Finally, a Border Solution That Satisfies Everybody

Arizona lawmakers may not have
a reputation as rocket scientists (smart Arizonans know better than
to waste time and effort in government), but this time they’ve come
up with a stroke of genius: a solution to the battle over border
control that should satisfy all parties. Who could object to a
virtual virtual fence? No, I didn’t stutter.

Faced with a lack of enthusiasm for the expense involved in a
measure to install a chain of high-tech towers intended to monitor
border crossings,
Sen. Bob Worsley (R-Mesa) settled for mandating the fence, but
providing no resources for its actual construction.

According to Howard Fischer of
Capitol Media Services:

PHOENIX — A Senate panel voted Tuesday to set up a “virtual
fence’ along the U.S.-Mexico border — but provided absolutely no
cash to do that.

The 8-1 vote came after Sen. Bob Worsley, R-Mesa, realized he
could get no traction for his original proposal to spend $30
million to build a network of 300 towers, each equipped with
cameras and radar. So the scaled-back version, HB 2461, simply
authorizes the virtual fence — and delayed until next year the
question of whether Arizona taxpayers will actually pick up the
tab.

That’s right. Senators voted for tough border surveillance of
the sort to please immigration warriors, but with the low price of
nothing sure to charm fiscal hawks. Open border advocates will, of
course, be happy about the lack of actual fencing provided by the
virtual virtual fencing measure.

If only lawmakers elsewhere would adopt this sort of
can-pretend-to-do attitude, the rest of us would have so much less
to worry about when legislatures met. We could either applaud their
firm intent, or their merciful lack of follow-through, depending on
our inclinations.