Fox News hosted former Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, a noted immigrant hater and Donald Trump lover, helped the “fair and balanced” network cheer for Trump’s proposed wall on the Mexico border – and helped hide its unpopularity.
What Fox Trumpsters are not so keen to report is that most Americans oppose the wall and that it has become less popular over time. But nobody on Fox had to worry about Brewer spilling those beans.
Brewer, a supporter of Arizona’s virulently anti-immigrant SB 1070 law, called yesterday “a day in history” because Trump signed an order calling for the wall to be built. “Thank God we have a president that’s going to enforce the rule of law, and do what he’s supposed to do and that is to keep us safe!” she exclaimed excitedly.
Actually, “enforcing the rule of law” could well mean that the wall is not built. Yesterday, NPR. Org reported on some of the legal barriers:
For example, there’s the pesky issue of private land ownership. When the U.S. government was building the fence from 2008 to 2010, the Border Patrol “had to enter into negotiations or begin condemnation proceedings with landowners,” as NPR’s John Burnett reported in mid-2014. And even then, years after the construction, some lawsuits were still ongoing.
Another potential legal barrier exists in a 47-year-old treaty, as the AP reported on Wednesday:
“The Trump administration also must adhere to a decades-old border treaty with Mexico that limits where and how structures can be built along the border. The 1970 treaty requires that structures cannot disrupt the flow of the rivers, which define the U.S.-Mexico border along Texas and 24 miles in Arizona, according to The International Boundary and Water Commission, a joint U.S.-Mexican agency that administers the treaty.”
Not surprisingly, host Neil Cavuto did not mention any of that.
Brewer continued by saying she thought the wall will be paid for by Mexico. “President Trump says they will pay for it. It could be paid with visa applications, border user fees, I would even support a tax on imports. Whatever we have the will to do, we will make it happen.”
Since then, Mexico’s president has canceled a visit to the U.S. after Trump’s repeated demand for that country to pay for the wall.
“It will happen, Neil, it will happen,” Brewer insisted.
Watch it below, from the January 25, 2017 Your World.
You should also thank the American taxpayer, Jan; per the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, its estimated to cost $120 per household:
Trump’s border wall could cost $120 per household
Randy Tucker — Staff Writer
11:59 a.m. Friday, Jan. 27, 2017
President Donald Trump’s plan to build a U.S.-Mexico border wall could cost U.S. taxpayers $120 per household, according to the Washington, D.C.-based Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
The per household estimate is based on Congressional Republicans’ estimates that the cost to build the wall without Mexico’s help could add as much as $15 billion to the national debt
http://www.daytondailynews.com/business/trump-border-wall-could-cost-120-per-household/R3BVzSrjyCWYXW4hlFwivK/
She should also thank the taxpayers for that last tidbit — but, more likely, she’ll just thank Obama.
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One problem I have with giving Trump and Fox News their wall is #OrangeHitler is determined to impose his will on Mexico that they pay for it. During the campaign Trump’s ridiculous claim was framed as a voluntary support of the wall by Mexico. It benefits them as much as us was the pitch.
Only a couple of days into Trump’s reign of horror, now his administration is talking a 20% tariff on Mexican goods as a mechanism for Mexico to pay for it. Seriously? How stupid are these clowns? Who pays a tariff? The nation which is the target of his rabid protectionism or the American consumer? Hard to argue it isn’t the latter.
Two, he’s torching America’s international respect. I’m watching NBC “Today” reporting how serial liar Trump is pretending the Mexican president cancelling a visit to the White House was mutual.
Three, if – and realize this is nearly impossible – Trump was successful at a right-wing ‘hat trick’ of building a wall to cut off illegal immigration, deporting 11 million illegal immigrants in America, and maintaining our legal immigration level at current levels it’d crash our economy. And that’s just the practical side of the argument ignoring the moral implications.
Today “Morning Edition” interviewed the mayor of Los Angeles who pointed out how his city’s open immigration policies have led to economic growth with 60% of the business start-ups being by immigrants. Despite all of Fox News’ and Trump’s demonization of immigrants as being a bunch of criminals, he stated Los Angeles has a low crime rate. He also pointed out other ‘sanctuary cities’ (a term he pretty much rejected) are experiencing similar benefits.
