A Wall to Surpass Them All

Our friends at Homeland Security have found another way to put the American tax dollar to use. President Bush signed a bill Thursday approving a plan for approximately 700 miles of new fencing on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Let me be clear – I’m not totally against all of Bush’s proposed measures to slow, if not halt, illegal immigration. Mexican President Vincente Fox also agrees with the guest worker programs, which remains stalled in Congress, Bush wants to initiate. Actually, he’s been harping about them for years. But don’t count me in on this one.

This is just stupid.

No official cost has been announced yet, but a “homeland security spending measure” signed earlier this month allocates a $1.2 billion down payment on the project. Again, $1.2 billion down payment, which in case you’re unsure, indicates that there would be further costs down the road.

Besides the fence, access roads, various equipment, lighting, etc. would need to be paid for. And this is only for 700 miles of land. That constitutes about a one-third of the border. Some other portions of the boundary are already fenced but come on. This isn’t exactly impenetrable.

This proposal, I assume, is mostly just rhetorical. Republicans have been taking a bashing, and they need something stable to stand on. So why not make sure the American public knows you’re tough on illegal immigration.

But affirming this platform comes at a cost, even before we start opening our pocketbooks.

If anyone pays attention to the figures, even talking about this kind of fencing policy looks irresponsible. The death toll in the Middle East is climbing at a steeper rate than ever, people are interested in pursuing alternative fuels. There are many other issues that need addressed and need money. And with some of the reports on military spending, Bush and the Republican party may be losing ground with the people.

On top of that, Vincente Fox is upset. Maybe that doesn’t mean much, but with Hugo Chavez calling Bush the devil at a U.N. proceeding a few weeks back, our image in the Hispanic community isn’t very good. We need all the allies we can get right now. Fox compared the proposed fence to the Berlin Wall.

So, just to keep it straight, Bush is the devil and (perhaps worse) a communist. I just want to make sure I know where we stand.

Meanwhile, I am both lower middle class and Mexican, so I’m taking this hit in two dimensions. You can send me sympathy emails at aking1@ithaca.edu.

I am out.