Fences

So the big plan to win votes this fall is to authorise spending a billion building a fence.

What a novel idea.

What troubles me is the lack of ingenuity in this bill. We are going to move heaven and earth, well, earth at least, to build this linear, concrete monolith that will run like a snake between Mexico and the US. Um... China draws millions each year to see it's very own monumental monolithic wall... theirs has class.

So let's spend some money on the design. Lets make this thing uniquely American. Let's make it people friendly for people on the move, with information booths, McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Subway, Fridays, Starbucks, and maybe even mini-Walmarts built right in. We could have bike and hiking trails on top, or how about rides? Imagine a Disney ride that went the length of the border?

If this is not acceptable, perhaps we can go the other way entirely, rethink sending all our nuke waste to Nevada, and instead use it as contruction material. Who would wish to go anywhere near the border if the thing glows in the dark?

And who will actually build it? If we hire Bechtel, given the Boston Big Dig, we know the thing will leak, even if the area is normally quite arid. If we hire Halliburton, we know the price will be ten times estimate. Of course, they tend to get no bid contracts... so this would have to be no bid.

I'd imagine, given who has authorised this construction, there will be no wage protections... so we'll need to bring lots of folk across the border to build the wall that will keep them out.

I know my opinion stands amongst the minority in America, but... we surely have failed if we have to make our nation into some sort of walled in enclave. Yup, we've failed. And no, the blame does not solely rest with us, plenty of other places around the world have failed as well. We've all failed to help those in need. We've failed to look after each other. Failed to work together for a common good.

Yeah, there are bad guys out there. Always has been. I don't recall a wall being built prior to WWI or WWII. And prior to that, we were too busy taking land from Native Americans and Mexico walls would have to have been on wheels and expandable.

Has anyone heard suggestions from our would be wall building legislators on perhaps inacting measures that improve the human condition, perhaps then mitigating the need for walls? I don't recall mention of such discussion.