Good news: House passes $1.6 billion border security, crime-fighting package…
Bad news: It’s not for America, but for Mexico and Central America.
The Merida Initiative, which I have blogged about extensively (see here), passed earlier today by a 311-106 margin.
Via CQ Politics:
The bill would authorize $595 million for fiscal 2008, $645 million for fiscal 2009 and $350 million for fiscal 2010.
The Senate supplemental would provide $450 million for fiscal 2008; the House version would include $461.5 million. The administration had requested $550 million.
Members cited Mexico’s increasingly violent drug war, which has taken some 6,000 lives in the last two years, including recent assassinations of two top police officials.
“Mexico is burning,” said Rep. Brian P. Bilbray , R-Calif., who represents an area north of San Diego. “We are not taking on a war on drugs down at the border, we are taking on the battle against narcoterrorism.”
The bill would authorize $1.1 billion for Mexico, $405 million for Central America and $73.5 million for Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives programs that target the smuggling of guns into Mexico from the United States.
Several Texas Republicans said the bill should have included programs to address illegal immigration and the drug trade on the domestic side.
“It is inexcusable, it is intolerable to send one dime to the Mexican government when they can afford to pay for this equipment themselves,” said John Culberson , R-Texas. “But more importantly, our southern border is not secure.”
Our fence has yet to be completed, but we’ll be providing helicopters, surveillance equipment, computer infrastructure, expansion of intelligence databases, anti-corruption initiatives, human rights education and training, and anti-money laundering program to our southern neighbors.
Meanwhile, there’s a call to fast track funding for our southern border enforcement.
Don’t hold your breath.
***
Here’s the roll call vote.
See what others have said
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And this surprises us why? When are Americans going to wake up and vote these irrational lunatics out of office. It’s time to do it regardless of how you feel about your representatives. None of them are getting anything done, so let’s sned them home – and then let’s force term limits on the rest of them. That is the only solution.
Um, so, shall we take repayment in, oh… oil?
I heard the other day that the Mexicans wouldn’t take it unless we did away with instructions/restrictions on how they spend it. Did we stick with those caveats or did we cave in and just give it to them to skim as they will?
Bwahahahahahah! you almost had me Michelle. not.
Michelle, I hope you’ll be able to post the voting record.
100% of Dems – yea I bet.
This is ridiculous.. and 3/4 of the House passed it?? What the hell, how much are they being paid off for this treason?? And what’s the point protecting Mexico’s southern border – the drug dealers want to bring it NORTH into the US not SOUTH!!! They’re so corrupt down there, almost all of that money will be used to AID the movement of drugs and people from South America, and then it’s an easy stroll into the US from there because there is no security at the US southern border.
That’s it. Clearly the only way this country will EVER change for the better is to hit the bottom of the barrel first. I’m voting Obama – at least we’ll hit bottom a bit sooner. We may not recover, but at least we’ll find out sooner.
And this is our problem how? Fix the damn border and deport the illegal invaders. Enough is enough. The ACLU is fighting a lawsuite today and are trying to get the Special Order 40 to stay. This Special Order 40 protects these Drug dealers that cross the border on a daily basis.
“Mexico is burning,” and they’re crapping on the tomatoes again.
1.6 Billion? hummmmm… that could fill a lot of freezers.
Not only does the US govt want to play nanny to it’s citizens, it seems it wants to play nanny to the world. Well guess what – the citizens can’t afford to pay the nanny anymore. Nanny, you’re fired.
Mexico is burning? Maybe if we stop calling it a “fence” & start calling it a “fire wall”… Hmmmm …”to protect the environment”… OK, so far so good.
“& to protect endangered indigenous species” (like us) OK…
can we say it’s organic?
Tea all over the monitor. Great one Brooklyne Red.
.
Again? I hadn’t known they had stopped.
Especially with the cash their fellow Mexicans send home from working here illegally.
Sigh. Another “Look what I’ve done” program, touted by the politicians. More money, no results. But, results don’t matter, neither does where the money goes, it’s how good you feel, that’s important. Right, Congress?
