Of the many startling actions taken by President Trump since his Jan. 20 inauguration, actually ordering The Wall
surprised those who thought his more absurd ideas would be tempered
after taking office. But Trump’s trademark grandiosity might not stand
up to the reality of things such as the economy and international
relations.
When team Trump floated a 20 percent tax on imported Mexican goods to
pay for the wall, it was instantly panned by economists and sensible
politicians from across the spectrum. That tax, by tariff or other
means, would undoubtedly make its way to American wallets and bring the
potential for trade wars.
When Trump demanded Mexico pay for the wall, he managed to sour
relations with our southern neighbor in his first week of office,
resulting in the cancellation of a planned first meeting with Mexican
President Enrique Nieto. During the election campaign, Trump even suggested the insidious idea of taking control of Western Union and PayPal to siphon money from Mexicans sending it back home.
Besides the question of how to pay for a $15 billion, 1,000-mile wall
along the entire US-Mexico border – and its implications for an
Orwellian security state – a physical wall is simply not a realistic way
of dealing with the problem of illegal immigration. People will adapt
and U.S. agencies will remain corrupt.
