The Incredible Disappearing Border Fence... (Like The Cheshire Cat, Its Gone Poof! Alert)

Do you know the story of the Incredible Disappearing Border Fence? It's an object lesson in gesture politics and homeland insecurity. It's a tale of hollow rhetoric, meaningless legislation and bipartisan betrayal. And in the run-up to the Iowa caucuses, it's a helpful learning tool as you assess the promises of immigration enforcement converts now running for president.

Last fall, Democrats and Republicans in Washington responded to continued public outrage over border chaos by passing the "Secure Fence Act." Did you question the timing? You should have. It's no coincidence they finally got off their duffs to respond just before the 2006 midterm elections. Lawmakers vowed grandiosely to keep America safe. The law specifically called for "at least 2 layers of reinforced fencing, the installation of additional physical barriers, roads, lighting, cameras and sensors" at five specific stretches of border totaling approximately 700 miles.

GOP leaders patted themselves on the back for their toughness. President Bush made a huge to-do in signing the bill into law. Never mind the lack of funding for the fence and the failure to address many other immediate reforms that could have been adopted immediately to strengthen immigration enforcement, close deportation loopholes and provide systemic relief at the border without the need for a single brick or bulldozer.

On the very day the bill was signed, open-borders politicians were already moving to water it down. Texas Republican Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn pushed for "flexibility to choose other options instead of fencing, if needed." Six months after passage of the Secure Fence Act -- now interpreted by Washington as the Flexible Non-Fence Act or, as I call it, the FINO (Fence in Name Only) Act -- 700 miles shrunk to "somewhere in the ballpark" of 370 miles. A 14-mile fence-building project in San Diego was stalled for years by environmental legal challenges and budget shortfalls. The first deadline -- a May 30, 2007 requirement for installation of an "interlocking surveillance camera system" along the border in California and Arizona -- passed unmet. GOP Rep. Duncan Hunter, one of the few Republican presidential candidates to walk the talk on border security, blasted the Bush administration for suffering from "a case of 'the slows' on border enforcement."

More than a year after the law's passage, the citizen watchdog group Grassfire reports that just five miles of double-layer fencing has been built in the first 12 months of implementation of the act. Five lousy miles. The Government Accountability Office claims 70 miles were erected -- but most of that fencing failed to meet the specifications of the law.

Is Congress up in arms? Will there be accountability? Don't make me snort. Instead of demanding that the law be enforced, the pols are sabotaging the law. As part of the omnibus spending package passed this week, House Democrats incorporated Senate Republicans' provisions to remove the two-layer fencing requirements and the specific target list of fencing locations.

GOP Rep. Peter T. King, who sponsored the Secure Fence Act, told the Washington Times: "This is either a blatant oversight or a deliberate attempt to disregard the border security of our country. As it's currently written, the omnibus language guts the Secure Fence Act almost entirely. Quite simply, it is unacceptable."

GOP Majority Leader John Boehner tried to blame the House Democrat majority: "The fact that this was buried in a bloated, 3,500-page omnibus speaks volumes about the Democrats' unserious approach on border security and illegal immigration," he said. "Gutting the Secure Fence Act will make our borders less secure, but it's consistent with the pattern of behavior we've seen all year from this majority." But it's border state Republicans who've been gunning to undermine the law while the ink was still fresh.

To add insult to injury and homeland insecurity upon homeland insecurity, Congress failed to adopt a ban on federal aid to sanctuary cities that prevent government employees and law enforcement officers from asking about immigration status; voted to stall implementation of stricter ID standards at border crossings; and miraculously found enough money to provide $10 million in "emergency" funding for attorneys of illegal aliens.

Next time you hear a leading presidential candidate try to woo you with his nine-point immigration enforcement plan or his secure ID plan or his Secure Borders platform, point to the Incredible Disappearing Border Fence. Poof! That is what happens to election-season homeland security promises. Why would theirs be any different?

