MISSION ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE: Secure U.S. Border

The clowns in the Republican primary circus have debated the many nifty ideas they have for securing our nation's borders. Several want an almost 2,000 mile long fence, one wants two of those fences, and another wants a troop surge along the border. Experts from the Cato Institute (obviously not these Republican loonies) have stated that even to come close to sealing our border would require measures that would make legal commerce* (see below) with Mexico impossible.

While most border crossing discussions revolve around keeping Mexicans out of the U.S., I seem to remember one of these idiots proposing a plan to keep U.S. citizens from escaping to Canada. That Canadian escape could turn into a reality if the Republicans gain the presidency and total control of the House and the Senate. That wouldn't be a viable option for me because Canada is too damn cold. Mexico, on the other hand...¿Ola, compadres, como esta? But, I digress.

What these freaks in the Republican primary freak show and the bozos in Congress are overlooking is the fact that the flow of people crossing from Mexico into the U.S. has declined in recent years while the flow from the U.S. back into Mexico has increased.

For that we can thank Congress, the Federal Reserve, mortgage brokers, real estate agents, home buyers, Wall Street firms, and Greenspan, among others. With deregulation and a great deal of cooperation between these parties the U.S. economy has been totally FUBAR-ed, and that wasn't an easy task.

What this has accomplished, though, is to make the United States so economically unappealing that our neighbors to the south have decided they would be better off just staying home. Immigration reform? We don't need no damn immigration reform. We don't need no damn fence, neither. With the Tea Bagger controlled Republican party in power we can sit back and watch the U.S. economy go into complete collapse. They have already taken us to the brink. The next step is to shove us over the edge.

On the plus side, we won't have to worry about those damn Mexicans coming over here anymore. Mexico and Canada may have a problem with us. Mexico probably fares better because we have already erected about 800 miles of fence along the border. Canada, on the other hand, will have to start their fence building from scratch.

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*In 2007, top American imports from Mexico included electrical machinery, vehicles and machinery representing more than 56% of total imports. Total amount in exports from Mexico to the United States accounted for US$210.7 billion during that year.

Top 10 Mexican Exports to the United States - 2007 (with % of share in total) :

• Machinery, electrical equipment and parts: 28.2%
• Mineral fuels, mineral oils: 15.46%
• Motor vehicles, tractors, cycles: 15.04%
• Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery: 12.95%
• Optical and photographic instruments and equipment: 3.51%
• Furniture and medical furnishings: 2.44%
• Plastic and plastic articles: 1.76%
• Vegetables, plants, roots and tubers: 1.64%
• Apparel, accessories: 1.31%
• Iron and steel products: 1.27%

Conversely, approximately 23.5 percent of American exports to Mexico are manufactured products, including motor vehicles and parts, electrical machinery, electronic equipment, and machinery. There is also a high demand of plastics, petroleum products and metal shapes. Total amount in exports from America to Mexico accounted for US$135.9 billion during 2007.

Top 10 American Exports to Mexico - 2007 (with % of share in total) :

• Electrical equipment & parts: 7.4%
• Vehicle parts & accessories: 7%
• Plastics: 4.9%
• Computer accessories: 4.6%
• Semiconductors: 4.1%
• Other petroleum products: 3.6%
• Finished metal shapes: 3.5%
• Telecommunications equipment: 3.3%
• Industrial supplies: 3.1%
• Industrial machines: 2.7%

Data provided by Business Without Borders.