I read the other day Mexico has taken the death sentence on their illegal mexican here in the U.S. to the world court to block the sentence. Let’s help that bunch with our taxes, oh yes we can! The SC has already said TX can carry it out.
L
Is congress shooting for a 1% approval rating?
brokklynred #12 – rofl!
You may be onto something…
John #13… but I’m serious, it is a marketing & PR issue. The libs hide their agenda with buzz words… fire wall could work.
Why don’t we just make Mexico a state?
UPDATE ON SPECIAL ORDER 40. Judge Treu is too scared to rule infront of the people so it’s unders submission. What his bank account grow and all his friends at the ACLU to work him over to throw out the lawsuit.
This is about having KNOWN ILLEGAL ALIEN GANG BANGERS DEPORTED AND THE ACLU IS FIGHTING FOR THEM??????????
How much money does Mexico pay in bribes? This is sick.
Oops Watch his bank account.
Well, it may not just be how good they feel. The results could be that the money also flows to the industries providing the helicopters, surveillance equipment, computer infrastructure, expansion of intelligence databases, anti-corruption initiatives, human rights education and training.
Your congressional lobbiests at work to bring the money home to tbe businesses in the home districts of those who voted “yes” to this. You know, for the votes and cash for re-election campaigns.
“How much money does Mexico pay in bribes?”
Uhhhh, 1.6 billion?
and it’s not a bribe… it’s redistribution.
They already seem to believe the USA is one of theirs.
They must be drinking their own water.
And we pay taxes why????
Talk about money down a rathole…you know there are people who have suggested Jorge Bush is getting profits from drug imports…beginning to believe it!
OOOOOOOO KAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
I KNOW __ I KEEP REPEATING MYSELF…
BUT…..
this is what we have gotten bey voting for:
THE LESSER OF TWO EVILS…
How much longer are we going to punish our children’s children?????
There shooting for two more generations.
# 24 – 25 b red…:-)
I know – slower stroking of the keys…
…we have gotten BY …. (-:
Wow, $1.1 billion could pay for a lot of anti-personnel mines, anti-tank mines, concrete barriers, anti-vehicular ditches, moats, aerial surveillance, etc. Sure, some of these things sound brutal, but it’d surely deter a few folks from crossing the border, wouldn’t it? And just think, we’d probably make up that amount and more in savings at every level of government by preventing more illegal immigrants from entering the states, especially if we enforced the laws prohibiting people from hiring or housing illegal aliens.
It only took the Founders — prep time…2-3 years and then.. 1775 (Battle of Concord) -1783-(Treaty of Paris)..
LET’S ROLL!!!!!!
Roll call vote is here. Every rep from KY — except the one who always seems to have a clue (Ed Whitfield) voted for this piece of garbage. Thank God we have Bunning and McConnell in the Senate!
On June 10th, 2008 at 5:15 pm, walterc said:
Looks like no amendments after it came out of committee — figures.
Obviously this clueless Congress critter didn’t catch the news John Ansell about the 14 homicides in the LA area complements of the same drug cartels and their associated gangs working on our side of the border. We need a clean sweep in DC to get these clueless idiots off the Government dole. I wouldn’t doubt we would be better served if we randomly picked our Congress critters out of each districts phone book each election cycle.
Christian Soldier, the good thing about key-stroking is we avoid going, “Uhhh, umm, ahh, you know, like, and and and, & errr” an ailment I like to refer to as “Ohbamics”
Wake up America!! Vote these idiots out of office…Clean house!!
I’m sick and darn well tired of a congress that takes care of our enemies, and every other country better than thay do us. U.S. citizens are only an afterthought that pays their bills.
Send_Me #32…
like the way you think.
I’m in. We could take the whole enchilada in 3-4 weeks, rename it Nuevo Mierda and start pumping oil shortly thereafter.
The Senators can still put an end to it–correct?
Die Hippie, Die, we have plenty of oil right here… imperialism don’t work so good. Remember the commonwealth of Puerto Rico???
brooklyn red I agree- let’s drill our own oil and keep our $$$$ here.
WTH is wrong with these people?
Golden Knight, that is funny.
