"All This Talk About THE WALL"
CAN I HELP YOU DECIDE WITHOUT BIAS?
WHY DOES EVERYTHING NEED TO BE A POLITICAL NIGHTMARE?
WE WILL NOT DISCUSS THE POLITICS HERE. THE WALL IS NOT, AND SHOULD BE ABOUT POLITICAL AGENDAS. IT NEEDS TO BE BASED ON FACTS AND TRUTH. READ ON TO FIND OUT WHY.
Before I begin, I would like to thank all those Americans who are helping the federal employees that are not being paid in their time of need. These employees, and those that are helping, are the true patriots of our land. UI am touched by the number of children that are also helping. They are learning a valuable lesson. Personal sacrifice, no matter what the cause, is difficult at best. They all deserve our total support. Now, as only a member of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary, we do not get paid. We volunteer. However, our activities that help to keep boaters across the country are also suspended. You need to determine do the ways justify the means.
"The Wall" should be about politics. Read on to find out why. Put your politics aside for a moment, and use your common sense.
What is all this talk about a wall. Everyday on the news, we hear about "THE WALL." A presidential campaign promise. At this time, thousands of workers are either working while not getting paid, or not working at all because they are furloughed.. Either way, they are not getting paid. How long can you work, or not be working, without getting paid? TO BE CLEAR, this is not a post based on politics, political agendas. The fact is, some things in our country should NOT be about politics, they should be about the citizens, and what is best for them. Those decisions should be based upon FACTS.
NATIONAL SECURITY: With that said, let us look at the real meaning of "NATIONAL SECURITY." I chose that phrase because that is the reason that is being used to justify the building a "The Wall." Our nations security is not a political agenda. It is something that is required in order for us to have and maintain the lifestyle, culture, and freedom we chose in our country.
The big misconception is, many believe that national security only relates to threats from terrorists or other nations. SO NOT TRUE. National Security refers to anything by any mechanism, country, individual, individuals, or groups, that threatens our American way of life. This includes but is not limited to our financial system, democracy, constitution, bill of rights, or any other structure that defines us an Americans. Most importantly, IT CAN BE OF DOMESTIC ORIGIN as well as external. All these things and more, define the meaning of the term, "A Threat To National Security." This is also not limited to war or acts of terrorism. This includes drugs, human trafficking, guns, other forms of armament, and yes; like it or not, illegal immigrants. However, referring to illegal immigrants, as a nation, we MUST take some responsibility for that. Remember, this is NOT a political post. The Democrats and the Republicans are not going to agree on all matters. That's politics, and leads to compromise. However, when that system fails for any reason, as a nation, we become quite vulnerable. If you know anything about conflict, you know that you take advantage of any situation when it is in chaos. With our present political unrest, it is natural for others to take a shot at our country, or at least put on over the bow.
What do I mean when I say we must take some responsibility for it? Basically, due to fiscal matters and government mismanagement, and yes, let us call it what it is, the politicians do. They constant bash each other form mismanagement of funds, so why not say it here. It's the truth, and a fact. The wasteful and needless spending of money has caused many important programs to be underfunded. There is no grey area here. However, as people, and a country, at times, we contribute to the problem. That is part two of the problem. There is a different between some being in this country legally, and illegally. The law is clear. Any migrant or refugee that enters or requests entrance to our country HAS TO BE VETTED. For those of you that hear that term but are not familiar with it's meaning, in this case to Vet someone means; to investigate (someone) thoroughly, especially in order to ensure that they are suitable for a job requiring secrecy, loyalty, or trustworthiness. With that said, we have a responsibility to do this in a timely manner.
I have empathy for those that have been in our country for years, waiting for their citizenship applications to be vetted. However, there are many that have been in our country for years and have never applied. In some states, they qualify for certain benefits. A mistake we caused. I will not debate why because as I sated this is a post about common sense, facts, and truth. Not politics. Complaining about something will never fix it. Acting on it will. With that said, those areas of government are overwhelmed with work, and not enough personnel to handle the workload. What do we do with part two of the problem if a wall is built? You must fix the downstream problems as well. As the saying goes, "If the dam breaks, you better have a place for the water to go."
