US Politics

[RabzonKhan]

Nancy Pelosi elected Speaker of the House.

Pelosi, the only woman to have ever served as House speaker, was re-elected to the post on Thursday as Democrats took control of the House after eight years in the minority.

Two key lines in Nancy Pelosi's victory speech were about Reagan and Bush.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) in her first address to the 116th Congress declared the beginning of "a new dawn" but pledged to work across the aisle, citing two past Republican presidents in the process.

Pelosi in her address said Democrats will protect DREAMers, and she made her case by citing former President Ronald Reagan, who said in his last speech as president, "If we ever closed the door to new Americans, our leadership in the world would soon be lost." When Republicans in the chamber didn't clap along with Democrats in response to this line, Pelosi said, "You don't applaud for Ronald Reagan?"

Soon after, Pelosi paid tribute to former President George H.W. Bush, who she called a "cherished former member of this body" and a "beloved" commander-in-chief. She said, "Today, I single out one of his great achievements: working with both Democrats and Republicans to write the Americans With Disabilities Act into the laws of our land."

Pelosi also promised that the 116th Congress will be "transparent, bipartisan and unifying" and that Democrats will "seek to reach across the aisle in this chamber and across the divisions in this great nation." At the same time, she pledged to address income inequality, protect Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, and work to combat climate change, saying that in the midterm elections, "the American people spoke, and demanded a new dawn."

 

[RabzonKhan]

You want a president prefer the immigrants over a president that care only for Americans so that’s say much about you and your love and loyalty for USA

Now, you are talking like a lousy psychic. No president in his right mind would “prefer the immigrants over the Americans”. Look, America is a democracy, not some third world sectarian country, the first Amendment gives us the right to criticize our government without fear.

The fact is, we are a Nation of immigrants, Trump himself is the son, and grandson, of immigrants. His grandfather was a German immigrant and his mother was from Scotland, both of whom did not even damn speak English. Two of his three wives were immigrants from Czech Republic and Slovenia. Only one of his five children, Tiffany, is the child of two American-born citizens.

Here’s a very interesting quote from President Ronald Reagan, hopefully this will make you understand what America is all about: Reagan appreciated that America is a nation of immigrants, but more than that, he understood that the great attraction of immigrants to America was not simply greater economic opportunity but the dream of freedom--the American dream--that the nation represents. The promise of America is not just a better material life but that you can become an American.

Becoming an American is much more than simply getting a legal document attesting to the bearer's privileges of citizenship. Here's how Reagan explained it in a 1988 speech:

"America represents something universal in the human spirit. I received a letter not long ago from a man who said, 'You can go to Japan to live, but you cannot become Japanese. You can go to France to live and not become a Frenchman. You can go to live in Germany or Turkey, and you won't become a German or a Turk.' But then he added, 'Anybody from any corner of the world can come to America to live and become an American.

trump made it clear he did not want to shut down the government, but Nancy and Chuck gave him no choice.

The fact of the matter is, after getting green signal from the Trump administration, the Republican-controlled Senate passed a bipartisan spending bill that included 1.3 billion for the border Security and for a while it seemed everything was going smoothly, but then all of the sudden Trump changed his mind, we all know why, because Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh, Laura Ingraham, and Fox News guests and hosts severely criticized and condemned him for reneging on his campaign promise to construct a wall.

So, how is it Nancy and Chuck’s fault if the Pres of United States gets scared and changes his mind because he could not handle criticism from the right-wing extremist?

And no one was holding a gun to his head, the president did have a choice, he could have avoided the TrumpShutdown had he agreed to sign on to Senate spending bill (that initially he was okay with) and would have kept the government open. Shutting down his own government for the wall was not worth it, there was no emergency or crisis on the border, according to Trump, thanks to Border Patrol, ICE, and our Military, border is tight:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1075732375169060869

On December 11, Trump’s words “I am proud to shut down the government for border security, Chuck (addressing Democrat senator Chuck Schumer) I will take the mantle. I will be the one to shut it down. I’m not going to blame you for it.” The “great negotiator” took the bait and lost the leveraged, he can try as hard as he wants to blame the Democrats for the shutdown, but it’s too late, majority of Americans are not buying it. Link

The bottom line is, in 2016 elections American voters elected him, not Nancy or Schumer to lead the country. It is his responsibility to keep the government open and running smoothly, the shutdown is his fault.

