FREEDOM WATCH: May 2006

LIBERTARIAN PARTY NEWS RELEASE

Bush's Solution to America's Border Problems Full of Holes

As Approval Ratings Plummet "Bright Ideas" Emerge from the Oval Office

(Washington) President Bush announced a temporary plan to strengthen US border controls in a speech Monday night. This plan, Bush stated, would utilize National Guard troops to support existing border control agents.

Under the structure of the new plan, as many as 6,000 Guard members will be deployed to the Mexican border while the US government undertakes an effort to add an additional 6,000 border control officers by 2008. In an interview with reporters following the speech, White House homeland security advisor Frances Townsend said that the deployment could begin as early as next month. The Guard troops would be committed to at least one year.

Many critics of the plan have stated that this bold new initiative will put an unnecessary strain on the National Guard, a military force that has been stretched thin by war and disaster relief in the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. This move becomes even more questionable given that the 2006 hurricane season begins on June 1st and will more than likely require the deployment of the National Guard for relief efforts or, at least, pre-deployment for emergency preparedness.

The president also failed to discuss the hard costs of this reaction to an ongoing national problem. While he admitted to increasing the border budget by 66% during this tenure, with no obvious impact on security, Bush made no mention of the costs of troop deployment, high-tech fences or increased border patrol personnel as part of this initiative.

"This administration is setting records for government spending and arguably has little to show for the money," stated Michael Dixon, chairman of the Libertarian Party. "Throwing money and troops at a problem is not the solution. Bush proved this himself with border spending that has not improved the security of our nation. This is a regular pattern with this administration, as demonstrated by the 79.9% increase in education spending with no impact on national test scores."

While Americans are deeply concerned about the immigration issue, this concern may be equaled by the increase in government spending. Under the Bush administration, discretionary spending has increased by at least 36%, the largest increase since the Johnson administration.

Moreover, as Bush’s approval rating continues to hover around the 30 percent level, the timing of the bold new border-control plan seems suspiciously convenient. Many recall, when faced with criticism over the invasion of Iraq, Bush announced a plan to colonize the moon and travel to Mars.

Dixon continued, "America needs to see through the bold moves of troop deployment on American soil and the building of smart fences on the border. This is all a distraction from the real issues that we face and not a solution. We must examine our national situation that allows for the strain of our private, state and federal resources. Without question, the entire system is flawed and until we come to that realization, no amount of money or troops will resolve the problem. The Libertarian Party stands committed to resolving the core problems within our great nation and we will do that with the help of the American people and ultimately through their votes."