... thought I'd sympathize with Ryan, but you have lost your freaking mind.
I cannot help it if the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of the Interior and the United State Border Patrol cannot collectively pull its head out of its ass. Any legislative body that wants to waste 20 million on an experiment for a "virtual" fence can come and clean two year old storm debris out of my neighborhood.
What I advocated, and still do, is the construction of an ACTUAL fence, you know, chain link? Posts set into the ground? A physical barrier? Still can get that deal, for easy math let's call it ten bucks a foot for a ten foot high fence with some barb wire on the top to discourage climbing and jumping. And I'll even pay for 2000 miles, because our government can't do anything on time and under budget anymore. So, $10 per foot at 5,280 ft. per mile is $52,800 per mile. Multiplied by 2000 miles is $105,600,000.
The off the shelf surveillance equipment I discussed last time was about $.50 per foot fifteen years ago. I'll give you 100% inflation and say our government would spend a buck a foot on off the shelf quality surveillance. To wire the border for video is $10,560,000. This is an initial expense, not a maintenance fee or something that accounts for the personnel to man and watch the TVs. Just the install fee.
What is so freaking hard about that? For a nation that is going to spend 1.75 TRILLION (nine zeroes, ladies and gentlemen) for 2009, what is the migraine over a fence?
Now just because some idiot is getting his nuts roasted in front of an oversight committee because they blew 20 mil on a bad idea does not make mine bad. My idea is feasible, workable, fiscally doable and exactly what the country has been screaming for since 2001.
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Okay, I was being a bit dramatic, I admit.
Once again, though, I go back to the point that you are NEVER going to see this project done for the price you or I could get... for no other reason than that the Feds CAN'T (literally) purchase items the same way we do.
YOU could go to Lowe's and buy the chainlink, YOU could call 10 contractors and get the lowest price for the best job, and YOU could supervise the construction to ensure prompt and proper work.
The Feds CAN'T. The process of procurement is so long and drawn out that the process itself drive the price UP astronomically. That is why the Feds HAVE to pay $200 for a hammer and $500 for a toilet seat (remember that flap from the 80's?).
All that aside, though...
Isn't this a BAD time for this administration to be having this kind of bad press? Isn't anyone worried that THIS kind of news is going to make the GOP look even MORE incompetant than they already do to "Joe Average" American?
Honestly... I keep thinking what a nightmare this would be to the "conservative" movement if the Democrats had a REAL candidate to focus on. What if Hillary HAD bowed out gracefully after her defeat in WI? What if Obama could simply focus on the general campaign RIGHT NOW? The only thing the GOP has going for it is that the Dems are doing such a good job keeping themselves at each other's throats that very few are watching them screw up.
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