Hey, Michael Kinsley, you are on the wrong forum. You should be on the DU.

First of all, the laws are already on the books. Tell me the difference between the New Deal programs of your masters and the UN programs of your masters.

The birthrates of non-immigrant American females is at a non-replenishment rate...

So which country would you prefer to move to, India or Switzerland? Maybe you are just waiting for America to look like the Houston freeway after hurricane's Rita where it took hours and hours to travel 5 miles. So your idea of America is to stack people on top of each other. When do you stop replenishing? How many people to the acre?

many illegal immigrants do pay into Social Security through fraudulent SSNs without ever becoming eligible for benefits; and the surplus money collected from overtaxtion via the payroll's FICA has already been spent (THERE IS NO LOCKBOX, IT'S AN ACCOUNTING GIMMICK!)

Duh! Are you sure?????????I guess you want us to have a whine party for the pooor illegal immigrant who steals someones social security cards and has money cut from his paycheck. The poor baby. Just think money cut from the illegal aliens paycheck to pay for other illegal aliens free health care, free education, free food stamps, etc. The shame of it all.

If you folks who care about border security would concentrate just a fraction of your energies to entitlement reform, showing similar outrage at the federal government, the single biggest economic factor [funding entitlements into the future] that causes our Representatives and Senators to "look the other way" at the immigration problem, might just fix itself.

For your information, entitlements were here long before NAFTA and we didn't have the problem we are now having today. NAFTA is the program or agreement that should be skuttled. It has been 14 years since NAFTA has been signed into law and it continues to be a failure. I'll even bet that $1.5 billion for the Mexico war on drugs is included in this spending bill. If NAFTA is so great, then why is the US having to give Mexico money?

As long as NAFTA is on the books, illegal immigration will remain the problem of entitlements. Hey, even the Bushes wants to give Mexico social security. I am sure you agree with that as it will mean opening up more offices in Mexico. More trade. Hooray, hooray. Yea, look the other way. That is what you free traders want. You show a lack of understanding of what the true problem is in this issue. Read the NAFTA agreement and you will find that it is the biggest entitlement program ever.

Hey, Michael Kinsley, you are on the wrong forum.

I've been here since November 2003 and make contributions both with commentary and financially, with contributions. Are you sure? And why are you calling me Michael Kinsley? Shall I dig through your past to see how many times you have posted links or editorials from a known Leftist? Do you really want to play that game with me?

You should be on the DU.

Okay! They'd punt me off of their site the instant they discovered how much I embrace limited government, markets, capitalism, etc. But you wouldn't know much about that particular strain of conservative [libertarianism], would you? It's foreign to you.

First of all, the laws are already on the books. Tell me the difference between the New Deal programs of your masters and the UN programs of your masters.

What are you talking about here?

So your idea of America is to stack people on top of each other. When do you stop replenishing? How many people to the acre?

Dude, shut your pie hole until you've read these two links, here and here. If after you read from two sources you still want to perpetuate your ignorance, I'd be glad to listen to it...and laugh my ass off afterward!

I guess you want us to have a whine party for the pooor illegal immigrant who steals someones social security cards and has money cut from his paycheck.

No whine from me, I don't want illegals on the dole. But then again, I don't particularly care to see American citizens on the dole, either.

For your information, entitlements were here long before NAFTA and we didn't have the problem we are now having today.

So, you still have a soft spot for entitlements just because we have had them for so long: yes or no?

It has been 14 years since NAFTA has been signed into law and it continues to be a failure.

In what ways: lower economic output, lower real total compensation per worker, higher unemployment, lower standard of living, more foreign-made goods on shelfs that your neighbor might wish to purchase? Which is it?

I am sure you agree with that as it will mean opening up more offices in Mexico.

Really? Are you sure that you're sure?

More trade. Hooray, hooray.

