A Wall of Reason
Our current political dialogue surrounding the partial shutdown of the federal government has been described as sophomoric. I couldn’t disagree more. Assuming we are talking about sophomores in high school, that assessment overshoots the mark by at least six grade levels. A little fact checking and rational thought are in order.
Nancy Pelosi says the Trump wall is immoral and medieval. She is wrong on both counts. A review of all the world’s religions and the works of significant moral philosophers nowhere reveals a mandate commanding Thou Shalt Not Build Walls. As far as medieval goes, her timing is off. The oldest urban center we have yet discovered lies beneath the modern city of Jericho. It is 10,000 years old and is a walled city. Walls have been around ever since some human beings abandoned nomadic hunting/gathering in favor of fixed abodes.
Other Democrats won’t go with immoral but claim walls are ineffective and wasteful. Interestingly enough, they get evasive when asked if they favor dismantling the 735 miles of wall already in place. The problem is that they misunderstand the function of walls (barriers, fences, etc.). Walls don’t keep intruders out. They slow them down and meter the number of intruders who can arrive at the same time. Mostly, walls act as a warning to defenders. Those medieval walls Nancy refers to were useless if the guard towers weren’t manned and defenders didn’t mobilize when the intruders started up the ladders. A barrier of some kind, with intrusion sensors, will definitely reduce the number of people coming across our southern border.
It is true that intruders can go over, under and around a barrier of almost any kind. Going over requires time and equipment or extreme agility. If notice is provided, the climber can be caught. Going under is a lot of work. It’s the drug smuggler route. We need to buy tunnel detection equipment from Israel. Going around requires a boat. Catching those folks requires drone surveillance. In summary, we could reduce intrusion across the southern border with a combination of equipment and manpower, which would include a barrier of some kind in appropriate terrain.
What would a rational approach to immigration look like? We should import all the scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, and investors who want to come. Our only hope of keeping the promises of Social Security and Medicare is economic growth and an expanded work force. The construction, hospitality and agricultural sectors need seasonal workers. Lots of folks in Mexico and Central America need the work. We should have a robust guest worker program, with safeguards to prevent exploitation of the workers. Central Americans are fleeing violence caused by drug wars. We are the customers who generate the profits worth fighting about. We need to address our drug habit. We also need to set up an efficient system for asylum seekers. Preferably, they would apply in their own country. Those who are so threatened they need to flee immediately should be housed in Mexico, in camps we pay for, while their applications are processed.
The current 4th grade dialogue is addressing none of the real problems. Each side is stoking the base to facilitate on-line fundraising. It is a shameful abdication of responsibility.