Here’s something interesting for you:

In a September 2013 Fox & Friends phone interview, Trump blasted Obama for failing to "get everybody in a room."

"If you say who gets fired, it always has to be the top. Problems start from the top, and they have to get solved from the top, and the president’s the leader, and he’s got to get everybody in a room, and he’s got to lead. And he doesn’t do that, he doesn’t like doing that, that’s not his strength."

Trump also said that further down in history "when they talk about the government shutdown, they’re going to be talking about the president of, who the president was at that time. They’re not going to be talking about who was the head of the House, the head the Senate, who’s running things in Washington. So I really think the pressure is on the president." Source

trump does not go back on his promises to his constituents, and he cares about the safety and security of Americans.

The million-dollar question is, then why is he not keeping his promise to his constituents?

Just to refresh everyone’s memory:

from 2015 to 2018, Trump repeatedly told his supporters that Mexico will pay for the wall, mark my words.

"I would build a great wall, and nobody builds walls better than me. Believe me. And I'll build it very inexpensively. I'll build a great, great wall on our southern border and I will have Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words,"

And here’s more:

Trump says Mexico Will Pay for a Wall Compilation

Thus he is willing to shut down non-essential gov departments.

Let’s not ignore the plight of roughly 800,000 federal employees who are furloughed or working without pay. What is their fault, why should they suffer for Trump’s false promise (Mexico will pay) to his supporters?

And the house approved a budget with 5 billion for the border wall, which means the shutdown is only Schumer's fault.

Schumer thought he was acting tough and baiting Trump, but he was only cornering himself. At the best he just looked like Nancy's minion, at the worst he embarrassed himself on National television. And now he is responsible for shutting down the gov.

My friend, Trump has put himself in a ditch, Democrats are not going to pull him out of it. At present there is no incentive for them to compromise, Nancy Pelosi has become the Speaker of the House and as she has promised the first thing she is going to do is to send a funding bill, minus 5 billion for the wall, to the Republican-controlled Senate, in other words the ball is going to be in Republican and Trump’s hand.

 

[RabzonKhan]

Cartoons of the week

 

[Nilgiri]

I think I skipped a couple pages but I'm not sure

@Desert Fox @OsmanAli98 @VCheng

 

[RabzonKhan]

Here are 5 industries feeling the squeeze from the government shutdown

Marilyn Haigh CNBC

KEY POINTS

• 
  
  
  • An estimated 450,000 federal employees are working without pay through the partial government shutdown, but even those who don’t get a federal paycheck have been affected.
  • As funding for some operations run out, more agencies are closing as a result of the standoff between Democrats and President Donald Trump over funding for a proposed border wall.

Hundreds of thousands of federal employees are working without pay through the partial government shutdown, but even people who don’t get a federal paycheck are feeling the squeeze.

Industries, consumers and business owners around the country are feeling the impact from losing government services — all as a result of the standoff between Democrats and President Donald Trump over funding for a southern border wall.


A report from Democrats on the Senate Appropriations Committee, which was released ahead of the partial shutdown, said 9 out of 15 federal departments and “dozens” of U.S. agencies would close. As funding runs out, more agencies are closing. The shutdown is in its 14th day.

Here are five industries that are being affected by the stalemate in Washington.

Agriculture

With some functions of the U.S. Department of Agriculture suspended, the fast-moving agriculture industry has gone without some data and services it relies on.

The USDA announced Friday that it would not release several key reports including the monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates.

