Comments by "wily wascal" (@wilywascal2024) on "Trump's Border Wall Has Left a Complicated Legacy" video.

  1. Supply and demand. The Mexican government is in turn working for Americans, supplying them with the illegal drugs and illegal cheap labor they crave and demand. But it's always so much easier to point the finger at others than it is to accept our own share of responsibility, is it not? BTW, the problem the last five years has involved the large influx of mostly legal asylum seekers from Central America----not illegal immigration from Mexico. The wall doesn't stop refugees from legally seeking asylum; they still have to be processed by the authorities here and determinations made whether to accept or decline their applications.
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  2. A $5 hacksaw is much easier to transport, and is just as effective on the new sections of wall. Billion of our taxpayer dollars wasted so Trump could get himself elected by pleasing the xenophobes.
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  3.  @lastonanisland1111  ~ It's part metaphor, part reality. A ladder able to reach 31' isn't 31' long. An aluminum extension ladder capable of breaching the border fence is not all that heavy, and could easily be carried through the desert on foot by a group of migrants. The ladder could be left a short distance away from the border for reuse by other migrants, or could also be prepositioned a short distance away, carried and left by vehicle. The person to which you replied is either too stupid to know of extension ladders, or is being deliberately dishonest.
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  4.  @Ew-wth  ~ Thanks for posting, saving me the trouble of debunking racist Republicans xenophobic propaganda. Studies have shown that while there are costs to illegal immigration, those costs are recouped in a number of ways. Bottom line is that there is no significant cost to the taxpayer----unless wasting billions on building a wall that can be quickly and easily breached with a $100 Sawzall. Another dishonest argument is the suggestion that Democrats want to do nothing, which just isn't true. Truth is, there are no simple, easy solutions to the problem, which requires meaningful immigration reform legislation and a multi-faceted, flexible approach. Last, but not least, is the fact that the influx now involves mostly asylum seekers, which are seeking legal entry. It is not illegal to cross into the U.S. and apply for asylum here. So, the racists and xenophobes are dishonestly attempting to conflate illegal immigration with asylum-seeking refugees, most of whom do not want to leave their home nations, choosing to make the long, arduous, and dangerous journey to America with their children only because situations in their native lands have become so dire and untenable.
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  5.  @uttcftptid4481  ~ You're right...but so was El Chapo. Ultimately, the cartels only operate with the acquiescence of the Mexican government, which allows the cartels to operate so that government officials can line their own pockets. But the root of the problem goes beyond that. See our reply in this thread about supply and demand.
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  6.  @PatrickGotHands  ~ The problem with the wall is that it only provides the illusion of security, is not very effective or cost effective, while sending the wrong message of what America is all about. As has been admitted by our government and widely reported, the vast majority of smuggling and trafficking is coming through legal ports of entry on the border----or far from our southern border, through other legal ports of entry such as airports and shipping ports. Then there are the planes and drones used for smuggling outside of legal ports of entry, the offshore cargo ships and speedboats using our coastal waterways----neither of these methods requiring an overland route through our southern border with Mexico.
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  7. ​ @Mon.M0TIVATION  ~ And hacksaw blades are made for cutting metal, including steel up to 1/2" thick. Unlike hacksaw blades used years ago which were made of low alloy steel and therefore brittle and prone to breakage, modern hacksaw blades for cutting through metal are bimetal in composition and more flexible, and a 14tpi bimetal blade can cut through steel quite quickly----in less than half a minute with a manual hacksaw. An 18tpi bimetal blade only adds a few seconds to accomplishing the same task. Of course, it is possible to cut through steel thicker than 1/2" with a hacksaw, but that takes a bit more time and effort. However, the new sections of Trump's wall are often breached with a portable Sawzall reciprocating saw power tool. And, as demonstrated by rock climbers, the "impenetrable barrier" can be scaled and breached in as little as thirteen seconds. Trump's wall only provides the illusion of security, and is a huge waste of our taxpayer dollars. Humanitarian organizations that put out water for immigrants have attested that the wall has not decreased the flow of immigrants; that they are still finding ways through, and they are still filling water stations along the border at the same rate as previous.
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  8.  @uttcftptid4481  ~ Take it you meant "whole different conversation." But the supply and demand part is integral to the whole, to understanding the situation and crafting effective solutions. Pointing fingers at others while ignoring our own culpability only insures that problems will be perpetuated. Not even Bezos and the Koch brothers should be lumped together. Bezos is giving $10 billion dollars to his non-partisan Earth Fund organization to combat climate change. Bezos is generally considered non-partisan himself, donating to both Republicans and Democrats, as has been traditionally done in American politics. Don't know the aggregate of Bezos political spending, but traditionally corporations used to only give nominal amounts to both parties, unlike now when we see some large industries, corporations, and wealthy individuals looking to tip the scales and essentially buy off politicians and political parties by pumping millions into elections and PACs. Unlike the Koch brothers, Bezos supports a corporate tax hike. The Koch brothers support only Republicans, donating large amounts that can significantly impact local, state, and national election outcomes. Now, don't get me wrong----I'm a long-time opponent of Citizens United, a long-time advocate of getting dark money and big money out of politics. The same is true for most all Democrats and their party. More power to the people, less power to plutocrats. However, there is a distinct, appreciable difference between large corporations or wealthy individuals and drug cartels that commit all manner of violent atrocities. There is a difference between legal campaign donations and bribery, too. We may not like how the wealthy have undue influence, but we would like it even less if it was bribery that went unreported, as with the cartels and Mexican government. Moreover, U.S. politicians don't always vote in favor of those corporations and interests that supported them----something which would be almost unthinkable for Mexican government officials on the take with the cartels to do. But does that mean the cartels are the boss? No, because the Mexican government has the ultimate authority, and they play the cartels off against each other, picking winners and losers amongst them. Besides, if the cartels really were the boss, they wouldn't be paying bribes to government officials; they would be keeping that money for themselves. To conclude, while totally sympathetic to your position, the comparison is overly broad, and somewhat irrelevant to this discussion about immigration; let's not allow ourselves to get too far sidetracked.
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  9.  @uttcftptid4481  ~ Fair enough. Don't necessarily disagree with you, but still find some truth to the alleged quote, although that doesn't diminish his guilt any. Sometimes more than one thing can be true at the same time. No worries on the typo; it was just to confirm your intended meaning. If you hadn't yet read Don Winslow's powerful fictional trilogy on the Mexican cartels, they offer some really great insights, as well as some engrossing reading. Suggest reading them in order.
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