WALL TO WALL What are they thinking

Posted on 09/01/2015

What on earth is going on south of the border?  First there is the "really really rich" front runner for the Republican nomination for president, Donald Trump blathering on about deporting illegal Mexican immigrants, building a wall along the US Mexico border and having the Mexican government pay for it (now he’s going to  allow the “good” ones to come back). So, of course, it was only a matter of time before someone thought the Northern border should get walled in – and sure enough - here we go.
Curiously it’s not Trump but Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker who says it's "legitimate" to also discuss building a wall separating the US from Canada.

In an interview for NBC's "Meet the Press", Walker said his tough talk to securing the borders and enforcing US laws extends to the 5,525-mile Canadian border as well.

The Republican presidential contender said the idea of a northern border has come up while he campaigned in New Hampshire.  Why that would be, is curious.  Are hoards of illegal Canadians streaming across the New Hampshire border stealing poorly paid jobs from Americans?   Seems unlikely, but you never know.

Then again, perhaps the Canadian problem is not illegal immigrants, but terrorists who are popping across the 49th parallel.  Remember all those stories about the 9/11 terrorists originating in Canada.  It wasn’t true - but there are those (and not just Americans – but Canadians too) who cling to it to this day.

Now, unless you swim across Lake Superior, Wisconsin is not really a border State.  No part of it actually touches Canada.  Still, you would think Walker might get the economic advantages of Canadian neighbours who scoot across the border, spend their hard earned dollars (almost regardless of the exchange rate) on goods, services and real estate, before returning home for their medical care.

Perhaps Scott Walker could give Florida Governor Rick Scott or New York Governor Andrew Cuomo a call – or any of the governors of the border states.  We’ll bet good money that they aren’t up for a Berlin Wall Cold War scenario.

Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy, of Vermont, slammed the comments on Monday, saying that having grown up near the Canadian border, Walker's suggestion is to him "one of the craziest" ideas to come out of the election.

"Gov. Walker simply must be unaware of the economic prosperity that commerce across the northern border brings to the United States," Leahy said in a statement.

"Those of us who represent states that share a border with Canada know better ... It is disappointing but not surprising that yet another Republican presidential candidate is using the border to score cheap political points."

Walker ran into trouble two weeks ago after GOP front-runner Donald Trump proposed repealing the Fourteenth Amendment's mandate that children born in the United States automatically become citizens, regardless of their parents' legal status.

Walker first said he favored Trump's idea of repealing birthright citizenship. He backed off that stance days later, telling a reporter that he hasn't taken a position.

Then last Sunday, he said that he isn't advocating any changes to laws on the books - including the Fourteenth Amendment.

Despite taking three different positions in the course of a week, Walker insisted Sunday on NBC, his stance has been consistent.

Perhaps Trump and Walker can now focus on the east coast of Florida.  A wall along Miami Beach would prevent illegal immigration from Cuba.  Or won’t that happen anymore?