“Due to the government shutdown, farmers and ranchers have limited market information that can be used for these price discovery and risk management operations of their business,” Mace Thornton, spokesman for the American Farm Bureau Federation, said via email. “Farmers and ranchers rely on government reports from USDA as they manage their businesses on a day-to-day basis.”

Thornton said the closure of local Farm Service Agency offices has posed problems for farmers because they can’t apply for new loans or receive payments for relief from U.S.-China trade tensions.

Telecom

On Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission suspended “most operations” due to a lapse in funding, according to a public notice. While many systems remained online, consumer complaint services are unavailable until the shutdown ends.

In the notice, the FCC said it would suspend its “180-day time clock” for reviewing transactions including mergers, which includes the on-again, off-again Sprint-T-mobile deal currently under review.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai canceled his trip to the Consumer Electronics Show, which starts Tuesday, because of the shutdown, a representative for the event said.

Small businesses

The Small Business Administration, an agency that gives entrepreneurs loans, stopped issuing new loan approvals on Dec. 21.

Tony Wilkinson, CEO of the National Association of Government Guaranteed Lenders, said the halt on loans slows economic growth and prevents small-business owners from expanding.

“The longer (the shutdown) goes, the harder it is for some of them,” he said. “It ends up costing jobs.”

The small benefit of the shutdown, he said, is its timing — the holiday period is usually the slowest time of year for NAGGL.

“I expect on Monday, we’ll start having our phones ring a lot as applicants are not able to get their loans approved,” he said.

Tourism at parks and museums

Some national parks have closed to visitors, while others have stayed open with minimal staffing and help from volunteers to contain overflowing trash bins and toilets.

Joshua Tree National Park in California closed Wednesday due to health and safety corners as toilets reached capacity, according to a National Park Service news release.

“I want to extend a sincere thanks to local businesses, volunteer groups, and tribal members who have done their best to assist in picking up litter and helping maintain campgrounds,” Joshua Tree’s superintendent, David Smith, said in the release.

The Smithsonian Institution said it kept its 19 museums and the National Zoo temporarily open during the partial shutdown by using “prior-year funds.” On Wednesday, however, the Smithsonian announced it would close.

In Philadelphia, the Liberty Bell Center and other historical sites have been closed since Dec. 22.

Housing

The suspension of many Department of Housing and Urban Development enforcement activities is hurting poor families, according to a report from NBC News.

Mandatory health and safety inspections for housing for low-income families, the elderly and people with disabilities has been suspended, according to the department’s contingency plan. Officials told NBC News they don’t know how long rental assistance payments will continue.

About 95 percent of the department’s 7,500 employees were furloughed without pay. Some employees are exempt to provide emergency services and housing for the homeless and people with AIDS and pay out grant and disaster recovery funds, according to the contingency plan.

=====================================================


Meanwhile, as promised, the Democrat led House passed bills to reopen government without wall money. The stopgap spending bill for the Department of Homeland Security that did not allocate any new wall funding, the bill passed 239 –192, with five Republicans joining Democrats.

Now, the ball is in Trump and Republicans court.

More bad news for Trump, Republican Senators Susan Collins and Cory Gardner broke with fellow Republicans by calling on Trump to sign a spending bill and end the ongoing shutdown without securing funding for border wall.

 

[RabzonKhan]

Weird Trump

 

[RabzonKhan]

In the latest poll, once again, majority of Americans blame Trump for the shutdown. Clearly, Americans are not buying Trump’s lies, lies and lies. Source

According to a Reuters/IPSOS poll, which ran from Jan. 1 to 7, found that 51% of adults believe Trump deserves most of the blame for the shutdown. That is up 4% from a similar poll that ran from December 21-25.

Another 32% blame Democrats for the shutdown and 7% blame Republicans, those percentages are mostly unchanged from the previous poll.

When you combine all the numbers together, almost 58% blame Trump and Republicans. The poll also found that 41% supports building additional border fencing and only 35% support a spending bill that includes funding for the wall.

But most importantly, only 25% support Trump’s decision to keep the government closed until Congress approves funding for the wall.

