What would it take?

I think the reason so many don't wait to immigrate legally is because it is an already complicated and overwhelming process that often takes a long time. Imagine living in one of those border cities in Mexico where the death toll is insane thanks to the constant fighting, hell I'm sure there are families that have already seen too much death on a regular basis. Should they have to wait a year or two or however long it takes to process the application and go through the vetting? On top of that they might have already tried and gotten turned down. Then what? I guess they are just stuck living in whatever cartel dominated country they reside in, and they just have to live their lives hoping a stray bullet doesn't catch them on the way to the grocery store?

Point is, are we really going to sit here and act like our legal immigration system isn't overwhelmed with applications? Look at the state of the rest of the world. Why doesn't Trump fix that instead of building a wall?

Mooby mooby mooby....our you saying our extremely generous immigration policy where we welcome so many per year is the problem? Ive never heard any complaints and really non from the Mexican Gov't..???

The main reason folks are crossing illegally is Cartel violence?

Mooby, buddy.....I gotta give you the "come on man!" for this post.

If there is any restrictions directly from Mexico or problems, its caused by the Mexican Government and there own problem with illegal immigration. Remember, a lot of folks are illegally crossing over from central and south America into Mexico to then travel to the US border only to be trafficked into the US illegally or crossing over themselves. If its any delay its trying to vet IDs, nationalities, etc.

Our legal immigration policy is fine...I don't think there is an issue. Sorry, but 9/11 changed a lot of things, but we still do a tremendous job in accepting a lot of people into this country...which IM 110% for.

Mooby mooby mooby....our you saying our extremely generous immigration policy where we welcome so many per year is the problem? Ive never heard any complaints and really non from the Mexican Gov't..???

The main reason folks are crossing illegally is Cartel violence?

Mooby, buddy.....I gotta give you the "come on man!" for this post.

If there is any restrictions directly from Mexico or problems, its caused by the Mexican Government and there own problem with illegal immigration. Remember, a lot of folks are illegally crossing over from central and south America into Mexico to then travel to the US border only to be trafficked into the US illegally or crossing over themselves. If its any delay its trying to vet IDs, nationalities, etc.

Our legal immigration policy is fine...I don't think there is an issue. Sorry, but 9/11 changed a lot of things, but we still do a tremendous job in accepting a lot of people into this country...which IM 110% for.

I'm not gonna debate the numbers of legal immigrants we let in this country. I am saying the branch of gov't responsible for vetting applicants probably has so many applicants on their hands that people will be stuck waiting for years to get in. Put yourself in their hands. If you had to go the legal route and wait for who-knows how long and not even know for sure whether you will get in or not, or alternatively you could save up as much money as possible and catch a ride to the border, to potentially save your kids from growing up in whatever 3rd world country you live in, you wouldn't?

The worst that happens is you will get deported if you get caught, barring you having a criminal record of course. People's lives are at stake. The drug war in Mexico has claimed huge amounts of lives, some of which are certainly innocent people caught in the crossfire. South American countries have no jobs, no hope, rampant corruption, a weak economy, violence from various factions, and you think people should just suck it up and play the legal waiting game?

I get it Chico, you got your own problems and your own shit to deal with, who fucking cares about their problems until they come to your country and make it your problem? That's the burden of being the main country on Earth where everyone who doesn't live here thinks is the solution to their problems.

I'm not gonna debate the numbers of legal immigrants we let in this country. I am saying the branch of gov't responsible for vetting applicants probably has so many applicants on their hands that people will be stuck waiting for years to get in. Put yourself in their hands. If you had to go the legal route and wait for who-knows how long and not even know for sure whether you will get in or not, or alternatively you could save up as much money as possible and catch a ride to the border, to potentially save your kids from growing up in whatever 3rd world country you live in, you wouldn't?

The worst that happens is you will get deported if you get caught, barring you having a criminal record of course. People's lives are at stake. The drug war in Mexico has claimed huge amounts of lives, some of which are certainly innocent people caught in the crossfire. South American countries have no jobs, no hope, rampant corruption, a weak economy, violence from various factions, and you think people should just suck it up and play the legal waiting game?

I get it Chico, you got your own problems and your own shit to deal with, who fucking cares about their problems until they come to your country and make it your problem? That's the burden of being the main country on Earth where everyone who doesn't live here thinks is the solution to their problems.

Mooby, lets just demand people who really want to be here do the right things to get legal status to be here. Is that too much to ask? Do you think a lot of these illegals give a flying fuck really about this country? Its a paycheck to them.

What about the tax money we spend to provide services to illegals? What about all the money made here to support the Mexican economy back home?

