Beautiful Steel Wall
Beautiful Steel Wall Take Two
Obama on the Wall
Biden on Trump’s wall claim: ‘Come on’
CNN’s Randi Kaye caught up with former Vice President Joe Biden and asked him what he thought of President Donald Trump’s claim that previous presidents also wanted to build a border wall. Biden said “Come on“.
It’s a Strike, Not a Shutdown
The Wall Street Journal reports that President Donald Trump told lawmakers he did not like the word “shutdown” and instead preferred the word “strike.”
Meanwhile, I cannot find anyone other than Trump suggesting there is a deal with Pelosi on a beautiful steel wall.
Mike “Mish” Shedlock
We can solve the problem of illegal immigration in a matter of weeks, and instead of it costing the U.S. taxpayers billions, we can make a profit from it.
Pass a new law making every illegal immigrant employed by an organization carry a $100,000 fine per employee. Add a mandatory 12 month sentencing for the owners/top executive for each breach.
Tell ICE that in three months time they have to focus all their resources investigating use of illegal workers.
First high level CEO perp walk is the start of the exodus.
wall provides thousands of jobs for construction workers,welders,masons,electricians ,economic boom
Trump made his Douchehenge the central issue for the 2018 election, and got wrecked. Now he’s trying hostage-taking to get something he couldn’t get when he controlled both chambers. And when he had an offer of $25 billion from Democrats earlier in 2018, he turned it down because even HE doesn’t want the wall. The only people who want a wall are the dredges of his supporters, who even now are too dumb to recognize that they are getting used and played.
” And when he had an offer of $25 billion from Democrats earlier in 2018, he turned it down because even HE doesn’t want the wall.”
I remember Trump offered a DACA deal and the Democrats turned it down.
Democrats offered 25 billion if there was mass-amnesty included for all Dreamers and then pulled the offer and blamed Trump for them pulling the offer:
More on the pulled Democrat offer:
Trump was not ready to grant mass-amnesty so the Democrats pulled the deal.
This wall is the best divide-and-conquer strategy the Elites have come up with in years.
A steel wall will be easily breached and sold off for scrap with oxy/acetylene torches. This boondoggle just keeps getting dumber.
It’s 2019 and the Republicans are all fixated on building Douchehenge, an 11th century solution to a non-existent 21st century problem.
Ron you should go tell relatives of those killed by illegal immigrants and raped by illegal immigrants your opinion that illegal immigration is a “non-existent 21st century problem” and see what happens…
A non-existent 21st century problem? Explain the 20m+ illegals in this country. Most come across the Mexico/USA border illegally btw.
Explain what, cheap labor. I’d rather hire hard working Guatamalan immigrants than oxy-popping, entitled white trash burnouts. Raped by illegal immigrants, LOL listen to yourself, you’re hysterical. Turn off the idiot box and try living in reality for a while. Right wing crazies are the threat, not immigrants looking for opportunity in the US. The US is all about opportunity, not lunatic fearmongering. How much longer before another lunatic right wing gun nut goes on a shooting rampage? Can we build a wall around lunatic right wing gun nuts? That’s a threat I could see boxing up.
I realize your babbling is not in reply to my comment. But seriously, what is this “entitled white trash burnouts” nonsense? The economy added 473k manufacturing jobs in Trump’s first 2 years. Those employed are not your “hard working (illegal) Guatamalan immigrants”. They are real Americans among us.
Your idiotic comments are good entertainment. Allowing people to illegally cross your borders and use your resources is the best way to destroy your economy. However, the larger issue is not vetting immigrants for diseases, criminals, terrorists, drug trafficing, child sex trafficing, etc, etc. If you think a lone crazy with a gun is more of a problem for our economy and security, I want some of what you are smoking.
“It’s 2019 and the Republicans are all fixated on building Douchehenge, an 11th century solution to a non-existent 21st century problem.”
Obviously there is a problem or no one would be discussing a wall.
Wheels were an ancient solution and we are still using them in the 21st century to solve modern problems. Walls are also being used to solve prblems. Even Obama has one.
The wall should be steel and cement. Just steel is better than nothing. The democrats have an obsession to stop a wall in order to keep the borders open and illegals flowing to USA.
Trump is trying but he is surrounded by incompetent idiots like Koch Brothers funded Mick Mulvaney who first told House and Senate that Trump would sign another boondoggle with no wall funding and then had to back-track leading to this partial government shutdown.
Mick Mulvaney also screwed the original Omnibus in early 2018 by telling everyone that Trump would sign it with NO wall funding so there was no urgency from Ryan and McConnell to get any wall funding in it despite it being full of goodies for Democrats and in the end Trump signed the Omnibus after Mulvaney and Pence begged him to sign it.