Republicans wake up and smell the coffee, Trump is taking your party into the gutter.

 

[Desert Fox]

Lol I have never seen a creepier duo on TV than Nancy and Chuck.

Gotta give it to the Dems, they sure know how to pull off a major creeper and talk down to the average American in a demeaning manner. No wonder they are adamant on importing millions of illegal third worlders who will do their bidding for a few 'gibs' here and there, because Dems know that the average American is waking up to their hypocrisy.

Trump delivered an amazing address to the American people, highlighting the recent murders and other violent crimes committed by illegals. Crimes that Democrat politicians like Nancy and Chuck can afford to ignore as they live in their wealthy, majority White gated communities, in the comfort of their four WALLS and a roof.

Meanwhile they expect the average American to welter in crime, joblessness and a drug epidemic.

@Nilgiri @Hamartia Antidote @LeGenD @Psychic @Metanoia @OsmanAli98

 

[RabzonKhan]

Watch the president's immigration address? Here's a fact-check.

By Calvin Woodward and Colleen Long Associated Press

In his prime-time speech to the nation, President Donald Trump wrongly accused Democrats of refusing to pay for border security and ignored the reality of how illicit drugs come into the country as he pitched his wall as a solution to trafficking.

A look at his Oval Office remarks Tuesday night:

Drugs

Trump: "Our southern border is a pipeline for vast quantities of illegal drugs, including meth, heroin, cocaine and fentanyl. Every week, 300 of our citizens are killed by heroin alone, 90 percent of which floods across from our southern border."

The Facts: A wall can't do much about that when drug trafficking is concentrated at land ports of entry, not remote stretches of the border.

The Drug Enforcement Administration says "only a small percentage" of heroin seized by U.S. authorities comes across on territory between ports of entry. The same is true of drugs generally.

In a 2018 report, the agency said the most common trafficking technique by transnational criminal organizations is to hide drugs in passenger vehicles or tractor-trailers as they drive into the U.S. though entry ports, where they are stopped and subject to inspection. They also employ buses, cargo trains and tunnels, the report says, citing other smuggling methods that also would not be choked off by a border wall.

Trump recently denied that traffickers use entry ports at the southern border, contradicting the evidence and assertions of his drug enforcement personnel.

Trump stretched credulity even more by comparing the wall money he wants from Congress to the cost of the entire drug problem in the U.S.: "The border wall would very quickly pay for itself. The cost of illegal drugs exceeds $500 billion a year, vastly more than the $5.7 billion we have requested from Congress."

Wall money

Trump: "Democrats will not fund border security."

The facts: That's not true. They just won't fund it the way he wants. They have refused his demand for $5.7 billion to build part of a steel wall across the U.S.-Mexico border

Democrats passed legislation the day they took control of the House that offered $1.3 billion for border security, including physical barriers and technology along the U.S. southern border.

Senate Democrats have approved similar funding year after year.

Democrats have also supported broader fence-building as part of deals that also had a path to legal status for millions of immigrants living in the country illegally.

In 2013, Senate Democrats voted for a failed immigration bill that provided roughly $46 billion for a number of border security measures — including new fencing — but that legislation would have created a pathway to citizenship for some of the estimated 11 million immigrants living in the U.S. illegally.

The 2013 Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act had money to double the number of miles of fencing, to 700 miles, as well as for more border patrol agents. It also had a mandatory employment verification system to ensure all U.S. employees are authorized to work in the country. In exchange, however, the bill allowed immigrants living in the country illegally to apply for a provisional legal status if they paid a $500 fine and had no felony convictions.

As well many Democrats voted for the Secure Fence Act of 2006, which has resulted in the construction of about 650 miles of border barrier. But that legislation didn't authorize the kind of wall Trump has long been advocating since he launched his campaign.

Violence

Trump: "Over the years thousands of Americans have been brutally killed by those who illegally entered our country and thousands more lives will be lost if we don't act right now."