Federal Shutdown. ... During a government shutdown, employees who are not required to work are “furloughed” or placed in a non-pay, non-duty status until the shutdown ends. According to CNBC on Jan. 10th, thousand of federal workers are applying for benefits. Benefits to which they are entitled to. However, unemployment benefits after taxes, are far less than what people normally take home in their weekly pay checks. In today's society, there are not many people who can afford to live on those benefits for long, not to mention the men and women that are working and not get paid. Do not make it sound like "THE WALL" is a new concept. It was President Trumps campaign promise, therefore, everyone knew one day there would be a showdown about this. It is unfortunate that Mexico is not contributing towards this expense. Again, that's another political issue.that I do not have the political expertise to comment on. However, what I do have is, a high degree of common sense. Here we are. Back in the days of the old west at the O.K. Corral. The left and the right have their guns drawn, and cannot come to a compromise. The classic standoff. The problem is, innocent people are suffering. Thank God people are pitching in to help them while this goes on, with no apparent end in sight.
Senseless? Maybe, or maybe not. Let us face the real issue. No politics, just some old fashioned common sense. Try to put your personal opinions aside for a moment and look at the facts and the truth. To solve any problem you first remove the opinions, and break it down to basics. The basic cause here is promoted as a threat to National Security. Ask yourself; does it have to do with "National Security? No left, and no right. This is not about that. Base your decision on that, rather than whether it is a Democratic or Republican issue. When it comes to our nations security, there should never be political lines drawn in the sand. Review how I defined National Security. Are the things that occur at our southern border a threat to our national security or not? It is a simple yes or no answer. If the answer is yes, build the wall. If the answer is no, do not build the wall. It is a trait of humanity to not want to do something, yet we will complain about it.
FACT: You cannot complain about things you are not prepared to fix. Remember, this post is about the truth and the facts. Not the politics. Let's look at some facts.
TO OUR POINT: The purpose of this article is to try to get everyone to step OUT of the political arena for a moment and look at the facts. A statement about truth and facts.
Facts are like numbers, they tell the truth. Truth is always the truth, whether you like it or not. Facts and truth do not pick sides. They are not left nor right.
Every country MUST have borders. However, every country does not need to have a wall at there borders, UNLESS, there are specific reasons. Personally, we can only estimate the numbers of crimes that are committed due to individuals that have illegally crossed our borders. I say estimate because the data can only be compiled on what we know. Therefore, in most cases of data, the numbers are usually higher due to what happens that we do not know about.
FACT: Is our system perfect? Not even close. The system needs fixing, and that is part 2, or the downstream problem, whether or not a wall is built. As a whole, people do not realize when they scream for decreased taxes, there will be programs that are cut to achieve that goal. Every politician's platform during a campaign will be to reduce taxes. Face it, it is what the people want to hear. Do I believe there is waste in government spending that can be fixed, especially at the political level, of course, I do. However, do we really expect politicians to vote yes to things that will hurt them? I don't think so. If you look at the private sector, who receives paycheck or benefits once they are no longer doing the job? That is a separate post by itself, but I am not, nor do I claim to be a political expert or blogger. Therefore, I will drop that ball right here.
FACT: Remember, these numbers could be higher rather than lower. However, these are documented numbers. Most come from the DHS status indicators and insightcrime.org.
Over 200,000 arrests have been made stemming from those that have entered our country illegally that had criminal records.
This was a result of over 100,000 assaults,
Over 30,000 sex crimes,
Over 4,000 sex crimes,
These include offenses against woman and children,
It is estimated that over 2,000 illegal handguns cross our southern borders daily into our country,
Illegal drugs enter our country daily across our southern borders.