You know folks, I read yesterday that the Supremes will be taking up a case from KS where illegals get in-state tuition while good old out of state kids have to pay 3 X as much. I actually thought they were done for the year but maybe not? Any lawyers know for sure?
Talk about skewed priorities. Yes, since Mexico is a bottomless pit where we’ll never see that money again…. let’s pour some more money into it just to prop Mexico up… even though they have the habit of passing the buck, their politicians/military/police participating in the drug cartels or getting kickbacks, or for that matter looking the other way.
I don’t understand how some of these Republicans could vote for this worthless bill. So now Mexico can’t even fight its own drug war? What about Mexico getting its priorities straight, and address their economy instead of looking the other way while millions of their people hop over the border and burden our welfare system.
Anybody who voted for this bill should be voted out office.
Michelle, do we have a list of the vermin who decided that Mexico’s problems suddenly became OUR problems?
bayou22, on their good days…
How many zeros in a billion?
lets give it to a corrupt country!! yeah, thats the ticket!
The next time you hear a politician use the
word ‘billion’ in a casual manner, think about
whether you want the ‘politicians’ spending
YOUR tax money.
A billion is a difficult number to comprehend,
but one advertising agency did a good job of
putting that figure into some perspective in
one of it’s releases.
A.
A billion seconds ago it was 1959.
B.
A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive.
C.
A billion hours ago our ancestors were living in the Stone Age.
D.
A billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet.
E.
A billion dollars ago was only 8 hours and 20 minutes, at the rate our government is spending it.
While this thought is still fresh in our brain…
let’s take a look at New Orleans .
It’s amazing what you can learn with some simple division.
Louisiana Senator, Mary Landrieu (D) is presently asking Congress for 250 BILLION DOLLARS to rebuild New Orleans .
Interesting number…what does it mean?
A.
Well… if you are one of the 484,674 residents of New Orleans(every man, woman, and child)you each get $516,528.
B.
Or… if you have one of the 188,251 homes in New Orleans , your home gets $1,329,787.
C.
Or… if you are a family of four…your family gets $2,066,012.
Washington, D. C
Are all your calculators broken??
Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL License Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Federal Income Tax Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges (tax on top of tax)
IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Tax
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service charge taxes
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Tax (Truckers)
Sales Taxes
Recreational Vehicle Tax
S chool Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Tax
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Utility Tax
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well P ermit Tax Workers Compensation Tax
STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?
Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago…
and our nation was the most prosperous in the world.
We had absolutely no national debt…
We had the largest middle class in the world…and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.
What happened?
Can you spell ‘politicians!’
And I still have to
press ’1′ for English.
I hope this goes around the
USA at least 100 times
What the heck happened?????.
and Odumbo wants MORE TAX…
I knew with a socialist democrat led house there had to be a joke in there somewhere Michelle.
You almost had me.
Keep it up.
The cowards that are the democrat party, and their teet-swilling echo chamber, affectionally known as the media will not stop until every dime America has, is going to prop up some facist regime elsewhere in the world.
They had rather bankrupt us, the tax-payer, than ever admit one of their precious feel good programs was what it is. A failure.
Helping the poor countries, instead of having to deal with their refugees, is a great idea, but the U.S. government simply handing over billions to said poor countries is not the way to do it.
Oh, AJ… you’re being such a bummer today… but yes, it is inconceivable and incomprehensible what politicians have done to change all our lives for their improvement and our devastation.
I didn’t realize there were so many taxes! Why do politicians think that it’s their job to take more money out of my wallet? What have they done to ever earn it in the first place?
And Obummer is so blase about how he’ll tax those who make $250,000 or more every year? What about the people in that category that supply our economy with jobs or their employees? What if that is somebody’s inheritance? Is it DC’s right to tax it?
Why are politicians (liberals and RINO’S)so giddy about taxation? We fought a revolution against Great Britain because of unfair taxes… will the complacent, lazy American populace take a stand or will they just continue to tritely say: oh, those taxes are for our public services, roads, police, education… even if they didn’t work that great to begin with.
AJ, you have to add one more, lovely tax to the list that I can’t stand:
VA’s PERSONAL PROPERTY TAX (CARS, RV’S, BOAT, AND MOTORCYCLES)
I could care less if states just can’t seem to manage their money. Get a better accountant. Otherwise, leave my money the hell alone!
