Providing for the Common Defense at Home

By William Charles "Bill" Boyer, IV

Bring sufficient resources to bear to secure our Nation's Borders

We should recognize the tremendous contribution migrant workers provide our economy, especially in California. We depend on this work force to power many of our industries, especially agriculture. Non-U.S. citizens who wish to work here should find easy LEGAL access and a user-friendly process allowing them to contribute to our country and provide for their families.

Securing the border and accommodating a free-flowing work force are not mutually exclusive goals. We can and must do both. Here's how:

We must secure the border. It has been estimated that a 2,000 mile long structure would cost about 12 billion dollars. This common sense approach should have already been approved, implemented and constructed.

Make the various border crossings "worker-friendly". My vision is that of an "Ellis island" with 21st century security and identification technology used to separate those contributing to our prosperity vs. those intent on doing us harm.

Serious employer sanctions must be enforced to insure the workers are legitimately documented members of our economy. Insuring proper payroll taxes are collected is part of this enforcement process. We would remove the necessity for clandestine and dangerous illegal border crossings. We have the skill; our leaders have lacked the will!