Ricochet is the best place on the internet to discuss the issues of the day, either through commenting on posts or writing your own for our active and dynamic community in a fully moderated environment. In addition, the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 50 original podcasts with new episodes released every day.
Ted Cruz’s Beard Solves Border Wall Funding Crisis
Ted Cruz introduces the EL CHAPO Act to fund the border wall and end the partial government shutdown.
I know T Cruz has ‘likability’ problems, etc but sometimes he is so quick and funny.
it is going to take something like this to solve the problem, but I don’t think the money will go towards new barrier, just upgrades of existing barrier. The Dems will never allow any new wall. They have demonized it as immoral and human rights abuse–they cannot vote for that. Trump is locked into doing something or he’ll lose his base heading into impeachment hearings. His talk of emergency powers boxes him in even more. If he has the power and it is a crisis, then not acting is cowardice. Rock v. Hard Place.
The wall is already “allowed” from the 1980 amnesty. It just isn’t funded.
If there’s funding for the border, I don’t think they can say how that money is put to use, can they?
So how does Ted Cruz propose that we get El Chapo to give us all their money?
It is based on the false assumption that Democratic opposition is due to financial concerns rather than Trump hatred.
Good for her!
Isn’t that the sensible thing? There is about 700 miles of border fence, and that is roughly the distance (possibly a little bit light, but not far off, some places with vehicle barriers only should be extended) that makes sense given topography. But a bunch of the fence is too low grade to be as effective a barrier as is optimal, and some road areas need to be extended. Upgrade the whole thing to 18 ft steel bollard and add a fleet of 3 to 5 foot span UAVs. Then require that any border landowners who refuse to allow a fence be required to secure their parts of the border at their own expense using plans approved by ICE.
Now, now, be cordial.
I like him. Have since he first came on the scene. I like his idea, too.
No, it is based on a full realization of the Democrats’ real reasons and a determination to strip them of any “cost” cover.
Asset forfeiture. Virtual raids on bank accounts. The usual. But you probably knew that.
I’m typically opposed to any cutesy schemes that provide the government “free money” at no cost to taxpayers. The pain caused to taxpayers by government expansion is one of the most powerful tools we have to keep the scope of government in check. But in this case, the money grab is such a one-off affair, and its purpose so tightly linked to its source, that I have little objection to this proposal.
My big problem is: where was this brilliant proposal back when it actually had a chance of passage? (i.e. during the last two years?) We know from past experience that Cruz has quite some sway over the Freedom Caucus and their affiliates in the GOP House caucus, and can induce them to revolt against their leadership. So why didn’t he play that card back when his party actually controlled the House?
For all of the back-slapping and applause at Trump (and now Cruz) going to battle against the Democrats over the wall, the fact remains that the Republicans yet again didn’t find the will to promote their agenda until they had no power to do so.
The proposal is to take money from El Chapo “and others”. I’d like to see the fine print.
I don’t think it matters. The purpose of this bill is not to go through any actual legislative procedure in which the nitty gritty details would matter. After all, there’s no chance Democrats would pass it – and again, if Cruz was serious about building a wall, he would have submitted this proposal sometime between 2017 and the 2018 election.
Instead, the purpose of this bill is to score Cruz some brownie points by making Democrats (and possibly other Republicans) look silly for opposing it. But hammering out the fine print of any legislative proposal is always difficult, messy, and makes the bill look much less attractive. Why go through all that trouble for a bill that has no chance of passing?
It’s not like Mexico or Switzerland is going to be any help.
What Cruz should have done was to legitimize that guy’s gofundme campaign. He raised $20 million. Imagine how much would’ve been raised if it was official and tax deductible. Of course, anyone who claimed the deduction would likely receive 10 years of audits.
I think Ted’s beard is going to require an assist from Bolton’s mustache (which, if memory serves, Jeff Goldstein of Protein Wisdom fame long ago named “Regis”).
Together, they would be unstoppable.
Because the GOP House leadership had (has?) a different agenda than Trump and his voters. The only reason the GOP didn’t do anything about wall funding in the past two years is that Paul Ryan didn’t want to. Louis Gohmert said on the David Webb Show last week that Ryan told Trump in December that there weren’t enough votes in the House to pass a bill that funded the wall. And then the bill passed in the House. Ryan was (part of) the problem.
Back in 2013, a Republican House caucus composed of mostly the same members as in 2018 was able to buck their leadership on the Ted Cruz-Obamacare shutdown. Why were they able to overcome their leadership for a Cruz initiative then but weren’t able to in 2018? It certainly isn’t because Paul Ryan was such a stronger leader than John Boehner.
Me too – and the beard is fine. I like the little sound effects and the kind of Mr. Rogers description of the problem and solution – maybe the Democrats will find it understandable?
Not sure what you mean. The 2013 shutdown was initiated in the Senate (which was then majority Democrat) not the House. How did the Republican caucus buck their party leadership in 2013?
Dude, lose the beard!
I like the beard.
It looks better than clean shaven for him. He’s put on weight. Beards hide double chins and make a man’s face look a little leaner and masculine.
Since when did beards become so stigmatized?
It’s a matter of taste. Stad likes his men with a little less facial hair. Nothing wrong with that.
My husband grows a goatee for my birthday and our anniversary. My mother in law hates it.
At the end of the day, the only ones whose opinions matter on the facial hair of a man is the person the man sleeps with :p
Fair enough. In these days of sexual confusion, I kind of like the overt display of secondary sexual characteristics — within reason and in compliance with local ordinances, of course. Having spent most of my adult life with a beard, I find that being clean-shaven takes five years off my age, and I’m of an age where I appreciate that. ;)
No comment.
… not that there’s anything wrong with that.
That chapter from Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds titled Influence of Politics and Religion on the Hair and Beard are prescient now:
Speak with respect and honor
Both of the beard and the beard’s owner.
– Hudibras
I think Cruz should keep the beard and lose 50lbs.