There are a great number of facts listed, but this does not reflect the complete list. These are NOT political facts, they are actual facts. Facts that anyone can look up in databases that are readily accessible on the internet. They are NOT based on any political agenda.
What's the real question? Does this represent a threat to our countries national security? More on that in a moment. We first need to ask ourselves, do we want to risk anyone in our families that could become a victim of these crimes?
Look At The Costs: To secure our southern border for the long term with the technology, personnel, and equipment will far exceed 5.7 billion dollars over time, and still not be totally effective. Government is like any large corporation. Many times they do not look at the long term costs as we continue to continually put a band-aid on it for today. Individuals are the same way.
Let's look at our borders. The International Boundary and Water Commission: 1,954 land miles, 1,984 total miles. This bi-national entity regulates the border under international treaty. It says, "The boundary between the U.S. and Mexico extends 1,954 miles, excluding the maritime boundaries of 18 miles in the Pacific Ocean and 12 miles in the Gulf of Mexico." (courtesy of USA Today) This does not take into account our northern border which our neighbor is Canada, our Eastern, Western, and other areas of our Southern border which exposed to water. Those areas are patrolled by the United States Coast Guard. We could camera 1,954 miles. However, by the time you get a patrol to the site of a crossing, no one is there, and you cannot put patrols along that great distance and expect to cover it all, 24/7. If you think 5.7 billion is a lot, look at what that type of monitoring would cost after five years.
The US shares borders with two nations. Mexico, with the data listed above, and Canada, which shares 3,987 miles of borders. As stated, the remaining miles of borders are water. Do we really know how secure our Northern border is? At the present time, most Canadians want to stay there. However, it is reported that some terrorists may have entered our country through Canada as reported in an ABC report dated 1/8/19 written by Justin Fishel, and Luke Barr. Our country was built and became great by those that migrated here. It is the heritage each and every American shares. However, it must be done correctly. Apply, be vetted, become a citizen. The government must set up effective programs where that can happen in a timely fashion. If not, that is a system failure, not a people failure. Taking out drugs and guns for a moment, people illegally cross a border because there is NOT a system in place to stop it effectively, and they have a desire to be in this country for many reasons. Basically, we have a system overload and not the workforce to handle it. Is it possible that one of the reasons people come here illegally. Why is it in our society to do things wrong is so easy, to do them right takes so much time. Something to think about.
National Security: So now that you have some facts, think. Is this a matter of our nation's security? That is the decision we all need to make for ourselves. Notice, in presenting these facts, I never mention Republicans or Democrats. Only the problems we face. BTW, they affect both sides of the aisle equally. You can decide for yourself if you think this is a matter of national security, but breaking it down, that is the issue, and the real question that needs to be answered in every person's mind, regardless of what side of the aisle you are from. I believe most would agree that anything that threatens our way of life, the values we set as Americans or defies our laws, is a threat to our national security. No matter what entity or country name is involved. You can choose for yourself. However, while doing so, look at the facts. NOT THE MAN. THE PRESIDENT, OR THE POLITICIANS. The facts are the facts. The truth is the truth. They cannot be changed. That is what determines our decision. Not whether or not you like the person presenting a possible solution.
Last Fact. Building a wall is only one step in solving a problem. Other ineffective areas must also be corrected. Therefore, take your personal feels about a political party, or a particular president out of the equation. Base your decision on the facts. Remember, no matter which side you ever listen to, alone, they will always sound right. Somewhere in the middle lies the truth. In this case, the truth is WHAT IS BEST FOR AMERICANS AND OUR COUNTRY? Feel free to leave a comment. below.
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Also, I will be appearing at the Yale University Bookstore on 77 Broadway in New Haven, Ct. at 2pm the afternoon of January 26th. For a book talk with the author. If you are in the area, stop in and say hi. I would love to meet you all. Yale will be carrying the first in my murder mystery trilogy, "Life Through A Mirror", and my recent release which is gaining global acclaim, "A Woman's Fear." Hope to see you there. Thank you ... Caesar Rondina
