"Seal the Border" - Really?
So I can't help but here all the political schmucks on TV and otherwise banging on the political hot button of Border Security/Immigration. Not the least of which, Mrs. Jan Brewer, Gov. of AZ seemed more or less silent or at least much less shrill on the subject when G-Dub was in office, but she now chooses to sign racially insensitive and highly unrealistic legislation into law in her state to do nothing more than bring attention to the fact that the President can't do anything about the approximately 2.5 million people who illegally cross the US/Mexican border each year. She doesn't say anything about how Ronald Reagan also couldn't do anything about it, nor could GHW Bush, nor could Clinton. It wouldn't be a very good Republican rallying call if she said the truth; "You cannot seal the US/Mexico border, but let's blame Obama for it being so porous!" The fact is that there is no easy way to "fix" immigration, but the fact is that the argument of "closing the border" isn't even the same as the immigration reform argument, and here's why:
What Jan Brewer loves to say about immigration reform every time a news camera points at her wrinkled, sun bleached mug is that "The current administration isn't doing it's job". Well that sounds like quite a damnation, but it's not true. As a side note in fact, with 26 days of vacation time taken during his first year in office (compared to 77 days during GW's first year on the job - see factcheck.org) I'd say he's working more than his Republican counterpart, and remember, GW didn't fix the border problem either.
So when asked how they would go about fixing "the border problem" Republicans like Mrs. brewer tend to state that first you have to "seal the border". This argument tells me something I already knew; that Republicans lack imagination and love to throw around inflammatory statements that get the less intellectual elements of their base fired up. But they don't have any ideas as to HOW to go about this magic task, and if asked directly, they might fall back on the "let's build a fence" idea. Again, this proves they not only have no imagination, it may even suggest that they are in fact out of touch with reality. The US/Mexico border is not a screen door that some kid forgot to close when he ran outside to chase the ice cream truck. it is almost 2000 miles of mostly desert terrain that is at best, impossible to monitor. When asked for a solution to the immigration issue by Rick Sanchez of CNN, Dan Stein of the organization called "F.A.I.R." (Federation for American Immigration Reform). [read: racist white supremacists] He suggested that the US Government has lost the ability to regulate immigration in this country. I would like to ask this gentleman WHEN did the US government ever have the ability to regulate immigration?
The US border with Mexico is 1920 miles long. Thats almost 10.5 million feet if you want to build a fence. 8 foot chain link fence costs about $4 a foot to install. I'm sure the US Government could award one of it's famously shrewd government contracts that would cost not more than $400 a foot. But let's give them the benefit of the doubt and say that they could get it for the same price I could. You better get out your checkbook, it will run you upwards of 40 million dollars, oh and don't forget you're going to need to pay to have it installed, thats another 40 million if you're thrifty, and about 100,000 people to effectively guard it. Before you do lock the fence however, you also better find the trillions of tax dollars that the "illegal" migrants pay in taxes (both sales tax and income taxes) as well as revenues spent in the private sector on rent, gas, food, tequila ;) and everything else from baby clothes to tickets to baseball games. And after that money has been taken out of the equation, you might need to find around 3 million Americans willing to work for less than $11K a year to pick those delicious strawberries that are priced so fairly in the local super market, PS - wear a hat and some sunscreen, it's hot out there.
The US needs Immigrant labor, and the Immigrant laborers need to be given a chance to make their lives better. The border cannot be closed. Illegal aliens in this country can't get good jobs, they can only get the kinds of jobs we don't want. When is the last time you were waiting for your interview at that software company and you had a guy in a sombrero waiting for his chance to interview? I have had many jobs (all of which paid a damned sight better than $11K/year) and at all of them I had to go through great lengths to prove my citizenship. These people aren't stealing any jobs, they are taking jobs that we need them to do, and they are working incredibly hard, just to take care of their families.
The border violence argument: I have also heard the scare tactics that come from folks who feel like the illegal immigrants are placed into too forgiving a light, they claim that they are gun running and cutting people's heads off in the desert. Yes, there is drug related border violence, agreed. Unfortunately, it has nothing to do with immigration law. Mexican drug cartels are competing for one thing only; money. This money comes from every college student, high school kid and movie star who buys pot and cocaine from their local drug dealer who happened to buy his stuff from a drug cartel, either directly or through many hands. Start reforming drug laws in this country, the war on drugs and US drug policy is failed, and it feeds money to the cartels by creating a black market for pot that should be decriminalized while failing to do a damn thing about demand. While you're at it, take a look at reforming gun laws, I'm sure there is a reason millions of dollars in weapons and explosives from the US end up in the hands of murderous gangs every year, and I have a sneaking suspicion it has a lot to do with the 2nd amendment.
