Call for border fence exposes lack of knowledge

Beaumont Enterprise ^ | October 18, 2011 | staff

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Minnesota Congresswomen and presidential candidate Michele Bachmann has become the latest politician to call for an impenetrable fence along the entire length of the border with Mexico. "President Obama has failed the American people by failing to secure the southern border," said Bachmann. "I will secure that border and that will be Job One."

Statements like that may get some attention, but they are not practical. Don't take our word for it; take Rick Perry's.

The Texas governor has been called a lot of things, but he's hardly a mushy liberal. Yet even this tough Texan sneers at calls for a Berlin Wall-style border fence spanning hundreds of miles from Brownsville to El Paso.

Two reasons: We can't afford it, and we don't need it.

The cost of a barrier like that would be staggering, certainly in the billions. Bachmann and others are silent about how they would pay for it.

Moreover, it is unnecessary. The Texas-Mexico border includes many miles of desert that are either lightly populated or devoid of any human presence. Illegal immigrants don't cross there. They make their moves along urban corridors.

Perry knows this because he is the governor of Texas. He knows the issue is more nuanced - like his support for in-state tuition for children of illegal immigrants.

Secure the border? Absolutely - but in an intelligent way that puts our resources where they will have the most impact.

Voters should be wary of sound bites from candidates that fire up special-interest groups but lack logic. The next president will need real ideas, not gimmicks, to solve the challenges facing this nation.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Cain apologizes for comments on border fence "It was a joke," Cain said emphatically. "I apologize if I offended anyone. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea culpa."

Rick Perry apologizes for ‘heartless’ comment on immigration question Rick Perry said Wednesday that he was sorry for saying at last week's Republican debate that those opposed to providing an in-state tuition break to the children of illegal immigrants “did not have a heart.”

“I was probably a bit over-passionate by using that word and it was inappropriate,” Perry said in a interview with Newsmax. “In Texas in 2001 we had 181 members of the legislature — only four voted against this piece of legislation — because it wasn’t about immigration it was about education.”

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Oct 6, 2011 Interviewing Rick Perry On Illegal Immigration [10 Points]

[snip]

"I have long been a proponent of strategic fencing because it is a critical component of border security, and it works when used in the right places.

I think what caused the hang up was that after it was passed, it was amended to give Homeland Security complete discretion on how, when and whether the fence ever gets built. Obviously with this president, that means it will never be completed.

If I’m elected, I will direct my Secretary of Homeland Security to expedite construction of strategic fencing along the border, especially in high traffic areas where manpower alone is insufficient to do the job.

But it’s important to remember that fencing is only one component of an overall border security strategy. A fence is only as secure as it is manned.

That’s why I would increase manpower on the border, starting with thousands of National Guard and border patrol agents, and I’d also make greater use of unmanned aerial vehicles to help gather real-time law enforcement intelligence.

We know for a fact that increased manpower is effective, because we’ve proved it in Texas with our $400 million border security effort."

[snip]

The federal DREAM Act is an amnesty bill, and I strongly oppose amnesty. The Texas educational residency bill was vastly different.

Because the federal government has failed in its basic duty to protect our borders, states are forced to deal with illegal immigrant issues.

In Texas, we had to deal with the children of illegal immigrants residing in our state and attending our schools, as the federal government requires states to educate these children through the public school system. Lawmakers in Texas – indisputably one of the most conservative states in America – were virtually unanimous in their decision.

The Legislature determined the payment of in-state college tuition is available to all students who have lived in Texas for at least three years and graduated from a public high school. If you meet those requirements, you pay in-state tuition, whether you relocated from Oklahoma, Idaho, Canada or Mexico. The only difference is that Texas residents who aren’t documented must be on the path to pursue U.S. citizenship to be allowed to pay in-state tuition.

There were a number of reasons the bill received widespread support among conservatives. Importantly, it has never had a cost to Texas taxpayers. In fact, our institutions of higher learning would actually lose tens of millions of dollars in lost tuition payments if the law were repealed.

And it would lower the odds that these students would receive subsidized health care or end up in prison. Protecting taxpayers was a serious concern, given that a Supreme Court decree already requires taxpayers to pay for K-12 education for undocumented students.

[snip]

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Perry attacks administration at campaign stop in Hampton, N.H......"On immigration policy, Perry said he is opposed to amnesty and will always be opposed to amnesty. "For decades we have had a federal government that has failed its constitutional duty to protect its borders," he said. "You have to ask, are we going to have a president that is going to stop the illegal activities happening on the border?"

Gov Rick Perry spoke to LaRaza about the drug cartels, shared responsibility of border security and that it is Washington's responsibility to secure the border -- that the Federal government should support the military, deliver the mail and secure the border -- and they aren't doing their job. [HE RECEIVED a lot of applause] He spoke of the money Texas spends securing the border, that it must be sealed and then we can sustain legitimate commerce...He told about protecting the sanctity of the vote and strengthening our shared values, family, faith hard work -- they are TEXAS values and we should unite as citizen's of one Nation under God and concentrate on what unites us. He told his Cuervo joke and they found it funny unlike the Liberal Latino Leaders Give Perry Lukewarm Response (or more likely they'd heard it before)

[buccaneer81]

Why is he speaking to La Raza in the first place? He should tell them to shove it.

