A WALL Won't Solve The Problem - Here's a Better Solution

President Donald Trump insists that a wall, built along the US/Mexican border, is the only way to curtail illegal immigration and protect our country from "bad" elements. Forget the fact that statistics show illegal immigration has declined to its lowest point in decades. Forget the fact that more violent crimes are committed, percentage-wise and overall, by those legally in the US than those who enter the country illegally. Let's put that aside for the moment and let's look at a real solution.

Putting a wall along the border isn't going to significantly affect the flow of drugs into our country. Most of those are through ports anyways. It won't stop "bad actors" who want to enter our country... they'll find a way to get in. And even illegal immigrants will find a way under, over or through the wall. Building such a wall is extremely expensive and maintaining it will be a drain on our tax dollars that will never end.

Even if it did lessen the flow of illegal immigrants, which is doubtful, it's only treating the symptom. What we need to do is treat the cause.

People come to the U.S. for opportunity. A better life. A higher standard of living. So why not allow them to have these things without leaving their country?

Instead of spending 5.7 billion or more on a border wall, take that money and invest in other countries. I'm not talking about charity. We're not giving money away. We are loaning money and expecting a return on our investment.

If a country doesn't have clean water, has a sub-standard infrastructure and many of the people are unemployed... then invest in those things. Send some of our American know how to these countries. Build water purification plants. Build roads. Build businesses. We can send knowledgeable workers to these countries to help set up and train local workers to be self-sufficient. Teach them to earn a living providing for their own country. It will boost the economy of these countries, raise the standard of living and provide opportunities for people to thrive in their native land.

Plus, these loans we make are repaid from the businesses that are created. As these businesses grow, they will make payments towards the initial investment. Instead of spending money on a non-revenue generating barrier, the money that was used is repaid with interest.

Sure, there are some countries where such an investment might be too risky. So we don't invest there. But when these countries see the benefits reaped by other countries that are participating in this venture with the U.S., they'll either get their act together so we can invest or see their population dwindle as citizens emigrate to countries that are thriving. And this won't mean them only thinking of the U.S.  They'll go to countries closer to where they came from, boosting those countries up even further.

Plus it's a great P.R and economic win for the United States. All these countries that need help will look favorably on the U.S. and become markets for our goods. Trade agreements favorable to U.S. companies will boost our own economy at the same time. It's also a diplomatic win, as these countries will no doubt establish very good relations with our country and look to us as a world leader.

What will happen to the flow of illegal immigration into the U.S.?  It will dwindle even further as people no longer feel the need to leave their native land to find opportunity, a better standard of living and a better life.  As far as "bad actors" who try to camouflage themselves by blending in with groups trying to get into the United States, they will find such groups becoming sparser, strangling that avenue of entry into our country.

And since we are seeing a return on our investment, we can use that money to assist law enforcement in reducing the flow of illegal drugs into this country, plus work on improving our own infrastructure, tapping sources of renewable energy and boosting our own economy.

Is this a delusional plan? Obviously, I don't think so. There will be challenges. A lot of research will be needed to best implement this strategy. But in the end, we will have a planet where more people are healthier, happier and living a life of dignity.

Or we could waste our money on a wall.

What do you think?

Donald Trump's Approval Ratings Are About To Take Another Hit

Just wanted to point something out very quickly. Recently I decided it was time to start on my tax filing for 2018. I have all the paperwork, put in all the figures using an online service and waited to see what kind of refund I would get.

The answer was... none. In fact I owe.

Now for me, this is not a crisis. I don't owe a lot and I do have more than enough in savings to cover the bill. But I did notice that the standard deduction was the best one for me for the first time in many years. This is due to changes based on President Trump's tax legislation that put into place permanent tax cuts for corporations and temporary tax cuts for the middle class. While I did see a little bump in my take home pay when this legislation was enacted, that same legislation doesn't allow me the same deductions as a mortgage paying homeowner. So this changed my expected refund to an unexpected bill.

I have a feeling I won't be the only one affected. Many people will be receiving reduced refunds or will end up owing taxes this year. Yes, if they had noticed a bump in their paychecks and put that additional money aside, they would likely have more than enough to cover the difference. But how many people actually did that? I'm afraid there are a lot of people who live paycheck to paycheck. When they saw a bit of a bump in their pay (which will eventually go away), they likely spent it. An extra pizza night. Going to the movies. A little more shopping. Great for the economy, but these people were likely still anticipating a tax refund.

Some will still get refunds. I know a lot of people who claim less exemptions on their taxes because they want a huge refund. Not realizing it would be wiser to claim the proper amount of exemptions and bank that extra money. Most accountants recommend that you structure your tax payments so you get either a very small refund or owe a very small amount in taxes. Because if you put that money in any type of savings account or investment, you'll earn SOMETHING on it. When it's a refund, you get no interest on that money. A refund is YOUR money that you basically lent to the government, interest-free. Why do people do this? Many of them because they don't think about saving.

But I have a feeling a lot of refunds will be reduced this year and many people who are used to refunds are going to owe. These people are going to demand an explanation. And when they find out it's due to the tax cut bill that President Donald Trump put through as his signature piece of legislation, they aren't going to be happy.

With the unpopular Government shut down fresh in people's minds and the prospect of another one, a flurry of people not getting the refunds they "deserve" is likely to negatively affect Trump's approval rating even more. The only upside for the President is, even if he won re-election, the middle class tax cuts aren't set to expire until 2025. So whoever succeeded him would have to deal with that issue.

Almost like he planned it.