No fence? No way!
One of the major Republican candidates has weighed in on illegal immigration and the border. He said no to a border fence. Who says no to a border fence?
Rick Perry.
Perry was campaigning in New Hampshire when a voter asked him about the issue of a border fence. Perry, who many critics have said favors amnesty and is soft on illegal immigration, said he opposed the border fence. He said, “If you build a thirty foot fence, the 35 foot ladder business gets real good.”
What?
If you enforce the criminal laws, the criminal defense lawyer business gets real good too. Does that mean we should not enforce our criminal laws?
That is one of the most ridiculous things a major candidate has said in a while.
We have fourteen million unemployed Americans and between ten and twenty million illegals. Not all of the illegals are working but a lot of them are. If we build a fence and slow down the flow of illegals, it might well help Americans keep their jobs.
Slowing the flow of illegals will also help the Border States. These states are overwhelmed with the costs the federal government imposes on the states. States are required to provide medical care for illegals. They are required to provide public school education for the children of illegals. Illegals are incarcerated for violating laws and the states and counties are required to foot the bill for them.
Perry has not been strong on illegal immigration. He helped get illegals in state tuition at Texas colleges and the Texas Tea Party groups have expressed their disappointment because Perry refused to help get a law passed that would make it illegal for Texas cities to declare themselves “sanctuary cities” and refuse to cooperate with Federal Immigration authorities.
Illegal immigration is a huge issue for the Tea Party. Many in the GOP believe they have to pander on this issue otherwise they will never get the Hispanic vote.
That is non-sense.
The border is not a Hispanic issue; it is a national security issue. A nation that does not control its borders ceases to exist. It simply is beyond belief that groups like Al-Qaeda have not smuggled terrorists through our southern border and probably smuggled weapons. We can only hope they have not smuggled a weapon of mass destruction through the border already.
Rick Perry has been a breakthrough candidate for the GOP. He announced and immediately he shot to the top. But there are a lot of issues that need to be addressed. Illegal immigration is one of them.
Even Mitt Romney has come out stronger in opposition to illegal immigration.
Many people like Perry. He is very charismatic and offers some down home Texas solutions. But illegal immigration is a huge issue for conservatives and Perry’s softness on this topic could be his undoing.
He has some explaining to do.
Permalink Reply by Nancy Oliver on Yup Ray...we are all illiterate down Texas way to hear the left spin on it...Sorry...my iphone...I addressed entirely you, Ray...I have a hard time seeing all in that little screen too...It was not you, Ray; complaining about the typos...that is addressed to Abraham Zion...I have this to say...if we are illiterate down here...then why are we more informed and doing better than any other state...and if we have such a massive illegal problem...then why aren't we broke like Cali...we still have what...6.5 Billion in our rainy day funds...but oh my...we simply keep the border open and welcome all! How rediculous...it makes no sense all those that don't live in the real, common sense and logical world.
Permalink Reply by Robert Inabinette on We have 20.000 troops guarding S. Korea's 360 mile border for 50 years while ours is wide open. Put these troops and others from the Middle East on our border. It will boost our economy while securing our borders. If we took away the "magnet" of welfare, free medical care and schooling, birthrights to anchor babies, jobs and other free services they wouldn't have a reason to come here. Many of those here would "self deport."
Bobeye
Permalink Reply by Carol Hill on Permalink Reply by Nancy Oliver on 
Permalink Reply by Ranchman on 
Permalink Reply by Mary Watson on Robert, I agree 100%
Get rid of the magnet!!!!!!!!!!
Permalink Reply by Clarence E. DeBarrows on Ray: Your cavalier disregard for proper spelling and sentence structure is indicative of the reasoning that goes in to your comments regarding Perry and his chameleon like stance on the illegal immigration problem and securing the border. Your reasoning is specious in the extreme when you comment on how difficult it would be to fence the WHOLE border from Big Bend westward. I've done that route by car and on foot and I can tell you from experience that it would be one heck of a lot easier, less expensive and more beneficial to the security of our Nation, to secure our WHOLE border rather than try to secure the borders of just about every country in the middle east and Korea as our politicians are doing now. Show me those "strategic areas" along the border in his State that Perry has actually fenced. Give me a break, your "ladders to go over it and tunnels to dig under it" analogy is the type of ridiculous rhetoric which justifies eliminating just about any law which inhibits criminal activity.
Semper Fi,
Clarence
Permalink Reply by Nancy Oliver on 
Permalink Reply by Vern Shotwell on Clarence, Perhaps it would be better to dwell less on the spelling and sentence structure of others. That might free up some time for logical thought!
A continuous fence along the U.S. side of the border would effectively cede the Rio Grande and border lakes in entirety to Mexico, while doing nothing to prevent going over, under or through said fence.
Of course, the integrity of the fence and environs could be maintained with a large number of fence inspectors and maintenance personnel.
Sounds great to me! Cede land and water rights, while adding fence inspectors rather than border patrol. That's real progress!
Permalink Reply by Dominic Norton on Permalink Reply by Richard Wiggins on Permalink Reply by Nancy Oliver on © 2013 Created by Judson Phillips.
