Mr. Bush, Build Up That Wall!

So, wait, is Bush actually going to screw over all his right-wing supporters by not enacting this 700-mile fence thing? Mickey Kaus is convinced he's will, but Captain Ed has been assured he's going to sign, and since Kaus is always wrong about everything and...what now? Anyway, here's today's Post:

There also are questions of whether the fence will be more of a symbol to be used in elections than a reality along the border. For one thing, shortly before Congress adjourned, the House and Senate gave the Bush administration leeway to distribute the money allocated for the fence to other projects, including roads, technology and other infrastructure items to support the Department of Homeland Security's preferred option of building a "virtual fence."

The Post quotes someone who really needs to work on his anti-anti-immigrant spiel a little more:

"This is the feel-good approach to immigration control," said Wayne Cornelius, an expert on immigration issues at the University of California at San Diego. "The only pain is experienced by the migrants themselves. It doesn't hurt U.S. consumers; it doesn't hurt U.S. businesses. It only hurts taxpayers if they pay attention to spending on border enforcement."

Um, I'm actually fairly open to immigration, but Cornelius just made this sound pretty win-win from the US point of view, no? (/Kaus)

Comments

[Bryan]

In the music section on the side there's a mismatch between text and image. The text reads "Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks - Pig Lib" but the picture is of the newest Silver Jews album, Tanglewood Numbers.

[belle waring]

huh, thanks bryan. a problem with the amazon source page prolly. we'll try and fix it.

[Ken Houghton]

The only pain is experienced by the migrants themselves. It doesn't hurt U.S. consumers; it doesn't hurt U.S. businesses. It only hurts taxpayers if they pay attention to spending on border enforcement."

Yes, and all U.S. businesses hire only legal residents, at the prevailing market wage.

Not to mention: does this mean if I stop paying attention to Iraq, I won't have to pay taxes to support it?

I expect better from UCSD.

[Jacques Albert]

Professor Holbo:

I see you've a book on Sir Isaiah Berlin. I'm keen to read you're book to discover what your treatment of the anti-Enlightenment philosopher Joseph de Maistre may be, for, as you doubtless know, Sir Isaiah devoted considerable space to Maistre. And the historian Richard LeBrun, Maistre's English translator and commentator, is an acquaintance and correspondent of mine.
I see also that you're at Singapore National University--this reminds me also that I should also try to resume my contact with an old roomate of mine who later joined the diplomatic corps of the city. I haven't seen him for years and he once promised me a return on the hospitality my family had shown to him when he studied in the States.
By the way, Professor Holbo, I seem to have some difficulty getting posts onto "The Valve" lately. I'm an ALSC member, have attended several ALSC conventions and made recent contributions to the Literary Imagination journal. Are there selection policies for the blogsite of which I'm unaware? I don't think one could characterise my comments as doing philosophy with a hammer.
In any case, I am
yours sincerely,
Dr JA

[Jacques Albert]

read: "your"

[Jonathan]

I'm afraid that carries very little weight, Jacques, if that's your "real" name.