
             Mexican factories a...