If Trump had a clue he would have FIRED Mick Mulvaney in early 2018 after the Omnibus debacle but instead Trump made Mulvaney his acting chief of staff…
The entire debate has become a comical charade, playing to the worst fears of Americans using false narratives and ridiculous claims. A wall will do little if anything other than blow a bigger hole in the budget deficit and keep some construction crews busy.
The dirty (but not so well-kept) secret is that America’s economy thrives on immigration. Yes, much of that immigration is illegal. If you want to curb illegal immigration there are plenty of alternative measures outside of a ridiculous wall (concrete or steel) that would be better long-term solutions. You could start by penalizing the companies and contractors who knowingly hire illegal immigrants. Speaking of which, I wonder how many members of Congress vetted their nanny?
Apparently all of these people clamoring for a wall are not fond of new homes, home construction, eating, child care, medical care etc.
US government pays 700+ billion a year in interest for the national debt.
25 billion for a wall is nothing compared to that.
Walls work, the one Israel constructed on their border with Egypt stopped Africans from coming to Israel to seek asylum completely.
Israel also used to have regular suicide bombings by Palestinians that killed lots of Israelis but after Israel built a wall on their border with Palestine suicide bombings stopped completely.
Everyone talking about the “huge cost” of the 25 billion wall is either economically/mathematically challenged OR intentionally spreading fake talking points to try to stop the wall and keep borders open and illegals flowing OR has been brainwashed to think like this by the mainstream media and anti-wall politicians.
You are correct that USA should start to require mandatory e-Verify by all companies and all individuals when they employ people.
Trump promised this in his election campaign but has done NOTHING to fulfill the promise of mandatory e-Verify.
America does NOT thrive with illegal immigration!
Working class wages have stagnated since 1970’s and this is due to the massive illegal immigration of tens of millions in addition to Fed shenanigans.
Last study I read as reported by Bloomberg had estimate of 29.5 million illegal immigrants in the US.
Working class wages would be much higher and middle class wages would be higher without these illegal immigrants and the costs for real estate and rents would be much lower without these illegal immigrants and health care would cost much less without these illegal immigrants.
Hospitals have to treat illegals for free due to the EMTALA regulation and this leads to the hospital having to charge Americans 50k for an operation to keep the hospital from going under and this in turn leads to high health insurance costs and this in turn leads to squeeze on employers and workers.
Every illegal immigrant’s baby is born for free in USA and this leads to Americans having to pay around 10k for a childbirth.
Illegals babies also get birthright citizenship at birth due to faulty interpretation of the law that was used to make sure children of slaves get American citizenship but now thanks to incompetent bureaucrats babies of illegals and tourist also get birthright citizenship.
I’m sensing a rather racist tone coming from white entitlement. Just to clarify, I said the U.S. thrives on immigration, not illegal immigration. Big difference, which you apparently missed, or just chose to ignore.
Liar.
“The dirty (but not so well-kept) secret is that America’s economy thrives on immigration. Yes, much of that immigration is illegal.”
Here is your own quote:
“The dirty (but not so well-kept) secret is that America’s economy thrives on immigration. Yes, much of that immigration is illegal.”
So you clearly were writing how America’s economy thrives from illegal immigration.
Now you started blathering about “white entitlement” and accusing me of “racist tone” when your BS got called out.
How many illegals have you employed?
How many hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars have you personally benefited by employing illegal immigrants at rock bottom wages instead of hiring Americans and paying a good wage?
I agree. A wall is a poor solution. Cracking down on hiring of illegals is the solution. If we need more workers, grant more work visas and vet the people coming in. Trump just is not smart enough to even think of it or perhaps he does not want to piss off those companies (like he is doing with tariffs).
Trump promised mandatory e-Verify in addition to a wall. So far he has NOT delivered.
I think USA needs a wall on the whole US-Mexico border to stop new illegals coming in and then mandatory e-Verify to make millions of illegals go back home.
If the laws currently on the books would be just followed millions could be deported.
Just a note that the land to build a wall is ALREADY ready and controlled by Federal government in the US-Mexico border in California, New Mexico and Arizona since President Roosevelt made the Roosevelt Reservation in 1907 that specifies that 60 feet on the border is reserved for Federal government in California, New Mexico and Arizona.
60 feet is plenty of space to build the wall.
The only issue with land is in Texas where government needs to use eminent domain on privately owned lands to take enough land to build a border wall. There is lots of government owned land and Texas state owned land also in Texas so this can be used to build a wall immediately.