I don’t expect to hear Ellen and the gang reporting any of this information seeing the light of day on ‘fair and balanced’ Fox News.
I heard one NBC reporter saying the huge wall structure near San Diego, I think, could be climbed in 20 seconds. I would have to see that to believe it.
Out in the open desert they will probably be satisfied with a chain link fence. Along the Rio Grande the wall will have to be a wall though. And I do not want them to despoil the beauty of the Rio Grande, especially through Big Bend National Park. I myself have swum across the Rio Grande at Big Bend.
I have heard Hispanic Texans saying, " It would be the Iron Curtain!! " No it fucking would not! Every country has a right to fortify it’s borders. Especially if that border has been illegally crossed. Just ask Finland with Russia and South Korea with North Korea. Finland and South Korea each have a super heavily mined border called a DMZ (Demilitarised Zone).
…OTHER
If it were up to the spokespeople for the Right, we’d see buses loading up thousands of undocumented immigrants every day and throwing them over the border into Mexico. John & Ken have particularly distinguished themselves recently by saying that they would have no issue with ALL undocumented immigrants being deported, including the DACA kids. When someone raised the issue that you could be identified as being involved in the criminal justice system (the first level of deportations to be applied quickly this year) just by getting pulled over for a broken taillight, these guys responded by saying “Well, you’re already here illegally, so you know that if you break a law, you’re not going to be able to stay here, right?”
Last night, Fox News hosted an angry mother of a child who’d been killed at school by an undocumented immigrant, and she predictably demanded that ALL undocumented people be thrown out of the country as quickly as possible, including anyone from the DACA program.
And we had the chilling spectacle in early December of Rick Santorum telling a young woman in the DACA program that she should leave the USA and bring the skills and knowledge she was lucky to receive while illegally here to the rest of the world and then perhaps return as a legal immigrant. When she reminded him that this would not be permitted for at least 10 years, he acknowledged that maybe that penalty could be reduced a little. (Who knows – 9 1/2 years?)
So it’s clear that these people do intend to push the Pence White House into deporting as much of this population as they can, and they’re not going to make any bones about it. I don’t believe they’ll actually try to deport the DACA group, but I do think they will actively encourage them to leave on their own before such proceedings start. On the other hand, the viciousness we are already seeing could lead one to think that they’ll include the DACA group with everyone else once they pick off the low hanging fruit already in jail or on the books for the actual criminal charges.
Regarding the matters of building on private property, something tells me that the Pence White House will not be anywhere near as dainty as the Obama people or even the W. Bush people were. They’ll simply take the land and ask questions later. As for treaties with Mexico or any other country, I strongly doubt the Pence White House has any regard for them – particularly not for Mexico. They’ll simply break the treaty and dare Mexico to do something about it. The prevailing Right Wing attitude toward Mexico at the moment is one of saying that we have the power and they don’t, so let’s rub their nose in it. (It’s frankly the same attitude they have toward sanctuary cities, and it’s the reason they’re hoping they can get these cities to cave.) On this front, I believe the Right and the Pence White House may be in for a major shock.
Based on the outrageous behavior over the past week, I now think it possible that we could see an actual break in relations with multiple foreign countries, including Mexico and a fair amount of Central and South America. Yes, they tend to depend on aid from us, but if they are going to be treated in this manner, or if the aid is going to be considered contingent on them bowing down to Pence’s Tweeter-in-Chief, I could easily see several of these nations choosing to tell us where to go until these people are safely out of office. And I wouldn’t blame them.
Stop worrying about what’s coming over the border and focus on what’s leaving, our jobs. Karl Rove started this anti-immigrate con game as a strategy to save the House for the Republicans in 2006 as the Iraq War was very unpopular and he was hoping this would get the base to the polls to vote. It didn’t work. This stance made wealthy farmers and hotels that relied on this labor as maids uneasy because they feared losing their cheap labor so they invented the term, Guest Worker Program. It was like pick our fruit and veggies, make our beds, then get out.
On a personal note, I’m ashamed to admit that Jan Brewer and I went to the same high school, but was there 13 years before me.