More Border Wall, Yay!
Well, here is a really meaningful proposal: Scott Walker, floundering in near irrelevance as a result of the work of Donald Trump, suggested today on Meet the Press that the United States cannot be content with a border wall between us and Mexico; we must also build one between the U.S. and Canada.
Well, as Mr. Walker should know, being a governor of a State right across Lake Superior from Canada, the border between the United States and Canada, the longest border between any two countries on earth, stretches for 5,525 miles.
Current costs for the construction of border walls along the Mexican border are running at around $7.5 million a mile. The cost varies dramatically depending on the terrain, but using this as an average, we are looking at about $42 billion just to build the thing- about ten percent of next year's projected budget deficit. Then, of course, there is the fact that the wall would be a useless boondoggle unless it is constantly patrolled along its entire length. I'd say they would need at least one border patrol agent for every mile, times three for the three shifts in a day- about 15,000 new employees. That would cost, with fringes, well over a billion dollars a year, plus the cost of equipping them with military level equipment. And all for nothing but jingoism and fearmongering.
But of course, the whole Republican primary this year is nothing but an exercise in who can incite most hate and anger in their base, so I am sure that this idiotic proposal will be accepted as an acceptable Republican contribution to our national discussion. This is the sort of thing that has become acceptable these days.
Well, as Mr. Walker should know, being a governor of a State right across Lake Superior from Canada, the border between the United States and Canada, the longest border between any two countries on earth, stretches for 5,525 miles.
Current costs for the construction of border walls along the Mexican border are running at around $7.5 million a mile. The cost varies dramatically depending on the terrain, but using this as an average, we are looking at about $42 billion just to build the thing- about ten percent of next year's projected budget deficit. Then, of course, there is the fact that the wall would be a useless boondoggle unless it is constantly patrolled along its entire length. I'd say they would need at least one border patrol agent for every mile, times three for the three shifts in a day- about 15,000 new employees. That would cost, with fringes, well over a billion dollars a year, plus the cost of equipping them with military level equipment. And all for nothing but jingoism and fearmongering.
But of course, the whole Republican primary this year is nothing but an exercise in who can incite most hate and anger in their base, so I am sure that this idiotic proposal will be accepted as an acceptable Republican contribution to our national discussion. This is the sort of thing that has become acceptable these days.
Comments
What stupid $#!%@ one-upmanship. Next Cruz will propose building a wall along the western edge of Alaska (about as long as the US-Mexico border) -- after all, if Palin says you can see Russia from there, it must be pretty close. Then Perry will come out for building a big dome over the whole country just to be on the safe side. Maybe he'll make the Martians pay for it.
Seriously, Trump is driving them all crazy. If somebody had told me a year ago that the Republican primary race would look like this, with a candidate as bland as Walker proposing a wall against Canada, I'd have thought they were talking about a Saturday Night Live sketch.
Finally, Andy Borowitz has one of his usual funny takes on the idea, "Nation with Crumbling Bridges and Roads Excited to Build Giant Wall."