Building a wall on the US-Mexico border in California, New Mexico, Arizona and Federal government and Texas state owned land in Texas can be completed in the next 12 months.
This would cause all the illegal immigrant crossings shifting to privately owned lands in Texas so most of them would take the eminent domain money quickly without lawsuits to get security instead of looking at groups of migrants crossing their land daily.
When using eminent domain it is clear that the wall should be built on the border and minimize the land taken (60 feet should be the max, I think 20-30 feet would be enough in most places) and the Bush era and Obama era mistakes of building a wall that traps some Americans and some American lands on the other side of parts of wall must be avoided.
The Gaza wall needed to be broadened to a kilometer, before it was even remotely secure. And that’s with a guard density high enough to consume the entire US military, if copied along the entire Southern border. In Korea, we’ve got miles and miles and miles. That one does seem to work OK, though. 60ft is so far short, it’s not even funny.
And yet, the Israelis are still having to extend the darned thing up and down, as their version of “dreamers” (many of a more nighmareish variety, perhaps….) keep innovating and improvising. In Israel, that sort of effort just about may make sense, considering the intentions of many of the “immigrants” their wall is holding back. Washing dishes and picking strawberries aren’t the main agenda of all those guys. In Korea as well, things are a bit easier to justify, seeing how militarily tense that border is.
Bulldozing San Diego, Laredo and much else, just to prevent American geezers from having access to clean restrooms in their nursing homes, OTOH……
The problem with Gaza border is that a Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas runs Gaza and they throw rocks and molotov cocktails and send rockets over the border.
Mexico is still a functioning country and the Guatemalan illegals are not going to come to US border to send rockets to USA like Palestinians send rockets to Israel trying to kill jews.
Palestinians are a special kind of crazy.
When it comes to Israel’s wall on the Egypt border that has worked perfectly and NO more Sudanese and Eritreans going through several safe enough African countries to come to Israel to ask for asylum to get to live in Israel paid by Israeli taxpayers.
This statement by you “Bulldozing San Diego, Laredo and much else, just to prevent American geezers from having access to clean restrooms in their nursing homes” is a really embarrassing straw-man argument from you…
Nothing needs to be bulldozed and there are plenty of Americans willing to work in nursing homes if the wages are right and these Americans also speak English so they can talk with the nursing home residents and provide also some company.
United States Labor force participation rate is 62.9% which is quite low since in many European countries this is over 70% and in some it is over 75% and in Sweden the local original population works at over 80% level.
American geezers’ pensions savings aren’t enough to hire the most desperate of third world immigrants. How on earth would they be able to hire Americans who only want to work for “if the wages are right?” You can’t have no children, no grandchildren, and no immigrants, yet expect to be taken care of by someone out of the blue when you grow old. Claiming some salesman “promised” something back in the day, in order to get you to pitch in for his hookers, blow and reelection campaign budgets, doesn’t materially change anything at all.
The Sinai Fence, once south of Gaza and surroundings, doesn’t have Tijuana, Nuevo Laredo and the rest smacked up against the border. It’s effectively a border fence between one half of Antarctica and the other. With miles upon miles of nothing on either side. There’s no infrastructure to support large groups of people on the Egyptian side. The occasional Bedouin convoy, is very easy to spot, both before and after any breach attempt.
On the US/Mexico border, there are stretches that are remote, but also long stretches that are farmed, industrialized and generally built up. And Mexicans drive fast moving trucks. As do Americans on the other side. They don’t ride slow camels. All of which means guards have much less time to respond to a breach, in between the breechers appearing out of the background population noise on the Mexico side, and disappearing into the noise on the other side.
The only place on the Israel/Egypt border where you have large “cover” populations up against the border, is Gaza. And just try suggesting to the IDF that 60 feet is all they should need to secure than one…..
I don’t mean to belittle the Israeli effort, nor claim that walls aren’t useful for controlling immigration. Just like a fence around your property high enough to clearly distinguish those actively attempting to trespass from those merely accidentally crossing may well be a good thing, ditto border fences.
The problem is that the US/Mexico fence is being oversold. It won’t do what the salesguys say. So then, the salesguys will come back asking for more. Then more. Then more. Both money and freedom restrictions. Then, before you know it, there will be a constituency dependent on the whole process surrounding the thing for their livelihoods. All government programs start that way. Then they grow. And grow. And all government programs erode a little bit, then more, of the freedom that once made America somehow different from contemporary Venezuela.
