Today President Donald Trump signed an executive order to begin construction of the wall he promised along the US/Mexican border.
So President Trump is fulfilling one of his campaign promises…but Mexico isn’t going to pay for it.
It’s highly unlikely that Mexico will pay for the wall — Mexican lawmakers have repeatedly said they wouldn’t — so the substantial cost will likely fall on the US government.
We’re on the hook and it’s gonna be a whopping big bill!
“The cost to build the ‘easiest’ sections of the existing fence were between $2.8 [million to] $3.9 million per mile, according to the US Government Accountability Office,” the Bernstein note said. “However, given that these figures exclude labor costs, land acquisition costs, and relate to construction in accessible areas with favorable construction conditions, the cost of Trump’s wall is widely expected to be greater than $15 billion and perhaps as much as $25 billion.”
Although the expense won’t actually be the biggest issue. That will be the acquisition of the property from uncooperative land owners, environment issues like rivers and mountains, and the availability of building materials.
The analysts predicted the wall would be 40 feet tall and 1,000 miles long, go 7 feet underground (to prevent tunneling), and be 10 inches thick. The simplest construction material to use would be concrete, according to the analysts — and based on concrete prices and the estimated size of the wall, that cost alone would be around $700 million.
And guess who the supplier in the area best equipped to provide the amount of cement needed? CEMEX…the Mexican cement company! Go figure. I don’t think that fits in with the presidents Buy American slogan.
So what would any other government agency do when building a public structure? Sell naming rights!
My suggestion would be to involve Taco Bell…Run to the border!
That “Wall” is pure madness.
Only seven feet underground? Not a deterrent at all.
I thought we supported, “…Tear down this wall!”.
(Unless the wall is the Israeli wall.)
I didn’t write about it at the time but I believe our Senator Ron Johnson visited Israel to get an idea on how to build a ‘successful’ wall.
The Israeli wall cut down mass-casualty terrorist attacks significantly. Having a strong physical border at your vulnerable geographic entry points is common sense.
WashCoRepup,
1. So you’re want the Berlin Wall rebuilt?
2. Was Reagan wrong to tell Gorbachev to “tear down this wall?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjWDrTXMgF8
3. I had no idea Mexicans were launching “mass-casualty terrorist attacks.”
3.1 Do you have a link?
4. Are you going to put up a “wall” on U.S. investments?
4.1 Can capital move freely if labor can’t?
4.2 Why hasn’t Trump rescheduled marijuana? Wouldn’t that begin to defund the drug cartels that are “terrorizing” Mexico?
5. Were the Jews in the Warsaw ghetto wrong to use violence against the Nazis?
https://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007745
There you go again John C, thinking that reason or facts will actually register or make any impression. But good on you for trying.