Dear Editor:

It is difficult to understand why some people think we should pay more for less effective security, but they do. It’s strange since Russia announced it finished a border barrier between Ukraine and Russia within slightly over a year, costing less than $3 million. It looks like there is a reversal in the parties and today the Democrats are exceedingly more frugal in their review of the nature of factual problems and the methods and costs that current technologies provide. The GOP seems stuck on a cost that exceeds logic and does not incorporate the usual factual review of all sides of a multifaceted problem concluding that it doesn’t matter what it costs, there is only one possible solution — contrary to corporate finance recommending a minimum of three solutions for each factually confirmed problem.

For the record every wall has two sides no matter what is its purpose. More than 5,000 people managed to escape the Berlin Wall with the help of West Berlin, and five different methods, including making a run for it and being lucky, while others were shot. Families lived on both sides of the wall. Berlin and Nogales, Arizona, are each one city within two countries.

The Berlin Wall enclosed West Berlin, cutting a line through the entire city center. The wall was unable to stop all masses of people from fleeing, even after shooting was ordered to maintain East Germany’s power.

The wall separated families, and cut people off from their jobs. More than just a physical barrier, to many, the wall was proof that communist governments were so untenable they could only keep their citizens by force. In many places on our southern border there are shared city relationships like Berlin and Nogales. Are we a country that is flexing its “power muscles?” There are families split right now on both sides of the border. Nogales, one city with two countries, is economically benefiting. If we keep one in and the other out economic harm hits both countries..  

There is no reason border security should cost taxpayers more when successful technology costs less.

Jarryl Larson

Edgecomb