Posted on 06/17/2010 5:36:45 PM PDT by SwinneySwitch
WASHINGTON — Taxpayers have shelled out at least $15.1 million per mile for 53 miles of "virtual fence" built to secure the U.S.-Mexico border, more than 12 times the original estimate.
The federal government set aside $833 million for the fence of cameras, sensors and other barriers in 2007, and the vast majority of that money, at least $800 million, has been spent on a sliver, in Arizona, of the nearly 2,000-mile southern border. About $20.9 million has been used on the northern border.
Rep. Chris Carney, D-Pa., chairman of a House Homeland Security subcommittee, said the money was supposed to buy virtual fence for 655 miles of border in Arizona, New Mexico and a slice of Texas, at a cost of about $1.2 million per mile.
"We are guardians of the taxpayers' money and someone said yes to this, we said yes to this and it's not what was originally sold," Carney said.
The totals come from the House Homeland Security Committee, which got them from the Homeland Security Department. Customs and Border Protection confirmed the figures.
The fence, developed as part of a border security plan under President George W. Bush, was supposed to monitor most of the southern border with Mexico by 2011. Now, the 53 miles in Arizona is expected to be done by the end of the year.
Additionally, the expected capabilities of the virtual fence have shrunk, said Randolph Hite, a Government Accountability Office official.
"It's hard to redirect an iceberg once it's started moving in one direction, and that's what we are facing," Hite said.
(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...
Not if the government is in charge.
We’ll just have to move it north anyway.
How about automated machine-gun positions? How expensive could that be?
hire the israelis to build the fence. They could do it cheaper
And more effective too.
I dont know about us but Obama Has 1 Billion 200 Million for Bike and Walking Initiatives
A virtual disaster!
Pray for America
It certainly makes the deportation hearing something of a formality.
We did. It was called the Secure Fence Act. Unfortunately, a trio of Texas RINOs killed it.
About $2,800 per foot for a fence? And this is who democrats want running our health care system? Good God!!! How can anyone with any sense want this government to handle anything? Stick to defense and interstate commerce (not to limit, but to enhance) and leave the rest to intelligent people. After todays senate performance on poor Mr. Hayward (BP CEO) we have to hide our heads in shame if we go outside the country. What a horrible state of affairs our beloved nation is in.
Not disagreeing, but why don’t they work?
I’d rather seen chain link and razor wire but I’ve never seen a technical explanation of what the virtual fence was supposed to do and why it didn’t do it.
Seems like a solvable engineering problem.
I don’t understand this “virtual fence”.
Does it shock crossers like an invisible fence might do to keep your mutt inside your yard?
If it just takes the pictures of the breachers,but doesn’t actually stop them, what good could it possible be?
It isn’t like their pictures will be on most-wanted posters with every lawman in the county looking for them.
How about we mine the area ten feet in from the border. Oh,ya, it’ll cost plenty to remove them when they catch on but we at least get rid of a few.
Virtual ping!
If you want on, or off this S. Texas/Mexico ping list, please FReepMail me.
We build a billion miles of concrete/wood/steel “sound barrier” fences 20 feet high along our highways that go past residential areas.
Nah, too simple.
put a 220 charge on it.
Follow the money and it will lead to Washington’s friends.
FINALLY the media finds a government cost overrun they actually care about.
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