Guestatorial

By
Dr. Luis Contreras
-
1698

State of Emergency

Upon a presidential declaration of State of Emergency over 500 federal laws may take effect, removing individual constitutional rights, shutting communications, freezing bank accounts, and using troops to stop domestic protests and unrest.

Creating a false National Security Emergency may cost Americans a lot more than the down payment of $5.6 billion on a $25 billion promise. The cost of the government shutdown is estimated at over $5 billion. Declaring a National Emergency would expose the U.S. to additional threats. The stock market would drop like a rock.

Carbon footprint of the steel slat fence

With increasing greenhouse gas emissions, building massive steel and concrete structures is one more nail in the coffin. The fence would be built one slat at a time with the materials transported to the border.

Steel slats are made by heating iron ore and carbon in blast furnaces at very high temperatures, a dirty process releasing two pounds of carbon dioxide per pound of steel.Cement manufacturing releases one pound of carbon dioxide per pound of cement. The sketch of the fence suggests about five million steel slats.

In addition to the steel, carbon dioxide emissions from cement for the concrete footings and transportation for a 2,000-mile fence creates an unnecessary massive carbon footprint.

The fence is not about border security

The fence is one more distraction from the climate emergencyTrump chooses to ignore. We must change the “Profit over People” U.S. economy and political systems, which ignore Earth’s rights and limited resources. Giving a handful of people unlimited funds and ignoring the basic needs of the poor has gone on for too long. Trump has lost all credibility, no one knows who speaks for the U.S. The U.S. economy is at high risk with Trump’s irrational abuse of power and the prospect of impeachment. Most of the $21 trillion national debt is owned by you and me, only a small fraction is owned by China, Japan, and others. Here is a secret our government does not want you to know: your retirement funds, the debt held by the Social Security Administration, the retirement and pension funds, is almost half of the U.S. national debt.

Trump is on the run

Trump is desperate. Last Sunday on prime time, an alarming, false, and misleading TV ad paid for by “Donald J. Trump for President,” and approved by Donald Trump, blamed Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats for Trump’s mess.

“Drugs, terrorists, violent criminals, and child traffickers, trying to enter our country. But Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer care more about the radical left than keeping us safe.

“The consequences? Drug deaths, ER visits for opioid overdoses sourcing: CDC” WebMD 3/6/18. Violent murder: “3 illegal immigrants indicted for murre…” Fox News 12/18/18. Gang Violence: “MS-13 Gang member…guilty in quadruple murder” New York Times 8/20/18”

 

“Every country defends their borders. President Trump wants to defend ours.” “The Democrats must stop playing politics and SUPPORT REAL BORDER SECURITY NOW.” “We must not allow it!”

Why would Mexico pay for the wall?

“Mexico is paying for the wall through the new USMCA Trade Deal,” Trump said. He claimed that Mexico can afford to build a wall because Mexico’s trade deficit with America is billions of dollars.

Here are the facts: In 2016, the U.S. bought 12 percent more than Mexico, with orders placed and paid for by private companies. Trade balances change from year to year. Multilateral trade agreements between three or more nations are easier to balance and promote free trade.

Climate emergency and solutions

The real emergency is the likely extinction of life. The Sunrise Movement, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and the thousands of people supporting the Green New Deal demand immediate action. “Together we are more powerful than the wealthiest industry and the slimiest politicians. That’s why we’re so excited about the movement we’re building: because we believe that if we show up and refuse to back down, we are unstoppable.”

With the GOP ignoring the crisis, the Democrats need to step up or move out of the way.

Dr. Luis Contreras

 

8 COMMENTS

  2. Trump says he will declare a National Emergency, unless he does not.

    The world is watching — playing with fire is creating unrest and confusion. But false stories keeps Trump making the news and distracting Americans from the Rusia collusion and the pending lawsuits against the Trump mess.

    So far Trump has failed every initiative. North Korea, China, NAFTA, Syria and many other urgent international issues are up in the air.

    Here is the latest: “Trump may declare a national emergency in the border wall battle”

    Trump spent the week visiting the U.S.-Mexico border and hinting he might declare a national emergency to build his long-discussed wall. On Friday, he put the idea on hold, strongly counseling congressional Democrats to rethink opposing the wall’s funding.

    “What we’re not looking to do right now is national emergency,” he said Friday afternoon. “I’m not going to do it so fast.”

    For Trump, the issue is twofold, according to Gerald S. Dickinson, assistant professor of law at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law: To what extent is illegal immigration a national crisis and is it unusual or extraordinary for individuals to come across the southern border?

    “We’ve been dealing with this for many years through congressional legislative processes. Trump is using this power as an alternative lever to achieve a policy goal he can’t reach through Congress,” he said.

    So what is a “national emergency” and what does it mean for Trump’s border wall?

    In 1976, Congress passed the National Emergencies Act, which permits the president to pronounce a national emergency when he considers it appropriate. The act offers no specific definition of “emergency” and allows a president to declare one entirely at their discretion. It has historically been invoked during unusual or extraordinary threats to the United States, according to Dickinson, like in response to the threat of North Korean nuclear warfare or amid the 1979 Iran hostage crisis.

    By declaring a national emergency, the president avails himself of dozens of specialized laws. Some of these powers have funds he otherwise could not access.

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/01/12/trump-may-declare-national-emergency-border-wall-battle-heres-what-that-means/?utm_term=.de6072530fef

  3. Update: Worse than you think

    President Trump said Friday that the immigration flow along the southern border amounts to an “invasion,” calling the situation “far worse” than people understand after returning from a visit to the front-lines in Texas.

    “Humanitarian Crisis at our Southern Border. I just got back and it is a far worse situation than almost anyone would understand, an invasion!” Trump tweeted Friday.

    “I have been there numerous times –The Democrats, Cryin’ Chuck and Nancy don’t know how bad and dangerous it is for our ENTIRE COUNTRY.”

    https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-warns-of-invasion-at-border

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