Fence and Wall Infrastructure

It seems the greens, the unions, the left interest groups have a terrible problem. Asked to come up for ideas for stuff that the President-elect can blow money on, not even all their ingenuity can help them come up with enough projects that can with any plausibility be considered as economic stimulus ramping up jobs and economic demand in anything like the near future. The greens have looked hard but even they cannot come up with their share of the swag. The governors and mayors don't have enough highways, bridges and tunnels, or even mobster museums and waterslides and to blow on the shovel-ready cash that is soon to be heaped on them.

But I have an idea. Highways, tunnels, and bridges — they create construction jobs, jobs that aren't there because the private sector isn't building anything. Well let's think: what other kinds of things can be constructed? Well...hydro poles maybe. Barns and rail tracks and baseball fields.... Hey fences and walls! Like for example the border fence that would allow the U.S. to regain control of its borders but which the Left say can't be done, among other reasons because it costs a zillion dollars and would take forever to complete. Well those are features, not bugs now. We're in a state of economic emergency now and need stuff to spend money on. Many of the plans have already made and could be proceeded with pedal to the floor once those annoying environmental impact studies are thrown overboard in this time of emergency. Now we can make this a national priority and get construction going 24/7.

And the President-elect wants immigration reform. The whole package won't be ready till next year, if ever, but here's a great start — a sign of good faith to those cynical Republicans who do not believe that Democrats really want border control, despite protestations to the contrary. Obama is said to want 80 Senate votes for this package and serious acceleration of border fencing might bring over a few GOP waverers. And an all-out effort at border control would convince many Republicans that giving illegal immigrants a break is acceptable, that for the first time the promise "this is the last amnesty" would be fulfilled.

There's been dispute in the past about how much a border fence would cost. Some say something like $5 billion, opponents say more like $50 billion. But now who cares? The more the better. Where there's dispute what kind of fence should be built, let's get going on both of them.

Barack Obama says he's in favour of border control. Some people don't believe him. The GOP should jump in with ideas, which Obama has solicited, and with amendments to the stimulus package that get this fence going on a priority basis.

Well if you seriously want construction jobs and stimulus I'm just saying....