(President Donald Trump speaks to the media before departing the White House for Camp David on January 6, 2019 in Washington, D.C. – Pool/Getty Images)
Mark Caserta is an opinion columnist and editor for Free State Patriot.
January 6, 2019
As the government shutdown continues, both sides remain firmly entrenched in their ideology about building a wall along our southern border. The difference?
It’s this simple.
President Trump’s position protects Americans. The Democrat position puts them at risk.
I have a question for readers, and maybe more specifically, for Democrats. Why do federal prisons have some sort of a fence or a wall around them? Why do people build walls around their homes or businesses? The answer is ridiculously obvious to an intellectually honest person. But apparently progressive Democrats don’t fall into that category.
Walls are meant to keep people, critters or anything intrusive on their respective sides! Why did the city of Huntington build a “flood wall”? To keep out unwanted water!
The Democrats position asserting a wall along our southern border with Mexico would be ineffective and a waste of money simply defies common sense.
Per a May 2018 column in USA Today, at the end of World War II, there were seven border walls or fences in the world. Today, as President Trump pushes to deliver on his campaign promise to build a wall on the border with Mexico, there are at least 77 walls or fences around the world. Many were erected after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City and at the Pentagon.
Each of us realizes the threat of terror and crime across the globe has increased exponentially over the past 17 years. As the threats increase, we must prepare accordingly. We never “arrive” in our pursuit of safety. Our military is constantly working on new and innovative weapons designed to protect our homeland, while our enemies are simultaneously working on weapons designed to destroy it.
“Not” building the wall is a blatant dereliction of our representative’s duty and responsibility to protect Americans!
Let’s be clear. The battle over President Trump’s border wall isn’t about money for Democrats. It’s about seeing Donald Trump fail, at something, at anything – just fail. And liberal Democrats are willing to lower themselves to any level, to obstruct this president, even if it means Americans will be less safe.
But trust me when I tell you, President Trump will not fail in his “America first” pledge to protect our country from illegal immigration by building a border security wall or in some locations a fence. The president has often stated, geography will determine what structure will be needed to prevent illegals from entering our country.
Last week, President Trump threatened to declare a national emergency over immigration, which would allow him to bypass Congress and build the wall on our southern border. By declaring a state of national emergency, White House officials believe it will unlock money from other sources, allocating the $5.6 billion needed to construct the wall.
“We can call a national emergency and build it very quickly,” Mr. Trump told reporters in the Rose Garden when asked about an emergency declaration.
Asked if his claim was intended to scare Democrats into making a deal, he replied, “I never make threats.” Officials at the Homeland Security, Justice and Defense Departments have reportedly researched the issue for Mr. Trump.
Under the National Emergencies Act of 1976, presidents can take unilateral action in times of crisis, provided they notify Congress, specify the circumstances that necessitated the declaration and document all uses of executive authority that are covered by the emergency.
One must remember, Donald Trump “wrote the book” on negotiation. I believe shutting the government down was a necessary step to negotiate from a position of strength. He knew Congress’s feckless method of “kicking the can down the road” with Continuing Resolutions has never solved a single problem. He was determined to take a path to success, even at the risk of owning the shutdown.
Negotiation “101” teaches a party “must” be willing to walk away from the table. And that’s exactly what President Trump did. Democrats and Americans, alike, now realize he means business.
I expect President Trump will allow the government shutdown to continue long enough to get the attention of the American people in exposing Democrats in their illegitimate argument against the wall. If Democrats don’t come to the table with a proposal that fully funds the president’s proposed wall, he will procure it in another manner. I believe his team has already researched other options to secure the wall’s funding.
I still believe the president would be well-served if he would lay out his plan to ultimately have Mexico pay for the wall, either directly or indirectly. This most assuredly would bolster support for his position, as it was, indeed, part of his campaign pledge. At some point, he must do so.
So, for the time being, we wait and watch, as the mainstream media boost their ratings decrying every step this president takes. But in the end, it will be President Trump and Americans in the winner’s circle.
And liberal Democrats will cry and lament over Trump’s continued success as president.
Free State Patriot 
BUILD THAT WALL!!!
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