The facts: His statement that people in the country illegally are a special menace to public safety is at odds with plentiful research.

Multiple studies from social scientists and the libertarian think tank Cato Institute have found that people here illegally are less likely to commit crime than U.S. citizens, and legal immigrants are even less likely to do so.

A March study by the journal Criminology found "undocumented immigration does not increase violence."

The study, which looked at the years 1990 through 2014, said states with bigger shares of such people have lower crime rates.

As well, a study in 2017 by Robert Adelman, a sociology professor at University of Buffalo, analyzed 40 years of crime data in 200 metropolitan areas and found that immigrants helped lower crime. New York City, for example, has the nation's largest population of immigrants living in the country illegally — about 500,000 — and last year had only 289 murders among a total population of 8.5 million people, according to preliminary data. Those numbers mean a person's odds of becoming a victim of a homicide in tightly packed, diverse New York City were about the same as they were in Wyoming, Montana and South Dakota.

Those numbers mean a person's odds of becoming a victim of homicide in tightly packed, diverse New York City were about the same as they were last year in Montana.

And Ruben Rumbaut, a University of California, Irvine sociology professor, co-authored a recent study that noted crime rates fell sharply from 1990 to 2015 at a time when illegal immigration spiked.

Is it a 'crisis'?

Trump: "Tonight I am speaking to you because there is a growing humanitarian and security crisis at our southern border."

The facts: Few would argue that a humanitarian crisis is unfolding, as the demand for entry by migrants and the Trump administration's hardline response to them are overwhelming border resources, further backlogging the asylum system and forcing migrants to live in abysmal conditions on the Mexican side of the border. Two sick children recently died in the administration's custody after making the journey to the U.S.

The debate is much sharper over whether a national security crisis exists at the border. Whether he is right or wrong, Trump has exaggerated the problem by repeatedly promoting the discredited notion that terrorism suspects are pouring into the U.S. from Mexico by the thousands.

While the number of families coming over the border has risen sharply, the number of border arrests — the leading gauge of how many people are trying to cross illegally — is actually one-quarter of what it was in 2000, dropping from 1.6 million then to 400,000 in 2018. Also noteworthy: The contingent of active-duty U.S. troops at the border has been more than halved, dropping from a peak in the fall of about 5,900 to about 2,350 last week.

That new trade deal

Trump: "The wall will also be paid for indirectly by the great new trade deal we have made with Mexico."

The facts: Mexico is not paying for the wall despite what Trump promised during the 2016 campaign, and nothing in the trade agreement would cover or refund the construction cost.

Trump is assuming a wide variety of economic benefits will come from the agreement, but they can't be quantified or counted on. For example, he has said the deal will dissuade some U.S. companies from moving operations to Mexico and he credits that possibility as a payment by Mexico for his wall.

The deal updates the North American Free Trade Agreement, in the main preserving NAFTA's liberalized environment of low or no tariffs among the U.S., Mexico and Canada, while making certain improvements for each country. Trump stated inaccurately that it's "brand new. It's totally different."

Moreover, it's not in effect. The deal has yet to be ratified in any member country and its chances of winning legislative approval are not assured.

Do walls work?

Trump: "This barrier is absolutely critical to border security."

The facts: The evidence is inconclusive as to whether walls are "absolutely critical" or actually work in deterring illegal crossings.

Congress' main watchdog reported in 2017 that the government does not have a way to measure how well barriers work to deter immigrants crossing illegally from Mexico. Despite $2.3 billion spent by the government on such construction from 2007 to 2015, the Government Accountability Office found that authorities "cannot measure the contribution of fencing to border security operations along the southwest border because it has not developed metrics for this assessment."

Few people dispute that fences contributed to a sharp drop in crossings in cities like San Diego and El Paso, Texas, where people can easily blend in once they enter the country. Before fences were built in San Diego, crossers played soccer on U.S. soil as vendors hawked tamales, waiting until night fell to overwhelm agents. However, those barriers also pushed people into more remote and less-patrolled areas like in Arizona, where thousands of migrants have perished in extreme heat.