[MadJack]

Constructing and maintaining a USA/Mexican border fence/system of fortifications/etc. could be the public works program of the 21st Century. Sounds like a win-win to me.

[2ndDivisionVet]

So the HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS saved by not paying “entitlements” (welfare, medical, food stamps, K-PhD education, etc.) to illegals wouldn’t pay for a fence many times over? You Perrywinkles slay me!!

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Perry in helicopter with Greta (TX-MX border is over 1250 miles)

2007: [excerpt] “If you show up illegally, without your card or you’re here as a criminal element, I’m for throwing the book at those folks, but the issue of people who want to legally, thoughtfully and appropriately come to America to work and help us build our economy — we should quickly come up with a program and an identification card to do that.” [end excerpt] Source

*********

"......When Obama continued to refuse even five minutes for the Governor, Perry took matters into this own hands and was standing on the tarmac at Austin’s airport when President Obama stepped off of Air Force One. Obama looked confused, Perry looked determined. Obama still ignored the pleas for help.

Perry again took matters into his own hands, and established an elite unit of Texas Rangers to bolster border security..." Source

[buccaneer81]

Yep. Electrified, guard towers every 200 yards with weapons mounts.

No, I'm not kidding.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Gov Perry's stand against amnesty tracks pretty well with Marco Rubio's comments:

November 2009: Rubio: Reagan erred in supporting 1986 amnesty for illegal immigrants“If you grant amnesty, the message that you’re sending is that if you come in this country and stay here long enough, we will let you stay. And no one will ever come through the legal process if you do that.”

Rubio said the U.S. must first get control of its borders and its visa system, which often allows people to enter legally but remain after their visas expire.

“Only after you deal with illegal immigration in a serious way — seal the border and the visa problem — can you then create a legal immigration system that works. That still leaves you with 11 million people that are here illegally,” Rubio said.

While criticizing amnesty for those illegals, he also rejected the idea of a massive “police-state” roundup. He suggested requiring tamper-proof residency and guest-worker cards and fining employers who don’t verify that their workers are legal. That, Rubio said, would bring the 11 million figure down “dramatically by attrition.”

Asked later about about Reagan’s support for amnesty, Rubio said, “I think he did it for the right reasons, but I think it ended up working the wrong way.”

Rubio’s no-amnesty stance on illegal immigrants has drawn some criticism from immigration hard-liners who say Rubio didn’t advance the issue when he was House speaker and the collapse of federal immigration reform efforts led state legislators around the U.S. to propose a variety of state-level immigration measures."......

[Meet the New Boss]

“Rick Perry is hardly a mushy liberal”

Say what? Is he talking about a different Rick Perry than the one who gets all weak-kneed and misty-eyed at the thought that some foreign citizen here illegally might not get a tuition break to attend college?

[napscoordinator]

Don’t take our word for it; take Rick Perry’s.

Oh brother....Rick Perry’s word. What liberalism will he spew today. Michele bachmann is a hero who took one for the conservative movement by ridding ourselves of the rodent named Perry. Thank You Michele!!!!! All true conservatives owe you a lot. Our country was saved by you and Santorum!!! God bless both of you!!!!

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Why is he speaking to La Raza in the first place? He should tell them to shove it.

Perhaps if you listened to the LINK I provided, you would hear he's telling them things YOU would want him to say.

[2ndDivisionVet]

"That still leaves you with 11 million people that are here illegally,” Rubio said.

I hear the Canadians build a sweet luxury bus (Mr. Obama has one!) There ya go!

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Nice opposition posting.

Got something to go with that?

[buccaneer81]

I think they’re talking about that Rick Perry guy who was all gung-ho about forcing VD vaccines on 12 year old girls.

[This Just In]

Of course we can build a wall, and it is possible and necessary.

Not much logic in “saving” by not building a wall, but he “...would increase manpower on the border...”

How much would that cost Americans? Less manpower, and an impenetrable wall, in the end, is more cost effective. No illegals running, cutting, and digging under our “fence” (thus eliminating a drain on our state and federal tax dollars and resources), and a more effective means in protecting our borders, and sovereignty.

[buccaneer81]

They need to be locked up, not spoken with.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

I heard the Canadians built the heavy duty frame — the same frame they built for McCain’s “Straight-talk Express” bus.

I was thinking the other morning — Obama said the government (us) bought two buses because the other one will be used by the GOP nominee. I suggest that Rick Perry do a HUGE de-bug sweep of that bus.

[Meet the New Boss]

Got something to go with that?

Isn't telling people who disagree with giving illegals tuition breaks that "they have no heart" the very definition of "mushy liberal"?

Liberalism is nothing if not a shallow self-righteous posture of compassion.