How do we block people from tunneling under our new wall?

[Puffnstuff]

Good thing it's not a military problem. Also, the Chinese and Romans would like a word with you about walls not being effective defenses

The great wall of China is living proof that they work.

 

[K1052]

Oh, I'm sure they will find ways around whatever mechanisms are put in place, just like a thief can find a way around any kind of security you have on your house. That doesn't mean you don't implement it and make it a heck of a lot harder. Just making it that much harder will put a tremendous squeeze on the totals.

I'm not sure why people keep using this analogy, it's a terrible one. Taxing or stopping money from going to Mexico will be somewhere between super hard or impossible. Creating yet another black market sure seems like a good idea.

lol, yes, head for your bunkers, doom and gloom! Last I saw, Mexico has a trade surplus of $60 billion per year in trading with the US. Mexico exports about $300 billion worth of goods to the US each year. You seriously think Mexico can afford to get into a trade war with the country with which it has a $60 billion trade surplus and that buys $300 billion worth of mexican goods each year? Really?

No matter what the politicians and talking heads say, I suspect the Mexicans have some pretty strong incentives just like we do to keep things going. Talk of trade war is baloney. The US has a lot at stake as well, but to call what's at stake for both parties equal is just delusional. The US has a lot of leverage, but it needs to decide how far it wants to push to use it.

Nieto's approval is at 12% last I looked thanks in no small part to his handling of Trump. Mexico's economy has already been hurt by Trump but people there don't seem to be rolling over, quite the contrary. If his government collapses he'll be replaced with some left wing anti-American who will probably call Trump on his threat or worse. It's possible to overplay your hand and our illustrious president seems to be doing just that.

 

[imported_tajmahal]

Good luck enforcing without the data and other support the feds provide; enjoy setting up your own state and city level collection programs.

All you would have to do is convince fskholspy that 67% of Mexican immigrants crossing the wall were going to vote Republican and he'd come up with half a dozen humane ways that they could be prevented from entering the U.S.

 

[glenn1]

All you would have to do is convince fskholspy that 67% of Mexican immigrants crossing the wall were going to vote Republican and he'd come up with half a dozen humane ways that they could be prevented from entering the U.S.

He's actually the worst kind of person and citizen - someone who holds that a law is immoral and shouldn't be enforced but doesn't make any move to repeal the law. If he came out as open border I could least respect him since that's an honorable position to take, his current position of keeping the law but not enforcing it is abhorrent. There is really no middle ground on this and purposely leaving illegals in permanent jeopardy is a load of crap. Either legalize them all or deport them all I don't care, don't force them to stay in the shadows so big city folks can have their illegal nannies and red state farmers have slave labor to pick their crops. The current status quo is the worst possible position you could take and you should be ashamed if you vote this way.

 

[brandonbull]

The better question is: who is going to finance it?

Isn't this really just a reinstatement of Secure Fence Act of 2006?

 

[K1052]

Isn't this really just a reinstatement of Secure Fence Act of 2006?

I haven't seen an assessment of what funds under that could be allocated but Ryan/McConnell were just on tv and said that it would require 12-15B. Ryan previously mentioned that a special funding vehicle would be needed.

 

[greatnoob]

Isn't this really just a reinstatement of Secure Fence Act of 2006?

No it isn't and that doesn't answer my question: who is going to pay for the wall?

 

[Humpy]

The great wall of China is living proof that they work.

LOL Really?

The existence of a wall is proof of the effectiveness of walls?

 

[feralkid]

Sure, whatever you say. Since you're taking that position then surely you'll be fine when Trump's administration now longer "chooses to devote resources" to help enforce state laws. Like civil rights, voting rights, equal housing, etc. I like this plan already.

"We're not refusing to comply with state law, we're just not helping you enforce them."

You should check out the Constitution one of these years; you probably won't learn much, though.

 

[Sheik Yerbouti]

LOL Really?

The existence of a wall is proof of the effectiveness of walls?

well yea, it was totally effective to the tech of the day, that is, 476BC, has tech increased since then? Hmm.....
And are we going to gun down those who try to climb over, dig under, sail/fly over the wall? Just, like, shoot them, kill them?
It really worked for east berlin.

 

[Capt Caveman]

All you would have to do is convince fskholspy that 67% of Mexican immigrants crossing the wall were going to vote Republican and he'd come up with half a dozen humane ways that they could be prevented from entering the U.S.

They can't vote idiot.

 

[PokerGuy]

I'm not sure why people keep using this analogy, it's a terrible one. Taxing or stopping money from going to Mexico will be somewhere between super hard or impossible. Creating yet another black market sure seems like a good idea.