When barriers were built in the Border Patrol's Yuma, Arizona, sector in the mid-2000s, arrests for illegal crossings plummeted 94 percent in three years to 8,363 from 138,438. When barriers were built in San Diego in the 1990s and early 2000s, arrests fell 80 percent over seven years from 524,231 in 1995 to 100,681 in 2002. But both areas also saw sharp increases in Border Patrol staffing during that time, making it difficult to pinpoint why illegal crossings fell so dramatically.

Immigrant costs v. benefits

Trump: "America proudly welcomes millions of lawful immigrants who enrich our society and contribute to our nation but all Americans are hurt by uncontrolled illegal migration. It strains public resources and drives down jobs and wages."

The facts: The U.S. is not experiencing "uncontrolled" illegal immigration. The debate is over whether the controls are strong enough.

As for the costs, a major academic study in 2016 by the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine found the job impacts of immigration, when measured over at least 10 years, are very small. It found immigration — legal and illegal — is an overall benefit to long-term economic growth.

Some evidence suggests that skilled immigrants boost wages. Native-born Americans without a high-school degree are most likely to suffer.

The academy study said estimating fiscal impacts of immigration is complex. Young and old immigrants tend to drain government resources while working-age immigrants contribute.

Associated Press writers Jill Colvin and Hope Yen in Washington, Amanda Seitz in Chicago, Barbara Whitaker in New York and Elliot Spagat in San Diego contributed to this report.

 

[Nilgiri]

Lol I have never seen a creepier duo on TV than Nancy and Chuck.

Gotta give it to the Dems, they sure know how to pull off a major creeper and talk down to the average American in a demeaning manner. No wonder they are adamant on importing millions of illegal third worlders who will do their bidding for a few 'gibs' here and there, because Dems know that the average American is waking up to their hypocrisy.

View attachment 531740​

Trump delivered an amazing address to the American people, highlighting the recent murders and other violent crimes committed by illegals. Crimes that Democrat politicians like Nancy and Chuck can afford to ignore as they live in their wealthy, majority White gated communities, in the comfort of their four WALLS and a roof.

Meanwhile they expect the average American to welter in crime, joblessness and a drug epidemic.

@Nilgiri @Hamartia Antidote @LeGenD @Psychic @Metanoia @OsmanAli98

The funniest part is they released it just a cpl minutes after the Trump border speech. They had it pre-recorded and pre-scripted and openly brazenly admitted to it by doing so (that they didn't even want to actually watch and digest what Trump said). They have basically admitted that Trump is correct all along about their attitude, nothing he says can convince them away from their position, no matter the merit of the issue....simply because he is Trump.

I mean at least give a good 15 minute or so delay to make it look like you watched what you are supposed to be responding to lol. What a bunch of idiots these dems are.

 

[VCheng]

The funniest part is they released it just a cpl minutes after the Trump border speech. They had it pre-recorded and pre-scripted and openly brazenly admitted to it by doing so (that they didn't even want to actually watch and digest what Trump said). They have basically admitted that Trump is correct all along about their attitude, nothing he says can convince them away from their position, no matter the merit of the issue....simply because he is Trump.

I mean at least give a good 15 minute or so delay to make it look like you watched what you are supposed to be responding to lol. What a bunch of idiots these dems are.

This is only the beginning. It is going to be a long and tedious two years.

 

[Nilgiri]

 

[RabzonKhan]

A new poll by CBS news/YOUGOV conducted Jan 9 –11, 2019, once again shows the American people are not buying Trump’s lies and exaggerations.