But of course! Trade is economic activity and means that trading partners are each finding value in their transactions. Is there celebration in your house when there's less economic activity and less satisfaction because there's less choices that produce less value than in the past? It's a fair question.

You show a lack of understanding of what the true problem is in this issue.

Do I now?! Well, I eagerly await your reply so that you can shed some light on where my understanding is lacking.

Ta ta for now.

The following is what I was referring to regarding Michael Kinsley.

To: org.whodat

hero's? Hell no, far from it. Kinsley a redistributionist and a so-called progressive. But on this immigration point, I happen to side with his position. The question he raises is a good one and I'd like to see it answered by the pitchfork wielding crowd.

11 posted on 12/09/2007 5:34:18 AM PST by LowCountryJoe

(I'm a Paleo-liberal: I believe in freedom; am socially independent and a borderline fiscal anarchist) [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies | Report Abuse ]

You and he write a good bit alike. Both of you are arrogant and demeaning to other posters and others viewpoints. You call posters pitchfork weilding crowd. He calls them agin and aginners who he thinks are too ignorant to say the word again. He also used the word queue to describe line breakers or line jumpers by illegals. Pathetic!

No, I am not talking about overpopulation. It is not over population when you are not replenishing as quickly as some would have you do. You didn't answer if it is India or Switzerland that you would rather live. I do think, we as citizens, have a right to control our borders and keep this country sovereign.

So, you still have a soft spot for entitlements just because we have had them for so long: yes or no? My soft spot would be to go to American citizens as the entitlements are a safety net for them ., Yes, it has been abused by Americans and difficult to stop as it has gone on since LBJ.

I believe you need to answer that question and explaine all these entitlements to the CAFTA countrires. It is not too late to stop entitlements to the CAFTA countries, is it? I know we have given money to Mexico for 14 years since the signing of NAFTA so how many years will the American taxpayer have their money confiscated from the paychecks for Cafta?

Check out the white house website on this:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/latinamerica/

The President Announced He Will Send The USNS Comfort A Navy Medical Ship To Latin America And The Caribbean. The Comfort will make port calls in Belize, Guatemala, Panama, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, and Suriname. Its doctors, nurses, and healthcare professionals expect to treat 85,000 patients and conduct up to 1,500 surgeries. The Comfort will also partner with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on a new initiative to provide oral care to the region's poor.

At The Same Time, Military Medical Teams Will Operate To Help Bring Treatment And Care To Other Communities. This year, the Department of Defense and the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps will partner to provide medical care through 62 Medical Readiness Training Exercises in 14 countries in the Western Hemisphere.

The President Also Announced A Healthcare Professional Training Center In Panama That Will Serve All Of Central America. This Center will teach students how to be good nurses, technicians, and health care workers. The President Announced A New Partnership For Latin American Youth To Help Thousands More Young People Improve Their English And Have The Opportunity To Study In The United States. This three-year, $75 million initiative includes English language training; home-country and U.S.-based study; helping students apply for and win scholarships; and skills development to improve students' ability to gain employment.

The President Directed Secretary Of State Condoleezza Rice And Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson To Develop A New Initiative That Will Help U.S. And Local Banks Improve Their Ability To Extend Good Loans To Small Businesses. Increasing access to capital throughout Latin America and the Caribbean will help its entrepreneurs create new jobs and opportunity for their fellow citizens.

The United States Is Launching A New Effort To Help Build A Market For Affordable Housing. Through the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the U.S. has provided more than $100 million to help underwrite mortgages to working families in Mexico, Brazil, Chile, and the countries of Central America. The U.S. will now provide an additional $385 million to expand these programs and help put the dream of home ownership within reach of thousands more people.

The Administration Will Convene A White House Conference On The Western Hemisphere. This conference will bring together representatives from the private sector, non-governmental organizations, faith-based groups, and volunteer associations to discuss more effective ways to deliver aid and build the institutions of civic society.

