Fence?
Many things they think we need; yet if and when we look hard enough the stuff becomes beyond reason or purpose!
Date: 5/3/2009 8:33:17 PM ( 15 y ) ... viewed 2515 times Here is some more wonderful information on what the government is doing with your money and the waste of your time working to pay for stuff; most of which we can not do without like this fence...
BTW: I have not been in favor of putting up this fence... Fences really neither keep people in or out of countries... There was the "Great Wall", the "Berlin Wall", and all sorts of walls in life; none of which ever kept anyone in or out for very long!
The only true thing that controls people is to change their hearts and minds; not physical barriers! Read the article then maybe you will come to feel we do not really need or can afford most of the government expedites!! HUH! 7, 2009 Taxpayers have paid $2.4 billion for fence construction, and annual funding has jumped from $6 million in 2002 to $843 million in 2008. Yet all signsactual costs are even higher. These contracts show average$4.5 million per mile for primary fencing and $1.6 million for vehicle barriers. And these
•
exacerbated by the use of private contractors.
Fluctuating fuel, labor and materials prices,
•
owners and fighting lawsuits challenging the
Department of Homeland Security’s waiver of
nearly 40 environmental and regulatory laws.
Though CBP added $0.8 million per mile for land
acquisition costs in their most recent estimates, this
figure is likely low considering the more than 100
cases challenging the DHS awards currently before
the courts.
The high costs of purchasing land from private
•
and environmental requirements” is a drop in the bucket. Taxpayers often end up with the bill for
long-term environmental impacts when the government is exempted by legal waivers.
But the biggest future cost to taxpayers may be the
estimates for maintaining the 370 miles of “primary” fence range from $5 and $8 million per mile each
year. The Congressional Budget Office estimated annual maintenance costs at 15 percent of construction
costs. That means
estimates—probably low, as they do not address the increasing problem of fence vandalism—indicate
taxpayers are looking
Environmental mitigation. The $50 million Congress added to DHS’ 2009 budget for “regulatoryhigh price of fence maintenance. U.S. Army Corpsmaintenance costs will surpass construction costs within seven years. Theseat least $8 billion to maintain the fence over its 25-year life cycle.
Though Congress has asked the Department of Homeland Security to provide realistic cost estimates,
DHS has dragged its feet, either leaving such estimates out of its reports or failing to submit the reports
altogether. Every dollar is precious in this economic climate, and a full and transparent accounting of
national security spending is vital for setting priorities.
Fence Costs Out of Bounds
April 2
Congress mandated the construction of hundreds of miles of fencing along our Southern border in 2006
without any real knowledge of its true costs.
to date
indicate the fence is bound to cost us much more.
The only estimate of the fence’s cost in 2006 was a 1999 Army Corps of Engineers study which said the
most common type of pedestrian fencing would cost around $431,000 per mile. The U.S. Customs and
Border Patrol reports the fence already costs ten times that amount. In some locations, costs can run as
high as $12 million per mile.
Construction contracts, however, indicate
costs at
contracts don’t include significant related costs, including:
Add This Entry To Your CureZone Favorites! Print this page
Email this page
Alert Webmaster
|