In Israel, they have a real problem, as they are about to be wiped off the map. If that was the situation in the US, a bit of growth in fortifications wouldn’t necessarily be out of place. But it’s not. The problem in the US, is that non immigrant Americans have too few kids. Yet expect “other people’s kids” to take care of both them and their belongings. As long as that is the case, immigrants from places with more kids will flow in. If you have to do something, at least do it efficiently. Not in a pointlessly clumsy, expensive and awkward fashion, just to provide cover for self promoters to grandstand over nonsense.
Americans have less kids since the working class and parts of middle class have been wiped out economically by stagnating wages which are caused by the flow of tens of millions illegals who were willing to work for low wages and the stupid trade policies encouraging offshoring of jobs both to Mexico and China while Fed bubble blowing and continually increasing debt levels kept consumers consuming.
Americans also pay up to 10k per regular childbirth while illegals pay 0 dollars for childbirth and hospitals have to charge 10k from Americans to cover their costs of operation and the many 0 dollar deliveries given to illegals.
Stop new illegals coming in and remove most of the illegals who have come previously and working class and lower middle class wages will rise and since illegals are removed the cost to rent or own will drop (so families can get a bigger apartment and make that extra baby) and most importantly childbirth prices will drop from 10k to 2k-3k since no more 0 dollar illegals giving birth on the hospitals dime.
You are presenting illegal immigration as the solution when it is the problem and illegal immigration has created most of the other problems in wages, healthcare, jobs.
When Pedro drives drunk without insurance and crashes and kills or maims Americans all other people who pay for their car insurance get to pay for those costs.
“The Wall is Coming”? Are you sure he didn’t say, “The war is coming” (Iran)?
The wall will be built. The choice for democrats is to fund it now or preserve the issue for 2020. The incentive to fund it now is that the president will do a DACA deal that takes out the risk of a DACA litigation result. (If the government loses, the president has a phone and pen as big as Obama’s to rewrite DACA out of existence; if the government wins, DACA in its present form is to toast and the ‘crats must restart from square one.) Pelosi and Schumer only risk fracturing their party…. They’re like putty in Trump’s hands.
Mish, you have some kind of comment filter that traps many comments.
You should disable it.
The “filter” is, more likely than not, just shitty code, poorly understood by the poorly motivated (for good reasons) coders supposed to care. NO different than the rest of US “industry.” Hard to turn that off without making America civilized again. Which is not exactly in the interests of the incompetents currently leeching of it’s remains, to put it mildly.
If you recall, sometime last year the site was overrun with spam. The filter, unfortunately, is necessary. I’ve never had a comment vanish, so it’s possible to post without a problem. If you are having some comments vanish, and others remain, examine the ones that vanish to see if you can figure out what is triggering the filer.
Trump should call a “national emergency” and build a wall on the WHOLE US-Mexico border and have Army build the wall from the Army/DoD budget who Trump gave 700+ billion dollars in the early 2018 Omnibus.
Here is Democrat Adam Smith who now is the Chair of the Armed Services Committee in the House telling that Trump can call a “national emergency” to build a wall and then have DoD/Army build the wall from their budget:
The funny thing is that the Democrat says that previous presidents have used the “national emergency” clause to build facilities in Afghanistan and Iraq…
Democrat Adam Smith is also claiming that since building wall on parts of the border has NOT helped the situation that this means that a wall on the whole border would not help the situation.
Democrat Adam Smith wants to hire more government employees (more government bloat costing much more than the wall) to catch illegals (who would be then catch-and-released to USA) thereby continuing the current broken immigration policy and abused asylum policy.
Everybody who has a working brain should realize that illegal immigrants will cross the border in places where there is NO wall or where there is just a rickety fence or a low barrier one can sit on top of so the ONLY working solution is to build a high wall or high metal barrier with pikes or barbwire on the WHOLE US-Mexico border and then use the current number of government employees to monitor the border wall and stop people from coming over with sensors and sending Border Patrol to meet any illegals trying to cross over and keep them on the Mexican side.
Trump should just amend obama’s DACA executive order to include building the wall.
After all, if obama can just ignore existing federal laws and make up his own laws (and spend billions while doing it), then so can any following presidents.
Good point. IF courts decide Obama could give mass-amnesty to illegal immigrant dreamers (this is currently being litigated whether Obama’s dreamer amnesty is legal) then Trump can write an executive order to build a wall on the whole US-Mexico border.
Is this the point that tariffs on Chinese steel gets dropped?
Of course not. The leeches who own US steelmakers, want a better rate of return on their lobbying and hookers dollars than what the increasingly bankrupt nominally “privately owned” steel consuming manufacturers can provide them.