If you go here you will see why we are spending so much money on the security of Mexico and are only getting lies and obstruction about our own border security needs. You don’t have to pay to read the report. Just open or download whichever language version you want to read.
Mexico’s problems are our problems, but only because we can’t seem to keep their problems from leaking over into our contry.
But we don’t even keep proper track of the money we spend in our own country. Who is going to make sure that, once this money gets to Mexico, it’s going to be used for its intended purpose?
How can anyone think that adding a billion dollars to a corrupt, infective government is going to “fix” anything anyway?
We supposedly have a problem with too many fat kids in America. Is congress going to give them all tater-tots?
Dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb.
Chairman Tom Cole
National Republican Congressional Committee
320 First Street S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Dear Honorable Chairman,
I am in receipt of your urgent letter dated June 2, 2008 regarding the upcoming Presidential Dinner and Annual Meeting. Per said letter, you write “as one of the Republican Party’s-and the NRCC’s-most loyal and trusted friends, I am surprised that I have yet to hear if you will be attending….” (the meeting). Sir, the reason you have not heard from me is because you are not listening to me or the millions of other Conservative Republicans. Open your ears and read your emails and mail every now and then.
You further state in the letter “We must take action together to fight back-and we must do it now”. Can you kindly advise on who you are fighting with? It can’t possibly be the Democrats as the Republican Party has one running as its nominee. I’m fighting like hell against the Illegal invaders and you don’t seem to be helping me in this fight. Please, I’d really like to know who you are fighting; as it appears to me you are fighting against ME! And the like minded grass root Conservatives that are screaming A, Secure the Border! B, Deport the Illegals and C, Enforce the laws already existing on the books.
The two tickets that you are holding for me can go to Juan Hernandez, the Mexican Lobbyist working on McCain’s campaign for amnesty. Please charge that ass double if not triple since he will be the ruin of our Party. I cannot and will not support any of our NRCC candidates until they take a pledge saying that they will not support amnesty or any other title you guys will give it i.e. comprehensive immigration reform.
Sir, are you aware that there is a war going on with the illegals? 14 people dead in one weekend (June 6 to June
here in Los Angeles alone and today you guys come out and pass $1.6 Billion in border security, crime fighting package. Sounds great but there is a problem…..it is for Mexico’s Southern Border!!!!! It’s to fight against the Drug Lords that have free access to cross our borders and kill our people. When will you and the Republican Party learn that Mexico is in the Shape it is in because of how corrupt their Government is? You can bet that a great chunk of the $1.6 Billion will go to the drug lords. Great going ass. Now I’ll have to fear more crime on our streets because $1.6 Billion will buy plenty of access to get into the United States.
I really wish one of you losers would demand that the Government Cut Federal Funding to Sanctuary Cities and States. Enforce the damn laws and deport the invaders. Until then, you’ll have to get your fundraising money from the drug dealers that you just gave that $1.6 Billion to.
I’m extremely disappointed in you and the rest of the amnesty loving Republicans. Please resign upon receipt of this letter so the Party will have time to repair the damaged you have caused.
Best regards,
John Ansell
Torrance, Ca.
United States of MEXICO
P.S. YOU HELP ME IN MY FIGHT, YOU REPRESENT ME, I DON’T REPRESENT YOU.
ajmontana
Figure this one out:
I pay a B & O taxes to my city on all the work that I do in my city.
If I work in another town that has a B & O tax, I pay the tax to that city instead of paying it to my city.
But some cities around here don’t have B & O taxes. Good for me if I wind up working there, right? Wrong. If I work in a city that doesn’t have B & O tax, I pay the tax to my home city.
So I pay a tax for doing business in my city even if the business that I do isn’t in my city.
It happens so easily.
We, the royal “we”, simply accept that governement has a right to anything a citizen earns.
While most of us understand the need for government to provide for the national defense. I submit they have no right to more than the amount necessary for the basic meeting of those needs and a limited amount of others.
These wealth re-distribution programs and corrupting practices of taking more and more of anyones labor are too much.
