Readers React: Give Trump his wall — then stop building it once he’s out of office

To the editor: President Trump’s wall along the U.S.-Mexico border would be the biggest boondoggle in the history of boondoggles. This monument to bigotry would have a negligible effect on illegal immigration, despite claims from the president’s most ardent supporters that our country’s very survival depends on having a wall.

Our nation has vested immense power in the presidency, so Trump is able to inflict great pain upon our country and economy. He has taken hostages and is not treating them well. He has made it clear that there are no limits to the pain and suffering he would inflict on the hostages, and that he is willing to bring down the economy if his demands are not met.

Democrats can end the suffering by giving Trump the $5.7 billion he wants to start building his wall. This is a small price to pay to free the millions of innocent hostages whose lives are being needlessly disrupted.

I beg you, congressional Democrats, give Trump his wall. We can wait until he is no longer president to halt this absurd project.

Louis Mandris, Upland

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To the editor: One of the heavy ironies of the government shutdown is that the Coast Guard officers who patrol the border “wall,” which extends into the Pacific Ocean, are not being paid.

After my husband and I purchased a boat in Mexico, we took it for a ride off the coast of San Diego. Suddenly, we heard a loud voice telling us that we were about to be boarded.

Minutes later, a small boat containing several Coast Guardsmen roared up. The service members were polite and professional. They searched our boat thoroughly. Had we been guilty of anything, I would have been on the floor with outspread arms in a second.

Real security is far more complex than a physical wall. It is human beings who truly protect us, and it is time for us to honor our commitment to them.

Rachael Lehmberg, Seal Beach

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To the editor: All parties are responsible for this partial government shutdown.

Congress knows when it must pass a budget, but time and again it waits until it reaches a crisis point. If leaders in the private sector acted this way, they would be fired, which is what should happen to everyone in both houses of Congress.

Shame on all members of Congress and the president. This is not how Americans want the world to see how we are “making America great again.”

Tony and Joyce Elia, Mission Viejo

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To the editor: The round of “tit for tat” between Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) is laughable.

Still, everyone must understand that this level of government paralysis is extremely dangerous. The dysfunction emboldens our enemies and increases the likelihood of a major miscalculation as to our ability to respond to aggression.

The Cuban missile crisis was an Armageddon near-miss. Just imagine if we were to face a similar threat now.

Nicholas LaTerza, Calabasas

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To the editor: I am as liberal as the next person, but I am very disappointed by Pelosi’s call to postpone Trump’s State of the Union address.

This transparent political ploy will feed Trump’s Twitter mill, creating a needless diversion from the real and horrifying problems raised by the shutdown.

Pelosi and her allies, as well as the others in Washington, should be focused on finding an end to this disaster, which is affecting all Americans, rather than playing politics while Rome is burning.

Michael Werner, Pasadena

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