Trump and His Beautiful Wall: Unmitigated Disaster, Not Working, Robbing DOD

Picture perfect failure: “Walled in no exit”

Trump administration is still sapping DOD money for fighter jets, ships, vehicles, and National Guard equipment in order to fund his wall which he keeps claiming in speech after speech after speech:

“Mexico is paying for the wall; believe me, Mexico is paying. 

They’re paying, believe me.”

More on that following this reminder of Donald J. Trump: Snake Oil Salesman Par Excellence – just ask him. One absolute about Trump: He cannot be believed or trusted on anything he says.

Back in January for example, Trump directed his Customs and Border Control (CBP) officials to put up a short section of his 30-foot-tall wall on the border at Calexico, California, to show the world how effective the Trump bulwark would be. 

Alas, though, the thing blew over! Not from a hurricane-force storm but from moderate winds topping out at only 37 miles an hour. The metal panels flung over and landed in Mexico. An embarrassing event.

But, more embarrassing was a personal visit Trump made to San Diego last September for a media event hailing a new super-tech model of a wall that the master builder declared to be “virtually impossible for violators to climb.” Calling the design “amazing,” used his famous Sharpie to sign his name on the structure, declaring to the media: “I tell you this strongly: No more people can come in.”

Alas, a mere month later (Oct 11, 2019) a climbing group in Kentucky built a replica of that same wall and held an “up-and-over competition” (seen here with video proof).

Winning time was 13.1 seconds! Sixty-five competitors easily topped it, including an 8-year-old girl and a guy who climbed it one-handed while juggling various items with his other hand.

Trump has, however, proven that one thing truly is impenetrable: his head. Absolutely no embarrassment, logic, or factual evidence can enter his locked mind and deter his extravagant folly. 

Remember when candidate Trump promised repeatedly, and every rally speech since, that not only would he wall out all migrants crossing our Mexican border but by golly, he would also see to it that Mexico would pay the tab for his xenophobic wall?

This from Gomer Pyle with his favorite expression that fits nicely:

Mexico hasn’t paid a single peso, nada, nil, none, zero, and they won’t.

Just as he did in building many of his luxury condos and resorts, Donald the Dealmaker ran to the government, demanding that it pony up the unlimited billions of dollars for his pet political project, aside from a token appropriation in 2018. Congress said, well, they said: “Ummmm … no.”

But that’s no hill for a narcissistic climber like Trump to try another way. 

Unable to get tax money legitimately, Trump has simply stolen it, reaching into the Pentagon’s budget for military funding. Ignoring the constitutional mandate that only Congress is empowered to direct the flow of money from the people’s purse, Trump filched $6.1 billion from our military last year, snatched another $3.8 billion this month and intends to swipe at least another $3.4 billion before the year is out (that will top $11 billion ripped from DOD that they need).

This executive “reprogramming,” as the White House euphemistically calls its daylight robbery, is being pulled off by masking Trump’s wall obsession as a “national emergency.” To fulfill the president’s whimsical political desires, Pentagon brass has been yanking funds for military equipment and construction projects from the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, and National Guard … and, thus from our fighting forces. 

Presidential autocracy aside, Trump’s massive larceny raises three other interesting issues of public morality:

One: His trickery sets a precedent not only for future presidents but also for our young people’s behavior.

Two: Our Congress critters, especially Trump Republicans, set a new standard of craven meekness in the face of this direct assault on their authority and our democracy.

Three: The Pentagon, by simply kissing off a budget loss of more than $13 billion, saying it’s in excess of the military’s needs, is admitting that the war machine is routinely taking away too much of the public’s money.

More on this on-going Trump public con job of ripping billions of dollars away from the public – or as the late great Paul Harvey used to say: “Now the rest of the story.”

As I said, nearly $11 billion will have been taken from DOD since last year this way:

·       $223 million from Marine Corps F-35B fighter jets at a cost of $223 million;

·       $100 million from the Army National Guard's Humvee modernization program;

·       $650 million cut from the Navy's amphibious assault ship replacement;

·       $261 million from the Expeditionary Fast Transport ship.

·       $300 million from two Air Force C-130J transport aircraft their light attack aircraft program.

·       Plus, $1.3 billion from the National Guard and their Reserve account as well.

Trump’s wall record to date: 93 miles, wall; and, 90 miles repaired from the Bush-Obama wall projects and not one single peso from Mexico.

“Sí, eso es verdad.” (Yep, that’s true), and “Permanecerá así también, ¿entiendes?” (It will stay that way, too understand).

House Dems condemned the money grab, so did Armed Services GOP Committee member, Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX) who said: “This undermines the principle of civilian control of the military and is in violation of the separation of powers.The re-programming announced today is contrary to Congress’s constitutional authority, and I believe that it requires Congress to take action. I will be working with my colleagues to determine the appropriate steps to take.”

My 2 cents: Memo to Rep. Thornberry & the GOP: “Show us how you will stand up to Trump in this hot 2020 election cycle. Good luck and stay in touch. We’ll be watching.”

Thanks for stopping by.