Easy for the USA to have Mexico pay for the wall - just tax the $24+ Billion that is sent from people inside the USA to Mexico each year in cash remittances. I suppose they could get sophisticated and use Bitcoin instead............ $60 Billion trade deficit with Mexico every year. USA imports $300 Billion of Mexican goods each year with a total GDP of Mexico of $1,140 Billion. So yeah, the USA provides close to 30% of the total GDP of Mexico ($300 + $24). Walls seem to be popular: Turkey has a wall - Turkey to complete Syria border wall within 5 months, official says | Reuters Hungary has a wall/fence - Hungary planning and of course Israel has a wall. Some non-partisan facts: Illegal immigration costs U.S. taxpayers about $113 billion a year at the federal, state and local level. The bulk of the costs — some $84 billion — are absorbed by state and local governments. The annual outlay that illegal aliens cost U.S. taxpayers is an average amount per native-headed household of $1,117. The fiscal impact per household varies considerably because the greatest share of the burden falls on state and local taxpayers whose burden depends on the size of the illegal alien population in that locality Education for the children of illegal aliens constitutes the single largest cost to taxpayers, at an annual price tag of nearly $52 billion. Nearly all of those costs are absorbed by state and local governments. At the federal level, about one-third of outlays are matched by tax collections from illegal aliens. At the state and local level, an average of less than 5 percent of the public costs associated with illegal immigration is recouped through taxes collected from illegal aliens. Most illegal aliens do not pay income taxes. Among those who do, much of the revenues collected are refunded to the illegal aliens when they file tax returns. Many are also claiming tax credits resulting in payments from the U.S. Treasury.
This is very true, Mexico has it's own illegal immigration problems and has a very porous southern border due to it being uninhabited jungle. I did also read that in the last few years more Mexicans have returned home from the US than have arrived there. So I don't feel the problem belongs to Mexico. Incidentally, my home country the UK also has big problems with illegal immigration thanks to Angela Merkel's crazy policies and has built a wall in France to try and stop illegal entry. While on a much smaller scale than the US/Mexico wall this was paid for entirely by the Brits. Going back to the 20% tariff on Mexican imports wouldn't this go against NAFTA and therefore that whole agreement would need to be ripped up for it to take place? Maybe a better option might be to charge a transaction fee on money sent back to Mexico by wire transfer, increase visa fees and the 6 dollars for a land crossing therefore putting the decision in the hands of Mexicans whether they want to pay or not. Mexico could impose a $20 fee on flights to the US and again put the decision on those who may want to visit Mexico and could choose not to. On a slightly different note, as a Brit, I was very encouraged by the talks between Trump and Theresa May regarding closer ties between our two countries and especially increased trade following Brexit. Exciting times ahead that's for sure.
Regardless of whether or not the wall gets built, it will not cost any more to go to Cancun, or anywhere else in Mexico! Two years ago the exchange rate was 15 pesos for 1 dollar. Today it is almost 22 pesos for 1 dollar. That means we should already be paying 30% less. But we are not! The hotels and travel companies are using the situation to enhance their profits, not passing along the savings to us. If Trump gets his way, the pesos will devalue even more. I would think at some point savings will be passed along to travelers. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Tyler, drinking until your guts fall out is generally defined as a "Bad Thing," just sayin'.... I did follow the sentiment though. Donald, what the hell is "V-V"..?? Has anyone else heard the comic... I can't remember which one ... (might be Christopher Titus?) do the routine about not putting the wall at the U.S. & Mexico border, but simply having all our Mexican nationals who live in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and California just talk to their family and friends in Mexico about just joining the U.S., like in some sort of agreed-upon expansion/annexation (shoot, each side could say they annexed the other one). There is a great line of running gags about how the flag has to get bigger, since we'd need to add 31 new stars to the Stars & Stripes, but we're already sort of in such a mode anyway. Jokes about going to the DMV and there being a Spanish-speaking line etc etc etc all the usual stuff. Anyway, the entire monologue ends up with the "border" ending up at the Panama Canal, and the faceless people standing there saying, "Swim that and climb up here, bitch." (I think those Panama Canal locks are really tall... for someone to try to climb straight up while ships are passing behind them, eh?
Outstanding. Facts always "trump" perceptions. We alsolove the Cancun area. Thats why we go so often. OTOH, this country cannot and should not continue funding illegals. Come legally, no problem. I will never understand why some people dont understand the concept of legal vs illegal.:icon_question:
Ahh, OK Donald. Clear. For me, and I'm in Texas so don't live it but I do have tight buds that live in the suburb area of Toronto, I don't perceive there to be a "problem" with U.S. and Canadian relations. I may be off on that, but I haven't noticed people going around gong F*ing Canadians, unless they happen to be hockey fans.
to be fair even though the numbers are close we are very much on the short end. For example,,,, we export crude oil to the USA ,, the USA refines it , and we purchase it back with value added ( labor) . So in actual fact we contribute to the US economy .