Mooby, lets just demand people who really want to be here do the right things to get legal status to be here. Is that too much to ask? Do you think a lot of these illegals give a flying fuck really about this country? Its a paycheck to them.

What about the tax money we spend to provide services to illegals? What about all the money made here to support the Mexican economy back home?

I understand that some portion (the percentage is up for debate) of my tax dollars is going to supporting services that illegal immigrants use. Which sucks. But part of my tax dollars are also wasted by government abuse. I'd say let's make a big deal out of that, but I already know the answer is "well that's what Trump means by drain the swamp." If draining the swamp means all of his advisers are coming from the private sector they already got rich off of, so be it. If draining the swamp means deregulating every industry they can think of "so the economy will get a boost" whatever. I'm not banking on getting any improvement out of it anyways.

Back to the original point at hand, you are lying to yourself if you think families and people come to America from 3rd world countries thinking "who cares about this place, it's just a paycheck." It's not just a paycheck. It's a better life. It's knowing your kids can play in the street without being exposed to violence. It's still a hard life, but it's almost certainly better then the one they left behind. It's just a goddamn shame you lump them in with the illegal immigrants that come here solely on behalf of whatever gang/cartel they represent, and are basically looking for easy money selling drugs/human trafficking/etc. Those are the ones we should be focusing on getting rid of, not the hard working families trying to raise their kids on a decent paycheck. It's not as black and white as you want to make it out.

And don't even start on terrorist Muslims getting in, lord knows more mass murder incidents have happened in America since 9/11 by the hand of insane white people. Why doesn't he ban Saudi Arabia immigrants from coming here, since 19 of those fuckers were responsible for 9/11? What about Egyptian immigrants? What's the excuse for them?

I get it, you want immigrants to come here legally and pay taxes like the rest of us. I would fucking love it if that happened too. But here's my final question. If Trump truly makes America great again, what do you think is going to happen? Right now the idea that America is the greatest country on Earth is just an illusion, and they're still coming in. Imagine if we truly were the greatest country on Earth again, people from every 3rd world country out there would be pouring in by the boatload. We'd make the immigrant situation in Europe look like nothing in comparison.

I understand that some portion (the percentage is up for debate) of my tax dollars is going to supporting services that illegal immigrants use. Which sucks. But part of my tax dollars are also wasted by government abuse. I'd say let's make a big deal out of that, but I already know the answer is "well that's what Trump means by drain the swamp." If draining the swamp means all of his advisers are coming from the private sector they already got rich off of, so be it. If draining the swamp means deregulating every industry they can think of "so the economy will get a boost" whatever. I'm not banking on getting any improvement out of it anyways.

Back to the original point at hand, you are lying to yourself if you think families and people come to America from 3rd world countries thinking "who cares about this place, it's just a paycheck." It's not just a paycheck. It's a better life. It's knowing your kids can play in the street without being exposed to violence. It's still a hard life, but it's almost certainly better then the one they left behind. It's just a goddamn shame you lump them in with the illegal immigrants that come here solely on behalf of whatever gang/cartel they represent, and are basically looking for easy money selling drugs/human trafficking/etc. Those are the ones we should be focusing on getting rid of, not the hard working families trying to raise their kids on a decent paycheck. It's not as black and white as you want to make it out.

And don't even start on terrorist Muslims getting in, lord knows more mass murder incidents have happened in America since 9/11 by the hand of insane white people. Why doesn't he ban Saudi Arabia immigrants from coming here, since 19 of those fuckers were responsible for 9/11? What about Egyptian immigrants? What's the excuse for them?

I get it, you want immigrants to come here legally and pay taxes like the rest of us. I would fucking love it if that happened too. But here's my final question. If Trump truly makes America great again, what do you think is going to happen? Right now the idea that America is the greatest country on Earth is just an illusion, and they're still coming in. Imagine if we truly were the greatest country on Earth again, people from every 3rd world country out there would be pouring in by the boatload. We'd make the immigrant situation in Europe look like nothing in comparison.

we will just disagree.

And when you mention tax money wasted, of course it is. Look at the growth of government...We def need less government at every level...Federal, State, and local.

we will just disagree.

And when you mention tax money wasted, of course it is. Look at the growth of government...We def need less government at every level...Federal, State, and local.

Fair enough.

Just a random note/thought: I just really dislike him as a person. Every tweet, every appointment, it just blows my mind. He comes across like a child and for acting tough, he seems like a giant pussy who just can't let shit go. Maybe one day things will settle down and he'll actually do some things where I'm like, "Wow, good for him."