Building Government Institutions That Are Fair, Effective, And Free Of Corruption

Millennium Challenge Accounts Are Providing Financial Assistance To Developing Nations That Govern Justly, Invest In Their People, And Encourage Economic Freedom.

President Bush worked with Congress to create the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) in February 2004. Compact agreements between the MCC and El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua plus a threshold agreement in Paraguay amount to almost $900 million in aid for these countries.

Bolivia is eligible for compact assistance, and Peru and Guyana have been invited to participate in the MCC threshold program.

The President's FY08 budget requests $3 billion for the Millennium Challenge Corporation to continue reducing poverty around the world. We Are Working With Our Partners In Latin America And The Caribbean To Ensure Governments Serve All Citizens Impartially.

In Colombia, American foreign aid is helping train judges, prosecutors, and public defenders. In Villarrica, Paraguay, we funded a project setting up a website to make local government transactions public. In El Salvador, the United States opened an international law enforcement academy to help train law enforcement agents to combat drug lords, terrorists, criminal gangs, and human traffickers. These efforts are supported by private programs run by U.S. law schools, professional associations, and volunteer organizations. Providing Funding For Education And Health Care In Latin America And The Caribbean Since 2004, The U.S. Has Provided More Than $150 Million For Education Programs In Latin America And The Caribbean. U.S.-funded education programs include:

Centers Of Excellence For Teacher Training (CETT) Initiative: In 2001, President Bush announced the CETT initiative to strengthen literacy instruction across the region. Since 2002, CETT has trained nearly 15,000 teachers, and it plans to train 3,330 more in 2007. By 2009, CETT will have trained 20,000 teachers in the region, and will have improved the literacy skills of 650,000 poor and disadvantaged students.

The U.S. Department Of State Hemisphere-Wide English Teaching Initiative: Launched in 2006, the initiative provides $500,000 to fund micro-scholarships and English teaching programs, supporting English studies for nearly 12,000 students. Since 2001, The U.S. Has Invested Almost $1 BillionImprove Health Through USAID Programs In Latin America And The Caribbean.

U.S. Funding For HIV/AIDS Programs In Latin America And The Caribbean Has Grown From $22 Million In 2001 To A Planned Level Of Over $143 Million In 2007. Haiti and Guyana are focus countries in the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). We are also supporting programs in Bolivia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, and a regional program in the Caribbean. Helping Build Economies That Allow Workers To Provide For Their Families And Rise In Society The United States Government Led The G-8 Debt Reduction Initiative To Provide $4.8 BillionIn Multilateral Debt Relief To Some Of The Poorest Countries In The Americas.

The Administration Is Implementing An Agenda To Promote Job Creation And Equal Opportunity For All Residents Of The Western Hemisphere.

The Administration has negotiated trade agreements with 10 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, with three Peru, Colombia, and Panama pending Congressional approval. In 2006, CAFTA-DR entered into force for Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. And on March 1, 2007, CAFTA-DR entered into force for the Dominican Republic. Countries with U.S. trade agreements in the Western Hemisphere comprise two-thirds of the region's overall GDP.

The Administration is now working for a strong agreement in the Doha round of global trade talks that will help level the playing field for farmers, workers, and small businesses throughout the Western hemisphere.

U.S. Assistance To Latin America And The Caribbean Extends Far Beyond Government Initiatives.

USAID has registered more than 300 U.S.-based non-governmental organizations working in Latin America. In 2005, U.S. companies invested $353 billion in Latin America and the Caribbean. Foreign affiliates of U.S. companies have employed 1.6 million people in Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.

Just think American companies have employed 1.6 million people in these countries. Maybe these companies could take applications here in the US and that would leave us us 19 million illegals in the US.

Sorry, I was so long in posting but I had difficulty highlighting how much money (American citizens) taxpayer money was given to foreigners. I am sure you had rather give this money to foreigners than Americans.

Grow up. We had trade long before 1993. You free traders didn't invent it.

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