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(Reuters) Internal report: Trump border 'wall' to cost $21.6 billion, take 3.5 years

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Such a pointless endeavor. I'd bet that many Upper-midwest people who voted for him liked this idea because "Mexicans were stealing our jobs". Yes, Mexicans are the reason why you don't have a job in Columbus, Ohio......
No shit! The number one reason why the US Men's National Soccer Team chooses to play in Columbus when playing a against Mexico in official matches is because of the relatively low numbers of Mexican immigrants living there and thus assuring themselves a friendly audience in the stands! They could host it in larger stadiums in bigger cities to a packed stadium but Mexico would play as the "local" one of they did that, lol.
 

NYR

Member
$21 billion
/
$100,000 salary
=
210,000 border agents across 2000 miles.

That is 105 agents per mile or an agent every 50 feet.

Greatest job program of all time. The human wall.
 

dankir

Member
So once it goes up, will it have border patrols 24/7? Who is going to maintain it? Can't people climb over it? Don't massive projects like this run into cost overruns and delays? Can Batman beat Superman at chess?
 

Hazmat

Member
The best part is that this is probably an optimistic estimate.

The only way that timeline isn't optimistic is if they're ok with saying "fuck it" after 3 years and just putting those rented segmented chain link fences you see at construction site along the other half of the border.
 
$21 billion
/
$100,000 salary
=
210,000 border agents across 2000 miles.

That is 105 agents per mile or an agent every 50 feet.

Greatest job program of all time. The human wall.

Did they include cost of monitoring the wall
Scanning for tunnels
Painting and repairs over time

What does it work out in cash per illegal immigrant that crosses each year?
 

Apathy

Member
Man, you would think that much money could be better spent helping the people of the country, the ones that paid that into taxes instead of being used on a mad man's monument to racism.
 
The wall is not about keeping anyone in or out. The only purpose it serves is to sate the "Build the wall!" people so that they will vote for him again in 4 years. That's it.
 

Brinbe

Member
If, for some God forsaken reason that thing is actually built, there is no way it will be that cheap in the end or be built in that short a time. Probably closer to a trillion and like a decade, if other big construction projects are any indication.

It'll forever be a monument and reminder of the nation's racism and stupidity.
 
The only way that timeline isn't optimistic is if they're ok with saying "fuck it" after 3 years and just putting those rented segmented chain link fences you see at construction site along the other half of the border.

But he could get a a bunch of cheap labor by hitting up the local Home Depots. Oh wait...

/too soon
 

Dryk

Member
$21 billion
/
$100,000 salary
=
210,000 border agents across 2000 miles.

That is 105 agents per mile or an agent every 50 feet.

Greatest job program of all time. The human wall.
Imagine the camera/drone network you could construct with that sort of money
 

GhaleonEB

Member
And just think of how expensive it'll be when you factor inflation and maintenance into the mix.

I can't even imagine the maintenance costs. Especially since people are going to be demolishing it in protest, or to just get through it, constantly.

$21 billion
/
$100,000 salary
=
210,000 border agents across 2000 miles.

That is 105 agents per mile or an agent every 50 feet.

Greatest job program of all time. The human wall.

Oof, that's a good perspective on it. Or we could, you know, spend that money fixing stuff that needs fixing.
 
If he is really going to build this damn wall, then he better go baller and build it out of stones and bricks like the great wall of china.
 

BobLoblaw

Banned
$21 billion and people will either climb over it, somehow go through it, or go under it. How many better uses for that money are there? There's got to be thousands of those.
 
Don't buy it. I'm in the business of building prefab cell phone towers (environmental consulting) and those take forever to get through engineering, surveying, architecture, etc.

There are projects that I started working on over a year ago that are still in limbo due to random issues related to environmental or easement issues.

Government or not, they'll still be relying on private contractors and the realities of nature.

Good thing we're getting rid of all those shitty regulations then!

Make it with slave labor while we're at it
 
Man, I was always hoping this wall was a metaphor. Still blows my mind that this is still a real thing.

We gunna have bow and arrow sentries every block as well? Maybe some spear throwers every mile or so as well.
 

Plasmid

Member
3.5 years? It took my dad's county 4 years to fix a bridge. 2 years for a road when I was in college. Infrastructure government jobs schedules are pushed back so much its unbelievable.
 

CazTGG

Member
On the bright side, Elizabeth and the Democrats will have a great tagline for their 2020 campaign:
"Mr. Trump, tear down this wall."
"Tear it down. Tear him down!"
 
This is the dumbest shit ever. Thanks to Joe Bob and his sister wife, who's afraid an illegal took his job when he's probably never even seen a Hispanic person thanks to Fox News and others like him I'm going to have to pay for this bullshit with my taxes and watch Trump kick my friends out of the country.
 
I believe offering people trying to cross illegally $10,000 to turn back will be cheaper and more efficient.
the-wire-o.gif
 

Koomaster

Member
Hmm, going to take so long, may be better to let whoever wins the presidency in 2020 make the final decision on this. It's really only fair.
 

KHarvey16

Member
Even if this somehow starts to be built, it will never be finished. They will spend millions of dollars constantly repairing destroyed sections or attempting to prevent vandalism.
 
Remember folks, the NASA Curiosity Rover costed about $2.1 Billion and employees many scientists, engineers, physicists, and more. And the science we collected from it... That's pretty important.

Oh and that New Horizons probe that got us our very first clear pictures of Pluto... $0.7 Billion.
 
Useless, just fucking useless. Fiscal conservatism right here.

Spend the money on healthcare, NASA, fixing some roads in the south. Fucking something useful.
 
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