There, I feel a bit better.
What Jan Brewer loves to say about immigration reform every time a news camera points at her wrinkled, sun bleached mug is that "The current administration isn't doing it's job". Well that sounds like quite a damnation, but it's not true. As a side note in fact, with 26 days of vacation time taken during his first year in office (compared to 77 days during GW's first year on the job - see factcheck.org) I'd say he's working more than his Republican counterpart, and remember, GW didn't fix the border problem either.
So when asked how they would go about fixing "the border problem" Republicans like Mrs. brewer tend to state that first you have to "seal the border". This argument tells me something I already knew; that Republicans lack imagination and love to throw around inflammatory statements that get the less intellectual elements of their base fired up. But they don't have any ideas as to HOW to go about this magic task, and if asked directly, they might fall back on the "let's build a fence" idea. Again, this proves they not only have no imagination, it may even suggest that they are in fact out of touch with reality. The US/Mexico border is not a screen door that some kid forgot to close when he ran outside to chase the ice cream truck. it is almost 2000 miles of mostly desert terrain that is at best, impossible to monitor. When asked for a solution to the immigration issue by Rick Sanchez of CNN, Dan Stein of the organization called "F.A.I.R." (Federation for American Immigration Reform). [read: racist white supremacists] He suggested that the US Government has lost the ability to regulate immigration in this country. I would like to ask this gentleman WHEN did the US government ever have the ability to regulate immigration?
The US border with Mexico is 1920 miles long. Thats almost 10.5 million feet if you want to build a fence. 8 foot chain link fence costs about $4 a foot to install. I'm sure the US Government could award one of it's famously shrewd government contracts that would cost not more than $400 a foot. But let's give them the benefit of the doubt and say that they could get it for the same price I could. You better get out your checkbook, it will run you upwards of 40 million dollars, oh and don't forget you're going to need to pay to have it installed, thats another 40 million if you're thrifty, and about 100,000 people to effectively guard it. Before you do lock the fence however, you also better find the trillions of tax dollars that the "illegal" migrants pay in taxes (both sales tax and income taxes) as well as revenues spent in the private sector on rent, gas, food, tequila ;) and everything else from baby clothes to tickets to baseball games. And after that money has been taken out of the equation, you might need to find around 3 million Americans willing to work for less than $11K a year to pick those delicious strawberries that are priced so fairly in the local super market, PS - wear a hat and some sunscreen, it's hot out there.
The US needs Immigrant labor, and the Immigrant laborers need to be given a chance to make their lives better. The border cannot be closed. Illegal aliens in this country can't get good jobs, they can only get the kinds of jobs we don't want. When is the last time you were waiting for your interview at that software company and you had a guy in a sombrero waiting for his chance to interview? I have had many jobs (all of which paid a damned sight better than $11K/year) and at all of them I had to go through great lengths to prove my citizenship. These people aren't stealing any jobs, they are taking jobs that we need them to do, and they are working incredibly hard, just to take care of their families.
The border violence argument: I have also heard the scare tactics that come from folks who feel like the illegal immigrants are placed into too forgiving a light, they claim that they are gun running and cutting people's heads off in the desert. Yes, there is drug related border violence, agreed. Unfortunately, it has nothing to do with immigration law. Mexican drug cartels are competing for one thing only; money. This money comes from every college student, high school kid and movie star who buys pot and cocaine from their local drug dealer who happened to buy his stuff from a drug cartel, either directly or through many hands. Start reforming drug laws in this country, the war on drugs and US drug policy is failed, and it feeds money to the cartels by creating a black market for pot that should be decriminalized while failing to do a damn thing about demand. While you're at it, take a look at reforming gun laws, I'm sure there is a reason millions of dollars in weapons and explosives from the US end up in the hands of murderous gangs every year, and I have a sneaking suspicion it has a lot to do with the 2nd amendment.
There, I feel a bit better.
posted by Ed at 3:59 PM
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