Super hard or impossible? Really? We do it already with lots of countries. You make regulations that govern financial transactions with a country. Apparently you aren't familiar with AML and OFAC type restrictions and regulations? Sure there are going to be lots of ways around it, but that's irrelevant. It will have a major impact, so it creates leverage.

Nieto's approval is at 12% last I looked thanks in no small part to his handling of Trump. Mexico's economy has already been hurt by Trump but people there don't seem to be rolling over, quite the contrary. If his government collapses he'll be replaced with some left wing anti-American who will probably call Trump on his threat or worse. It's possible to overplay your hand and our illustrious president seems to be doing just that.

Nieto is as good as gone, but that doesn't matter. You're making a LOT of assumptions about what will and won't happen with their politics and what they will do. The bottom line is that the impact of a trade war would be waaaaaaay more severe for Mexico than it would be for the US. It would also create even more problems with illegals for us (as well as losing trade benefits, jobs etc). So both sides have an incentive to figure it out, but we have more options and leverage.

 

[K1052]

Super hard or impossible? Really? We do it already with lots of countries. You make regulations that govern financial transactions with a country. Apparently you aren't familiar with AML and OFAC type restrictions and regulations? Sure there are going to be lots of ways around it, but that's irrelevant. It will have a major impact, so it creates leverage.

Good luck getting other countries to abide by them.

Nieto is as good as gone, but that doesn't matter. You're making a LOT of assumptions about what will and won't happen with their politics and what they will do. The bottom line is that the impact of a trade war would be waaaaaaay more severe for Mexico than it would be for the US. It would also create even more problems with illegals for us (as well as losing trade benefits, jobs etc). So both sides have an incentive to figure it out, but we have more options and leverage.

Yes I'm sure some pro-Trump lackey who bends over for him is going to become president after he throughly embarrasses Nieto and pisses off most of Mexico. I'm not sure what world you're living in but please come join the rest of us.

 

[Humpy]

well yea, it was totally effective to the tech of the day, that is, 476BC, has tech increased since then? Hmm.....
And are we going to gun down those who try to climb over, dig under, sail/fly over the wall? Just, like, shoot them, kill them?
It really worked for east berlin.

That is the strategic benefit of a wall, to slow people down for long enough that you can more easily shoot them.

The Great Wall was in large part a display of power (hmmm...) but had little effect when invaders simply went around it or had some of their homies open the gates.

 

[sdifox]

The great wall of China is living proof that they work.

... You rally have no clue do you?

 

[FelixDeCat]

The great wall of China is living proof that they work.

They went wrong by not asking the Mongols to pay for it.

 

[K1052]

AP reporting that Nieto has canceled his trip to DC.

 

[sdifox]

well yea, it was totally effective to the tech of the day, that is, 476BC, has tech increased since then? Hmm.....
And are we going to gun down those who try to climb over, dig under, sail/fly over the wall? Just, like, shoot them, kill them?
It really worked for east berlin.

actually the Great Wall of China was pretty useless.

 

[FelixDeCat]

actually the Great Wall of China was pretty useless.

Yeah no. It did more for Chinese tourism than anything else. Perhaps we can build some attractions on The Wall to make foreign tourists help pay for it.

We can sell T Shirts and MAGA caps at The Wall.

 

[IronWing]

AP reporting that Nieto has canceled his trip to DC.

One less Mexican in America! The wall is already working.

 

[IronWing]

Yeah no. It did more for Chinese tourism than anything else. Perhaps we can build some attractions on The Wall to make foreign tourists.

Future archaeologist: "As best we can determine, they built the massive 2000 mile long wall to attract foreigners."

 

[K1052]

One less Mexican in America! The wall is already working.

Just the one he actually needs something from so far. These negotiating skills of his are paying off bigly.

 

[imported_tajmahal]

They can't vote idiot.

Why not? It isn't as if they give a rats ass about our laws.

 

[Grooveriding]

This should have been a clear sort of outcome with Trump. An insecure, sensitive and immature manchild will not be capable of diplomacy. He thinks if he swaggers his fat ass around in his lopsided suits and sends out threatening tweets that others will just capitulate.

He has no sense of dealing with other people and allowing them to negotiate and find compromise with a measure of respect afforded to both parties. The man is an unintelligent buffoon.

Good luck for Trump when he's in a trade war with multiple nations. Unedumacated Joe hoping for that upgrade from stocking shelves at the Piggly Wiggly to installing widgets at the reopened calculator plant is going to enjoy those higher prices on near everything.

 

[imported_tajmahal]

Peso tumbles after Nieto backs out.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-immigration-idUSKBN1591HP