It is so simple to end. Yet we find it so hard to do.
America will have to face the truth one day. That even a great country such as this cannot continue to steal it’s citizens bounty and give it to another and survive.
I have no right to your earnings. I pray you, the royal “you”, understand that as well.
via PatriotPost
“[T]he government of the United States is a definite government, confined to specified objects. It is not like the state governments, whose powers are more general. Charity is no part of the legislative duty of the government.” —James Madison
“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their consciences.” —C.S. Lewis
This is a great idea a way to get things done! I propose that we enact a program to clean up China’s industrial pollution that ends up falling on California. That’s the best way to do it you know, first we launch a economy killing program then with any money we have left we take over to China, we get on our knees and lick their boots until they say, ok we’ll take it. The US guvment, licking the foreign boots that Americans refuse to lick. Ummm, tastes like, dirt.
# 53 JA –Great letter!
From one Californian to another–
CS
Immorality happened…the golden age of American conservatism ended most of a hundred years ago.
Thanks CS. I tried to clean to keep it clean and boy was that hard.
I’ll bet!
DAMN! Just DAMN!
My congressman, Pete Sessions of Texas, voted Yea. My sincere apologies as a Texan.
Meanwhile down in El Paso where they have fought the federal govt every step of the way to stop the border fence and border security. Mexico’s top cop shooting victims are being taken to the local county hospital where it goes in lockdown for security reasons.
Now they want the federal govt to take the victims to secure military facilities.
Apology accepted T Money
We Californians have had to stop apologizing for our sell-out Congressmen. If we kept at it – we wouln’t have time to work to pay for Mexico’s fence.
this is so insane, we have to buy oil from Mexico but were just handing over 1.6?????
color me perplexed….
Aj, don’t forget we’re accused by the U.N of human rights violations on top of it all. Where’s their 1.6 Billion? I’m starting to think Washington D.C. represents Mexico more than the USA.
Incumbents need not apply.
Dissolve the Union, DC represents everything and everyone not American. We are financing our own demise. Here’s how to do it, you take a Connecticut socialist, move him to Texas, wear the hat, talk the talk, and then, well you know.
This weekend something happened that changed my whole world. A car pulled up at the hospital emergency room a fifteen year old was tossed out on the filthy road. I wont describe what happened to him it was a hit and run and he ended up in the windshield and died later that night. It has been allowed to become a country of scum and it makes me sick to my stomach on a regular basis. This is the liberal world they have created, a place where you get thrown out the door your head bashed in, and those are your “friends”.
It is consistent idiotic decisions like this waste of taxpayer funds that converts what were once law-abiding responsible citizens to citizens that only look out for number one, pay minimal respect of the law, cheat on taxes and make undeclared cash transactions whenever possible in order to retain a bit of the money they worked hard for, instead of giving it to f***ing Mexico or the illegals already in the US who contribute nothing but take everything and are apparently above the law! Forget you politicians, I ain’t giving you jack, and if we can find a way to rip you off the same way you’ve been ripping us off, then why the hell shouldn’t we – we learned from an expert after all – the US government!
Representative government my azz. Take a survey of US citizens, and I bet you would see like 85-90% against. Why is it OUR freaking duty to protect their effing southern border??? We send these corrupt governments over a billion, while those in the US that are begging for border enforcement here, get to be called “racists”. Every gd politician that voted for this can go straight to h*ll. Im so sick of this already. The people of this Country are being sold out by our so called “leaders”.
Hmm – sounds a bit anarchic doesn’t it. Just day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year of this crap. Very very soon the US will be bankrupt to the point where politicians can no longer ignore it and pretend it’s not happening. That day is very close, yet politicians keep throwing taxpayer money away to projects and people who would just take the money and spit in their faces and demand more given the chance. In fact they already do that in a sense. Do you really think many of these foreign governments will give the same support when the shoe is on the other foot? Some may make a token gesture, but most will just laugh.
Well, at least my representative voted against it…
I see where Bishop and Scott voted for it. I’ve been voting against Bishop for years, but the dems in this part of Georgia keep sending him back to Congress, I’ll vote against him the next time, too. I don’t know Scott so can’t vote against him.