The Wall

 I’m unsure what the newly adopted budget includes, but if some of the funding is for National Security and that the “intent” is that a portion of the committed amount would be to fund a portion of the wall, then I have concerns.  To speak bluntly, the wall is a bad idea and a waste of our taxes.

The following is a 2011 quote from former commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Ralph Basham:

“Building a physical fence along the entire border with Mexico was one of “the dumbest ideas I heard when I was commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. It is critical to recognize that fencing (even with barbed wire, electrification, and possibly a moat filled with alligators) is not a solution, it is only a tool. There’s a fundamental misunderstanding about what a physical barrier—even the triple-layer fencing in San Diego–actually does or doesn’t do for the agency charged with building fencing and securing the border. All it really does is buy you time where a crosser could otherwise quickly escape or assimilate. None of the fencing is impenetrable. People will eventually dig under it or cut through it or go over it, but it gives you enough time to respond and apprehend them. Some fencing makes sense tactically in areas selected by the Border Patrol, as where we deployed some 700 miles of it under my tenure, and in many of those areas it has been a tool to provide permanent impedance to deter and slow illegal entries on foot or by vehicle.”

One can only hope that expert advise will bring reason to bear on this topic. There has been talk of spending in a range of $18 – $75 Billion for a wall which will have little impact on the flow of Opioids in the country. I wonder what just a few Billion spent in targeted areas (like the ability to order and receive Opioids directly from China) could accomplish.

Kudos to Rand Paul for standing up for the taxpayer! It’s sad that the vast majority of our elected representatives are fiscally irresponsible. Currently the National debt is racing towards $21 Trillion at almost a rate of $1 million a minute!