By Madlin Merkelberg
U.S. Rep. Joaquín Castro (click here) said at a news conference on Monday that most people in Texas are opposed to constructing a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
“Our country, since its founding, has become the most prosperous and powerful nation on earth without any wall,” Castro, D-San Antonio, said. “That’s why I believe most of the American people and most people in my home state of Texas disagree with the president building a wall across our border.”
Castro offered this claim about Texans while discussing legislation he sponsored, approved by the House on Tuesday, that would block President Donald Trump’s emergency order aimed at securing funding for his border wall.
It’s no surprise that the Democratic-controlled House opposes Trump’s plan to build a wall, but is Castro right? Do Texans also oppose a wall?
Polls show Texans divided on the wall
Castro spokeswoman Jamie Geller said the congressman’s claim was based on an April 2018 poll published by Quinnipiac University which reported that 53 percent of respondents surveyed opposed construction of a wall, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points....
There is every reason to believe the border between the USA and Texas is once again an election issue. What is overlooked is the opportunistic income derived by the Republican right wing.
August 21, 2020
...But the nonprofit, (click here) the authorities determined, paid Kolfage an initial salary of $100,000 in February 2019, followed by monthly payments of $20,000. All told, Kolfage received $350,000 in compensation he spent on personal expenses, including boat payments, home renovations and a SUV. The nonprofit also paid for hundreds of thousands of dollars of personal expenses for Bannon, Badolato and Shea. To hide these transfers, the four defendants allegedly funneled money through another nonprofit, a for-profit shell company under Kolfage’s control and accounts controlled by unnamed associates using “fake invoices,” according to the indictment.
The defendants stand accused of lying to obtain money using electronic communications (wire fraud) and the U.S. Postal Service (mail fraud). They also stand accused of money laundering, that is transferring funds to conceal criminal activity. Strauss brought the charges because at least some of the actions occurred in New York....
After these charges were filed, Trump pardoned the fraudsters (click here). The political right wing does not believe in the USA Constitution or justice. They believe in blatant power to get away with the crimes they commit to hoard money, hard earned American money.
Those crossing the US - Mexico border are not bringing guns with them. Quite the contrary, Americans take guns to Mexico for a profit.
...There were 3,683 gun-related deaths in Texas in 2019. (click here)
In 2018, 64% of all Texas suicides were by firearm.
In 2018, nearly 73% of veteran suicides in Texas were by firearm according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
In 2018, 174 women in Texas were killed by a male intimate partner—59% of those murders were by firearm.
Women in Texas are 24% more likely to be murdered with a gun than women in other states.
Gun violence in Texas costs $16.6 billion per year....
Left is the intentional homicide rate (click here) per 100,000 persons. Texas carried 8.8 percent of total intentional homicides in the USA in 2020. These are FBI statistics.
New Jersey has the densest population in the entire country and it is among the lowest intentional homicide statistics with tough gun laws. The gun laws work to protect innocent Americans. New Jersey has big ports, too. It isn't ab out the incidence of violence, it is about THE AVAILABILITY of the OPPORTUNITY for violence.
The issue is not the border wall in the incidence of violent crime, otherwise, why does Louisiana have the highest intentional homicide rate in the USA?