Among all Americans, the president does draw relatively more of the blame for the shutdown in the first place: 47 percent blame the president and 30 percent blame the Democrats. Twenty percent blame the two, along with congressional Republicans, all equally. Independents are more apt to blame the president:

Two-thirds of Americans -- 67 percent -- oppose the idea of President Trump declaring a national emergency to pay for a wall if Congress doesn't fund one:

Republicans echo the president's language and describe what's happening on the border as a crisis. Democrats – and Americans overall – describe it as a problem, but not a crisis:

Source

==================================

Cartoons Of The Week

 

[Nilgiri]

The Silly Arguments Against a Border Wall

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-silly-arguments-against-a-border-wall-11547165119

This week saw the culmination of the great wall debate. President Trump made his case—one I generally agree with—and explained what an extra $5.7 billion (approximately 0.1% of the budget) would do for the security of our southern border. Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi immediately dismissed it. It is honestly surprising how quickly and thoroughly Democrats adopted the notion that a wall of any kind is such an obviously stupid and immoral idea. Well, is it? Let’s lay out the claims one by one:


• They’ll just climb over it, dig under it or break through it. Just like that huh? I spent 10 years as a Navy SEAL, and people often say, “Dan, you know better than anyone how ineffective a wall is.” Actually, I know how effective walls are, even against skilled SEALs. Planning to scale a 30-foot steel slatted barrier is a daunting challenge. Do you bring an enormous ladder all the way there? How do you get down from the top? Jump? Rappel? This isn’t a Tough Mudder course. A few skilled and well-equipped people may figure it out, but the reality is that most will be deterred.

The same goes for “digging” or “breaking.” Tunneling would require special equipment and hundreds of hours to dig under the barrier, the base of which would penetrate many feet underground. To break through it, you’d need specialized circular saws, torches or explosives. Typical equipment for a special-ops team, but not exactly on the packing list for a migrant. And Border Patrol agents would easily detect such a ruckus.

This isn’t to argue that a wall is completely impenetrable given the right equipment, but to state the obvious: A barrier is far preferable to an open space, where migrants can simply walk across.

• They’ll just go around it. Exactly—that’s the point. A deterrent at the busiest sections of the border would allow more effective allocation of manpower. If a mile of the border is walled off, that’s one less mile the Border Patrol needs to worry about. Agents can still respond to the location if a special-ops caravan shows up with a blowtorch, but otherwise they can focus on open areas where it is simply not viable to build a barrier.

• You can’t put a wall on the Rio Grande. Fair enough—there are places where a physical barrier can’t work, such as private land along the river in Texas. You can’t build a wall everywhere—but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t build one anywhere.

This whole debate is a classic case of one side attacking the other’s worst arguments instead of seriously addressing the actual proposal. Democrats need to stop assuming we are talking about a contiguous 2,000-mile wall. Republicans know that’s not practical. The budget’s small allocation of $5.7 billion that President Trump has requested would build 234 miles of wall. It’s a start.

We know that border security is a multifaceted problem, that security at unwalled segments can be enhanced by drones, sensors and additional patrols, and that the Rio Grande requires a different approach. Let’s start looking for a multifaceted solution instead of automatically dismissing the critical role that physical barriers play.

Do Democrats agree that it’s a problem when hundreds of thousands of people illegally cross our border each year or not? If we all still agree on the sanctity of our country’s borders and rule of law—and I have faith that most of us do—then we should be looking for solutions. My fear is that Democrats have staked out a position so extreme that any common-sense compromise involving a physical barrier will constitute a serious political loss for them. It doesn’t have to. The president’s proposal—a mix of physical barriers, technology and more Border Patrol agents—is one that benefits everyone.

Mr. Crenshaw, a Republican, represents Texas’ Second Congressional District.

@VCheng @Desert Fox @Hamartia Antidote @KAL-EL @jhungary

 

[VCheng]

This week saw the culmination of the great wall debate. President Trump made his case—one I generally agree with—and explained what an extra $5.7 billion (approximately 0.1% of the budget) would do for the security of our southern border. Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi immediately dismissed it. It is honestly surprising how quickly and thoroughly Democrats adopted the notion that a wall of any kind is such an obviously stupid and immoral idea.

How do you think the present stalemate will end in DC?