The entire border is flat? Oh, the things you learn on Free Republic!
By sinking them into the ground, one level is completely protected against almost all man-portable weapons and the second level (ground level) can be bermed on three sides except for the horizontal observation and firing ports along the east, south and west sides.
You've also made it impossible for the border guards to actually see anything more than a couple hundred yards away along most of the border.
the north side would extend out to include a 3 sided, covered bay where the interceptors will sit at the ready.
...and a smart opponent will simply wait for the interceptors to come out, then ambush those.
OK, lets do the numbers.
OK, let's do those numbers. Your numbers are pure Grade-A bulls**t.
1330 miles from Atlantic to Pacific ='s 1330 stations.
First wrong assumption: the actual length of the US-Mexican border is 2,100 miles. (It is not a straight line. I know, that is a complete shock to you.)
1 station initial construction 165,000
Unfortunately, to keep the costs this low, you'd have to use illegal alien labor. The Davis-Bacon Act requires the use of the "prevailing wage," which the courts have determined to be "whatever the union says it is." Announce this big a program, your construction costs will be more along the lines of $2M apiece.
1 electronics and weapons 40,000
$40K would barely cover the per diem for the electronics installation team. Try again.
3 trucks @ 40,000 each 120,000
Trucks are useless without infrastructure to supply fuel...which you have neglected to include in your cost analysis.
15 staff, 5 shifts at 3 per shift 630,000
630,000/15 = 21,000/year. That is a ridiculously low rate for goobermint labor.
Federal labor cost estimates put a lower-grade GS emloyee's loaded rate at $100,000 per year.
utilities (water, electricity) 12,000
Does not include the cost of amortizing the new electrical and water infrastructure required.
Kindly note that water rights are property. Taking water that is already allocated for beneficial use would require a 5th Amendment taking. Since water rights also have a FUTURE value, you're talking about a very large sack of coin that is completely unaccounted for in your cost model.
Total for one station for the first year (including construction)
$967,000
Go back and redo the figures. Yours are BS.
Total for the 1330 stations required
2,100 stations at one per mile.
$1,288,044,000
and that is including construction cost.
Using illegal alien labor, of course...
After the initial construction,
Back out 90% of 165,000 to = 16,500, or annual maintaining
Again, you're using illegal alien labor rates.
apply the same 10% maintaining to the other front end expenses
and the total annual bill is . . . $870,352,000
Case Closed.
Case Re-Opened. There's only one problem with your idea: it does not work. Illegal aliens penentrate your border security line with annoying regularity. You've reduced the number of illegals crossing via land, but not by very much. The Commandant of the Coast Guard just called--he tells you that illegal aliens are being smuggled into California, Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi by boat in large numbers. The Coast Guard couldn't keep up with the minimal amounts of maritime immigrant smuggling before your plan went into effect--they're completely overwhelmed now.
Oh, and your effort to attack this via "money laundering" statutes? Well, those statutes allow for seizures. The IRS grades its agents on how much cash they seize. And the illegals don't have enough money to be worth seizing. Instead, the IRS is using that big manpower plus-up to go after the "underground economy," and they're mostly targeting American citizens. They get a few high-profile illegal immigrants--but that's just for show.
Meanwhile, you just got a phone call from the Canadians. That list of suspected terrorists you sent them? Well, about 20% were in Canada, drawing generous welfare benefits. Key word: were. When the Canadian authorities tried to round them up, the terrorists were gone. Presumably, they crossed the (completely unguarded) US-Canadian border. Lotsa luck, dude.
Bottom line: your proposal costs more than you wish, accomplishes less than you wish, does not accomplish the task by which you sold it to Congress, has lots of unintended negative consequences, and now you're going to go back with another hare-brained, unworkable idea and ask for lots of public money.
In short, you're a liberal Democrat...
Bottom line: your proposal costs more than you wish, accomplishes less than you wish, does not accomplish the task by which you sold it to Congress, has lots of unintended negative consequences, and now you're going to go back with another hare-brained, unworkable idea and ask for lots of public money.
In short, you're a liberal Democrat...
ROFL! Brilliant, incisive analysis.