If he doesn't change personally, I'll still be truly embarrassed this "man" represents me and my country. It's appalling. I don't need a boy scout, but I need someone who at least inspires SOME kind of confidence and carries themselves with a touch of dignity. Nothing he has done in his past and has done so far inspire even a shred of it for me. Sigh.

EDIT: I do wonder if anyone who voted for him is OK with the Bannon appointment. He's had some TRUE head-scratchers, but this one is just bananas to me. There are a lot of unqualified people in his cabinet, but Bannon is a TRUE piece of shit. Human garbage.

ANOTHER EDIT: Forgot to add this. Sad!

:D

Just a random note/thought: I just really dislike him as a person. Every tweet, every appointment, it just blows my mind. He comes across like a child and for acting tough, he seems like a giant pussy who just can't let shit go. Maybe one day things will settle down and he'll actually do some things where I'm like, "Wow, good for him."

If he doesn't change personally, I'll still be truly embarrassed this "man" represents me and my country. It's appalling. I don't need a boy scout, but I need someone who at least inspires SOME kind of confidence and carries themselves with a touch of dignity. Nothing he has done in his past and has done so far inspire even a shred of it for me. Sigh.

EDIT: I do wonder if anyone who voted for him is OK with the Bannon appointment. He's had some TRUE head-scratchers, but this one is just bananas to me. There are a lot of unqualified people in his cabinet, but Bannon is a TRUE piece of shit. Human garbage.

ANOTHER EDIT: Forgot to add this. Sad!

:D

I am in complete agreement. His hitlist changes every week. Right now it's Nordstrom, before it was the media. Next week it'll be that vet organization that called him out with the commercial during his favorite morning show. Imagine if Rosie O'Donnell plays Steve Bannon on SNL, he'll mount the most vicious Twitter campaign ever seen out of the presidential account.

GOP Satisfaction With US Direction Soars, Democrats' Drops | Gallup (http://www.gallup.com/poll/203891/gop-satisfaction-direction-soars-democrats-drops.aspx?g_source=Politics&g_medium=newsfeed&g_campaign=tiles)

not really a shocking view, but I think the graph below is striking:
http://content.gallup.com/origin/gallupinc/GallupSpaces/Production/Cms/POLL/ygriqtajw0sptgewyz-jrw.png

Overall the country is as satisfied with Trump as they were with Obama, but now the Democrats get to be the dissatisfied group.

http://content.gallup.com/origin/gallupinc/GallupSpaces/Production/Cms/POLL/uodwb_lzwk6vi_9ggxg_mg.png

Several points.
1) seriously - why doesn't Trump fix the state of the rest of the world?

2) I agree our legal immigration ought to be simplified and expanded - in other words the Statue of Liberty quote ought to be exemplified by our immigration policies, not by immigrants breaking our laws to get into the country.

3) Even with a liberalized immigration policy you can't offer enough legal immigration to solve the problem by itself.

4) Walls work but it's not the end all be all solution. The fact of the matter is that even in this day and age, walls/fences/security structures work. We don't build prisons without walls and fences because the bad guys will just find another way. Most people put a fence around the property line, not because it's an end all solution, but because you define the line. You say people will find other ways, and while that's true, you still block off vast amounts of avenues simply with a wall that has basic security enhancements - motion sensor, ground radar, and cameras. bottomline, no one solution is going to solve the problems at our southern border, but an effective wall, better use of technology, and an appropriate immigration policy would go a long way to reducing the issue.

Sorry for ignoring this. As for your points, I agree we should fix the US before we go about trying to save the rest of the world. I also agree there is no perfect solution to immigration, but I think we already do a good job of vetting the ones we allow in. Perhaps there should be a separate program for families that want to work hard, offer good skills, and make a fair living while paying taxes? Idk how you go about implementing that but I feel that the honest, hardworking illegal immigrants would much prefer to be legal rather than worry about being deported every time they go out in public. Obviously the criminal element doesn't care, and those are the ones that should be locked up before being deported.

As for your wall, I want to look at it from another perspective. I am at work atm and don't have access to a lot of sites, so I can't verify right now, but I would be happy to track down the source if necessary (I will admit I got it from FB). The article mentioned that after the legal battles that will result from eminent domain claims it might be another 3 1/2 years before construction would start, and construction is estimated at another 3 1/2 years after it does start. So you might be looking at a partially built wall by the time the next presidential election rolls around, and if Trump loses you are almost guaranteed the next President would either alter or eliminate the idea entirely depending on the financial state of the US. Do you really want to commit to it knowing there's a 50/50 chance it doesn't get finished? That would be a lot of taxpayer money waste if it did happen.