Quote Originally Posted by Gelatinous Cube
And it does not mean that the USA should have to lower it's standards to accomodate them. You want to solve the problem by fixing Mexico? Be my guest, just don't take too much of my tax money, and you had better make it quick. Want to lower minimum wage, give amnesty, and ignore the border? Kiss my ass, because you clearly don't realize the magnitude of the problem.
Lower minimum wage??? Hell no. It is too low already for a 1st world nation. You can't live on it working a single job...and that's without a family. My health care premiums would eat up ~40% of minimum wage if that's what I made, and my family is healthy and has the cheapest insurance we can find. Minimum wage isn't even a living wage.

I've been watching "the problem" before you were even conceived, so don't tell me I don't realize the magnitude of the problem.

A wall would be symbolic. That's why so many (myself included) find the idea appealing. The real solution is to give a hell of a lot more funding to the borders, and perhaps encourage state governers to organize local militias to patrol the borders. We shouldn't be worried about the well-being of these would-be criminals, we should be worrying about keeping them out. If they want in, they can do it legally. Another big step towards solving the problem would be changing the law regarding anchor babies. With luck, there will be legislation regarding this coming down the pipe some day in the near future.
And that's the problem. We have lots of symbolism already. The current Admin is mostly symbols, and little substance. If you really want to tackle this, it is going to take some serious resolve, a lot of money, and a fairly hard stance towards folks coming in. It is easy for you and I to propose what has to be done, but we all get soft hearted when we see the children and other innocents who will most certainly suffer as a result. Dealing with that is not easy (except for racists who don't really give a flip about innocents.) I'm not saying we shouldn't, I'm saying this isn't going to be easy, and a symbol alone won't do the trick--by a long shot.

It will cost the Feds a fortune, but the states should benefit. It is state organs (health/welfare/education/penal) that are taxed the most by illegals. The Catch 22 is that you are most likely to see the strongest resistance in those states which would benefit most on paper...for demographic reasons.

If you study the history of U.S. state militia's over the past 100 years or so I think you will find they have been quite noxious beasts in the past. They tend to represent either mob violence, or the power of the elite...with not a whole lot in between. I would rather have career professionals handling things, rather than fire breathing amateurs.