Resolved: The United States Federal Government should build a border wall along the US-Mexico border

Well thanks for a good debate, Lannan. Definitely interesting.Mexico s://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com...; alt="" />[1]This is not a "fence." These are several prototypes for Trump's wall, which can easily be placed in rivers if need be, yet when the worst case scenario is to have a couple dozen guards on a river, it isn't the end of the world. Your barrier would be significantly more expensive and would rely more on software than hardware given the sensors and whatnot, and considering water is a factor here, the electronics and electrical integrity of your border could be put at risk infinitely more than my wall.You say "most of this will be American companies and American infrastructure," yet that's the exact opposite of what your plan is. You're saying the Mexican government will build a border wall with loans from American companies, but that still makes it property of the Mexican government. On top of that, you haven't explained how this is even possible. What companies will invest in an expensive Mexico-owned wall instead of a cheaper American-owned wall? That makes no sense.If I countered a border wall with a GPS-guided satellite laser targeting system to incinerate anyone within a 100mi radius of the border, I'd have to explain how that would be feasible, I wouldn't just say "this idea is better." We aren't talking about only ideas, we're talking about practicality, implementation, feasibility, and so on. The fact of the matter is, no American companies will invest billions in a Mexico-owned border wall when they can invest less in a US-owned border wall. And even if Mexico granted them shareholder privileges and the wall was 99% owned by American companies, it wouldn't make any sense why any company would do that, as there isn't any profit to be gained other than minimal interest paid by the Mexican government (which would be quite low considering the country we're dealing with) and as it is, the US government could do it for cheaper.American companies will be hiring workers as it is to build the wall, jobs aren't a product of your wall only. And did you forget the part where Mexico doesn't want a wall to begin with? Mexico will not do what you want to do. That destroys your entire argument right off the bat. America will do what I want to do. Looks like the case is closed.HegemonyYou're right that there's a construction labour shortage, yet Mexico is in the same boat in a different sea. They don't want a wall. There is more chance of Mexicans being granted an American work visa to help with the wall than there is for Mexico to build a wall and hire Mexican workers. We all know how terrible wages are in Mexico, so they'd earn even more if they helped the US build a wall - and keep in mind these people don't have an opinion on the wall, as they just want to work, and will work for whoever pays them the most (which would be the US).Unfortunately saying "we'll get Mexico to do it" requires some reasoning as to why Mexico would build a wall in the first place. You can't just say "Mexico will do it" and leave it at that. Because in the end, Mexico won't do it, as I've stated before, so the best chance for the wall to be completed would be if it were built by the US the way they're planning now.Good point on STEM jobs. However you bring up that engineers and scientists are the primary focus of your wall, yet there are still a multitude of jobs in the area to be created with my wall. Engineers obviously having to construct through different land orientation and ensuring the wall is sturdy and is positioned properly. Scientists taking into account atmospheric elements and Earthly minerals throughout several different biomes, as well as marine and land life being displaced and evolving without being able to cross the border anymore. Your wall has more bells and whistles, but mine offers a multitude of areas to advance our knowledge and growth in STEM areas.Comparing space travel to border walls is like comparing apples to Jagerbombs. It's not the same thing. There are a plethora of reasons the Apollo space program boosted the economy, and a creation of jobs wasn't the only one. On top of that, your proposition seems to be helping Mexico significantly more than America, and the wall is being built for America, considering, well, Mexico won't build it.Tunnels are, in all honesty, not a problem. The efforts put into finding these tunnels and either sealing them up or arresting whoever comes out the other side is far less than the investment and manpower put into the electronic systems you wish to implement [2]. Only 80 have been found since 2006, which is on average less than 7 a year. The cost, time, manpower, safety risks and security risks that go into making smuggling tunnels for small carts used for transportation of drugs is significant enough - to put people in would take even more work. And even if one or two tunnels pop up for a week before being extinguished, the amount of illegals that would come through would be minimal. Implementing an additional $125billion for a handful of tunnels is a waste of money, to say the least.I'm saying there would be a mutual understanding between the US and Mexico if the wall were built to keep out criminals and illegals, and legal law abiding citizens were allowed in. The only people upset about this would be people who are either criminals or are looking to gain entrance to the US illegally. No bad blood with good people.US DebtSo when Mexico asks American companies for $150billion, you think all those companies will just write a cheque from their bank account? None of them will borrow any? An additional 0.12% added to the debt will not be enough to push the government over the fiscal cliff, and I cannot find a single source that has talked about it recently. The debt ceiling is being raised, taxes have recently been cut by Mr. Trump, so if they need to be raised slightly it won't have an impact, and I really do need to touch on this again - this border wall is a more likely option than a Mexico-owned border wall regardless of additional debt incurred. Cutting spending in other areas can lead to a very quick balance.I too have run out of space and I thank you for this debate.So to summarise:Your wall would be incredibly more expensive.Your wall would rely on software as well as hardware, which can malfunction.The practicality and feasibility of American companies investing in an expensive Mexico-owned border wall is significantly less than a cheaper American-owned border wall.Mexico has said many times that they do not believe in border walls and in no way would build their own.It is more practical for the US to build a wall and hire Mexican workers than it is for Mexico to build a wall and hire Mexican workers as Mexico does not want a wall to begin with.My wall will produce a lot of opportunity for development of STEM jobs.An additional $125billion to find a minuscule amount of tunnels is an absolute waste of money.0.12% additional debt will not push the US over the fiscal cliff.The main point against your argument is that Mexico does not want a wall. If you ask them to build one with American investor's money, they will say no. You have not provided a detailed explanation of who will invest in a wall, why anyone would do that to begin with, and how you'd propose Mexico build a wall that they've said numerous times they don't want. Mexico will not build the wall, leaving my option to be the only one, and therefore the United States federal government should build a border wall along the US-Mexico Border. Thank you, and goodnight.Sources[1] https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com...[2] http://www.newsweek.com...