Why Build A Wall?
by Big Dog on May 19, 2006 at 18:50 Immigration
Will a wall on our Southern border make us any safer? Will a wall keep people out? The reality is that a wall will act as a great deterrant but those who are determined will probably get in. Having said that, I am all in favor of building a wall or some other barrier to beef up the border. Walls have helped countries in the past but the purpose was to keep people in, not out.
The wall between East and West Germany was meant to keep the population in the East from leaving and it worked quite well. The reason it was not a real deterrant for people entering is because no one wanted to get in. Despite the rhetoric about how hated America is, it remains the most popular place for people to enter. People come here for a better way of life and to earn money and a wall will slow that process but determined people will find a way in. We need better immigration policies and tougher laws. In order to stop ILLEGALS from entering we need to make it hurt.
I heard something today that I gave a passing thought to many years ago. I was in the military and they required me to have a passport to go on a mission. Military are covered under the Status of Forces Agreement but we were required to have a passport when we went on a medical mission to Costa Rica. Years later I went to Mexico for a visit and was not required to show a passport and those entering the US were not required to show one either. Perhaps we need to enforce the passport laws as well as other countries do. A wall will help keep people out but a passport will show us who is here and whether or not they left. It would also allow us to more easily identify people who are not supposed to be here. When stopped, they need to have a passport to prove they were legally admitted to this country. No passport equals a ride home. A passport with a stamp could be used to verify employment eligibility and be more easily verified than a Social Security Number.
Despite what people say about the US it is still recognized as the land of freedom. Our country is a beacon of hope and freedom for those around the world who live in bad circumstances. Many come here legally and are welcomed into our society. The ones who come here in violation of the law make it bad for everyone. I am tired of hearing about jobs Americans will not do and cheap labor. There are no jobs Americans will not do if the pay is adequate.
Building a wall is an expensive endeavour and will take time. We should get military engineering units to help out and it might not be a bad idea to put inmates in chain gangs helping to erect the thing. These people could work off part of their debt to society by helping build the wall. This is the greatest country in the world and there has never been a problem that we have not been able to solve. We will solve this one as well once we install backbones in the members of Congress and the President.
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