USA Border Wall Update
MOC On-Demand
0
0
By: Chris Hanrahan
Created January 12, 2019
Updated October 25, 2019
Once a deal has been made between the Republicans and Democrats to end this shutdown, there will be much to discuss. The southern wall controversy were behind a 4+ week Government shutdown during which cable network headlines slowly shifted from DREAMers to the ensuing days of new arrivals.
It is evident to all that Trump has achieved one of his most central campaign promises and that National Security is indeed the impetus for creating a Border Wall. Some Democrats have called the wall “racist”. I just don’t buy that. Many Republicans (and Democrats, in the past) have wanted the illegal immigration, drugs, and human trafficking to be stopped, so that the future of America can continue with a more peaceful and safe path forward. The consensus always was, it would be nice to have a wall to prevent all that. The CBP does an excellent job of fighting illegal immigration over the southern border. This wall will immensely help them in that role to protect America.
To the many Republicans who want to see these problems brought to an end, it is a matter of convincing the other side that to construct the wall would not be overkill. And all that convincing is clearly, taking time. But all the time, during 2019, the wall has been going up. In some of the important or vulnerable areas, there are even two walls. Some don’t like to see the wall being built, or want to deny that it’s being built. But the photos speak for themselves, a new and effective wall is being built. This sends the signal “you can come here, but only if you do so legally”. No Illegal Entry!
Others will see the agreement as the product of resistance and compromise. The Democrats are voting with today in mind, for the interests of would-be immigrants who come to this Country at whatever cost necessary, illegally and legally. The future of their party largely depends on illegal immigration staying its course, where “Deferred Action” is the law of America and miles of our border allow for undetected and in some cases highly dangerous migration to occur. But many have largely forgotten how we came here. When Barack Obama shut down the Government for 17 days, he was looking to use law to bring a better healthcare future to Americans. As of now, we have “The Affordable Care Act” which has driven the cost of healthcare through the roof, and is currently embattled in questions of the constitutionality of the “Individual Mandate” which formed the backbone of the Obama-era law.
With all the facts that are abound, it is easy to notice how there is room for much deliberation on these two issues. On the one hand, the ACA is good – many lives have been positively impacted due to the new law, which has brought in some cases, free and low-cost healthcare to an ever growing lower class of Americans. It’s what it says on the jar – A F F O R D A B L E. This affordability has an accompanying cost, and many understand those realities. DREAMERs, numbering in the millions, have been beneficiaries of its system, whereby new incentives have been created to grow the healthcare and prescription drug industry to new levels in some states (California, Washington to name several).
Unfortunately, these developments have been accompanied with new horizons of fraud, double-dipping, and the forming of a pseudo-fascistic status quo for all things healthcare. It’s a local issue, in every state and city in America. Every year during the Enrollment Period, the ACA advertises that “now is the time to get covered” and millions of Americans have a choice of 1 provider (in a state) to choose from. Based on factors like income (but not based on health/pre-existing conditions) they sign up for a policy that they can afford, often using state subsidies (such as the ones offered in Washington State). I believe that patchwork legislation such as this, which resembles the changing landscape of the Democratic Party towards more extreme efforts to save the ACA, will ultimately not be successful. Jay Inslee, who has recently revealed his intention to run for President in 2020, is the most readily visible example of this move forward for the important policy area.
We find that we area always several steps away from achieving the proper treatment of future Americans, and what we have now is an imperfect system with lots of waste, which does not involve/include cross-state commerce or competition. It does us no good to stand still on any single issue, while the unmet needs of Americans continue to grow. It is a selfish way to conduct politics, choosing the brand of fascistic healthcare that we want to double down on, while precluding the seriousness of other ideas that are brought to the table.
Time to Take Another Hard Look at the Facts…
All Americans deserve good healthcare they can afford.
Pockets of America are in worse condition than my state of WA, with less resources available than the heavily unionized state I call my home. Each of the millions of Washingtonians that are covered by the ACA have had a different experience with healthcare, and there are many constituents who still remember the times before Obamacare (ACA) was brought into existence. There is a feeling that in passing the ACA we took 2 steps forwards. There is resistance to what some deem to be taking 1 step backwards with the consideration of another one of Trump’s campaign promises (“Repeal and Replace”).
The AHCA (Affordable Health Care Act) is what Trump and the Republicans want to bring online, and it would mean a complete rewrite of the way healthcare is administered. At the end of the debate (pay close attention), we will have policy in place and it will comprehensively involve the prescriptions, medications, doctors visits, specialists, disease screening, and contraceptive care of all Americans. Ideally we would create a future of healthcare which involves a more serious focus on the innovation and manufacturing of medicine and medical equipment. It is what future generations of Americans need.
All Americans are hurt by uncontrolled illegal migration.
Trump can’t make the argument for a wall to keep migrants out, without being accused of racism. But in light of some of the things the Democrats are arguing for, the racism accusation will be small-potatoes compared to the good (for all races) that a wall at the southern border will provide.
The best feature of the southern wall is: it doesn’t let people through (unless there’s a door, a port, a point-of-entry). Refugees should have the support of a stronger Mexico, who has already extended countless offers for asylum, some of which were accepted by members of the migrant caravan. The good thing is, through the USMCA Trade Deal, we have paved the way for there to be a stronger Mexico (through trade) and a stronger America (through security) and it will be in this light that in the end, “Mexico will pay for the wall”. That is, the trade we do with Mexico, through a new era of accountability for imports of goods through the southern border (e.g. on top of the capabilities of the existing ports of entry).
And at the end of the day hate is hate. And hate crime is hate crime. Having a wall, to me at least, does not in any way embody hate. As a Nation, we want to build the wall not because we hate the people on the other side of the wall, but because we love the people in Our Country, the United States of America.
Where We Are Now:
The President has taken the mantle of the government shutdown and calls himself a “Nationalist”. Many commentators are critical of the direction Donald Trump is taking us, and do not agree with Trump’s assertion that the United States is under invasion of Drugs and Violent Criminals at the border. However, a 44% approval rate for Donald Trump (as of today) speaks clearly and is the push that President Trump needs to maintain his backboned stance on this, and reach the outcomes we are all hoping to achieve. *UPDATE: As of the updating of this page, the approval rate is realistically around 50%. (+/- 5%).
The American People elected a [builder] to be the President of the United States, and now some [Democrats] are denying him a shot at building a wall along the southern border. Is this about politics?!
Thank you for being a part of the MOC On-Demand and ESP Tribe experiment.
About Author
