“Anything worth doing, is worth
doing well.” G.K. Chesterton.
I tried to firmly implant this type
of philosophy in my home while raising my children. When doing laundry, we
should complete the task to our best ability. It means to follow the steps and
make sure that it is completed properly which includes folding or hanging the
laundry as well.
I am currently looking at a window
air conditioning unit. There is a board covering up the space and caulking to
seal it in place. However, there are small holes that allow cold or hot air in
to my house. It is very difficult to regulate the temperature at times. The
installation was not performed in a manner that would depict a job well done.
History is often forgotten in our
country which includes short term historical memory. In October 2006, former
President G.W. Bush signed the Secure Fence Act 2006 (Pub. L. 109-367) into
law. It passed the House, 283-138. It passed the Senate 80-19.[1]
In 2006, Congress allocated $1.4 billion for the fence and $50 for maintenance
over 25 years. [2] However,
in 2017, studies show that “Since 2007, VISA overstays have out number undocumented
border crossers by a half million.”[3]
Studies further show (source for
listed below):[4]
Escalating cost projections,
Homeland Security of $21.6 billion over 3 ½ years
Former Homeland Security Director
Michael Chertoff and others argued “…that the wall does not add enforcement value
except in heavy crossing areas near town, highways, or other vanishing points.”
Studies show in 2017, according
to the White House that what is standing as part of a current wall, “as an enforcement
tool: between FY 2010 and FY 2015, the current 654-mile pedestrian wall was
breached 9,287 time.”
There is a dramatic decline in
the US undocumented population between 2008 and 2014.
In 2014, studies “… find 2/3rds
of undocumented workers did not illegally cross the border, but were admitted
(after screening) on non-immigrant (temporary) visas, and then overstayed their
period of admission or otherwise violated the terms or their visa.”
I have contended all along, that
there are too many loopholes in the immigration policy period. Do we normally
put the cart before or after the horse? Do we secure the front of the barn
door, when the back remains wide open? In any effective job, one has to start
at the top. What good is building a wall to keep out, when the top laws are
vague, not secure, and with way too many loopholes? It does not good to enforce
faulty laws/regulations/statutes.
The thought process followed here
is on land. But, wait a minute. What about the water borders? Pablo Escobar (1949-1993)
flew numerous shipments of illegal narcotics to the Bahama’s and crossed it
into Florida by boat. Do we not have waterways that are protected by the US
Coastguard? How easy is it to bypass land all together and take a water going
vessel from Tampico to Corpus Christi or Port Lavaca? Much to my surprise the
US Coastguard is under “Homeland Security.” At first, President Trump, it was
proposed to cut the Coastguard’s budget $1.3 billion dollars to add it to the “Wall
Fund”: however, through many objections, their budget will remain as is for
another year at $9.1 billion dollars. [5]
It all needs to stop dead in its
tracks before making these issues a worse cluster mess. (I wrote that so
nicely.)
Solution: (a) Combine the US Border
Patrol and the US Coastguard as a separate military branch that does nothing
other than making sure our borders are safe from terrorist, illegal narcotics,
and illegal entry and well as specialized rescue missions on land and or on the
water. Outfit them with the best equipment, technology and weapons available for
success. (b) Look at all the laws in
immigration and seal the loopholes. (c) Change the laws of venting for incoming
immigrants. Improve the communications systems and detention between state,
local, and national as a combined effort. Then and only then, pull a full
enforcement that is sound, effective, and will not be kicked out by federal
oversights in court.
This is just my opinion. No one
has to agree with it.
Have a pleasant Monday and may
God bless each and every one.
[1] “109th
Congress Public Law 367.” US Government
Printing Office. October 2006., (accessed 1.29.2018) https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-109publ367/html/PLAW-109publ367.htm
[2] Linskey,
Annie. “In 2006 Democrats were saying Build the Wall.” Boston Globe Newspaper.
1.27.2017 (accessed 1.29.2018) https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2017/01/26/when-wall-was-fence-and-democrats-embraced/QE7ieCBXjXVxO63pLMTe9O/story.html
[3]
Warren, Robert and Donald Kerwin. “The 2,000 Mile Wall in Search of a Purpose.”
Centers for Immigration Studies. 2017
(accessed 1.29.2017) http://cmsny.org/publications/jmhs-visa-overstays-border-wall/
[4] Warren,
Robert and Donald Kerwin. “The 2,000 Mile Wall in Search of a Purpose.” Centers for Immigration Studies. 2017
[5]Horton,
Alex. “The White House Almost Slashed the Coastguard’s budget.” The Washington
Post. 9.14.2017. (access 1.29. 2018) https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2017/09/12/trump-just-gushed-about-the-coast-guard-it-really-needed-the-boost/?utm_term=.8bfae0269e0f
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