Letter: Building a wall is a symbol of fear

We know that Mexico is not going to pay for a wall that the United States builds. The American taxpayer will be stuck with a $15 billion bill. I don't think too many citizens thought that as their health care, education, domestic violence protection services, law enforcement, public services and judiciary were being cut that they'd be paying for a wall.

On many accounts the wall is inadvisable. It won't secure our borders, drug smugglers will still tunnel under it and fly drones over it, it won't keep people out (the human race is ingenuous), it sends a horrible message as far as what we stand for as a nation and it will disrupt wildlife species migration. Securing our borders can be more effectively accomplished by spending the $15 billion on more border agents (job creation) and electronic surveillance.

Promoting economic stability throughout the North American region can also stabilize populations in their home environment. Border taxes and economic isolation will destabilize our economy.

If we are going to spend $15 billion of our hard earned money, let's make sure it is spent wisely. Do we really want to be a nation that lives in fear? A wall is a symbol of fear.

Karen Thornton

Mount Vernon