We don’t need a wall, we need a more sensible drug policy
letter to the editor
We don’t need a wall, we need a more sensible drug policy
To the Editor:
I understand the need for immigration reform, but if you’re really concerned about border security, then it’s not a wall we need; it’s a more sensible drug policy. Let’s face it, the majority of Mexicans who come into our country do the work that Americans won’t do, and earn less doing it. So they’re actually providing a real benefit to us (even though they may send a lot of their earnings back to their families in Mexico). And Mexicans who come into our country illegally are less likely to commit crimes than legal American citizens. This not to say that they don’t break the law, but your American-born neighbor is more likely to commit a crime.
The drug cartels, on the other hand, are the real threat. Spend just a few minutes researching and you’ll discover the most abhorrent kinds of violence perpetrated by them against innocent people. Stories that could be described as nothing short of hell on earth, the stuff of horror and nightmares. A quick web search will reveal the grisly truth or you can read Johann Hari’s “Chasing the Scream.” For a more dramatic version, watch the movie “Sicario.”
Cartels are relentlessly amoral in their pursuit of profit – it’s estimated that the cartels make between $19 and $29 billion on American drug sales alone – and through their vast physical and personnel network, are perfectly capable of delivering any kind of terror across the border. Wall, or no wall. And with the black market demand created by our American “war on drugs” – AKA prohibition capitalism – only increasing the cartel’s power and influence. We can’t build a wall high enough to keep the real bad guys out.
Andrew Offenberger
Medina
To the Editor:
I understand the need for immigration reform, but if you’re really concerned about border security, then it’s not a wall we need; it’s a more sensible drug policy. Let’s face it, the majority of Mexicans who come into our country do the work that Americans won’t do, and earn less doing it. So they’re actually providing a real benefit to us (even though they may send a lot of their earnings back to their families in Mexico). And Mexicans who come into our country illegally are less likely to commit crimes than legal American citizens. This not to say that they don’t break the law, but your American-born neighbor is more likely to commit a crime.
The drug cartels, on the other hand, are the real threat. Spend just a few minutes researching and you’ll discover the most abhorrent kinds of violence perpetrated by them against innocent people. Stories that could be described as nothing short of hell on earth, the stuff of horror and nightmares. A quick web search will reveal the grisly truth or you can read Johann Hari’s “Chasing the Scream.” For a more dramatic version, watch the movie “Sicario.”
Cartels are relentlessly amoral in their pursuit of profit – it’s estimated that the cartels make between $19 and $29 billion on American drug sales alone – and through their vast physical and personnel network, are perfectly capable of delivering any kind of terror across the border. Wall, or no wall. And with the black market demand created by our American “war on drugs” – AKA prohibition capitalism – only increasing the cartel’s power and influence. We can’t build a wall high enough to keep the real bad guys out.
Andrew Offenberger
Medina
