The Washington Post has revealed that to fund the border wall and private prisons, the Trump administration is weighing cuts to the Coast Guard, airport security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. This is nothing short of stunning.

Not only will the wall be an absolute waste of funds and an environmental disaster, it will also be a real infringement on property rights. More importantly, it will not work. Ask any Israeli how well their walls work (or don’t), and those are placed where they can really be tended and watched. As envisaged, President Donald Trump’s “beautiful” wall is a horrendously expensive boondoggle. To be clear, the only help we’ll likely be getting from Mexico is their concrete — which we will be paying for.

The numbers are there for anyone who wants to look at them. Net Mexican migration is south. The majority of current undocumented immigrants are those who overstay their visas. This is not the spending we need. Our infrastructure is collapsing — bridges are rated C-minus or D, our airports are considered third world, our railways rivals India’s.

There are other, less expensive ways to monitor the border — electronics, aerostats and such.

It is appalling that the growth of exploitative private prisons are included in this package. If you follow the money, private, corporate prisons have been the heaviest lobbyists in favor of draconian border laws.

It is astounding that the party of “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down that wall” is backing this. And if it’s such a great idea, why beggar the Coast Guard, which protects our mariners, and FEMA, which is there for real emergencies such as hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and earthquakes.

Raise the taxes and pay for it — put the proposal on the floor of Congress and defend the proposal.

Greg Rossel

Troy