by David Safier
Al Melvin said No to opening more lanes at the Nogales border. Mr. Jobs/jobs/jobs doesn't see the point in speeding up the flow of customers and trucks crossing from Mexico into the U.S.
In Marie Antoinette fashion, Melvin says, "Let them eat cake take trains."
The backstory here is, Melvin is co-chair of the state border security committee. Nogales businessmen asked him to OK a request to the feds for more customs officers to open more lanes. Right now, the wait to get across the border can be as much as 5 hours.
These are businessmen making the request, not those "lefty illegal immigrant lovers" Al despises. These guys want the money that flows across the border from legal traffic, and the jobs that come with it.
The businessmen – representing the produce, retail and logistics industries – told the Interim Joint Border Security Advisory Committee that wait times at the border are out of control. It’s affecting the bottom lines of business and government, they said, and it’s becoming a security risk.
Bruce Bracker, Jaime Chamberlain and J.B. Manson told the committee that legal traffic in Arizona accounts for approximately 60,000 jobs in the retail sector alone, that legal travelers from Mexico spend more than $7.3 million per day in the state, and that in Nogales, the sales tax generated by Mexican shoppers brings in almost $450 million a year.
Melvin and his fellow Republicans said No to signing a resolution supporting an increase in customs officers so all five lanes can be opened rather than three. Cost to Arizona? Zero dollars and zero cents.
Melvin's reason for not supporting the businessmen: he doesn't want any more government employees. This from the man who loves government border guards and national guard and is happy to spend gazillions to fence off every inch of the border. But he draws the line at bringing much needed money into the state.
Melvin's solution: put railroad tracks outside Nogales and load them with truck containers. Not a bad idea, maybe, but if we started now, when would it be up and ready to roll?
Melvin cares about his agenda and his ideology, period. His "Jobs, jobs, jobs" is nothing more than a smokescreen, as he's shown over and over again.
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The Phoenix rail that opened 4-5 years ago was $2 Billion and went 6 miles. It has been added to it since (with no increase in ridership) at reduced costs and the same will apply here. It is too costly and not a lot of “lefty” support. The lobbyists against rail expansion (oil)(and government representation accepting lobbyist welfare) is also why widespread access say from major city to major city will never go anywhere even though it will create millions of jobs nationally.
Since Scoop likes to read a lot of stuff, the rail between Mexico and US would not continue into the US. Like most “port” access, it will be re-inspected, Tarrif-ed and rehubbed onto the US rail system.
A good idea, except all of these companies in the wake (and State) reaching in and cashing in. Even the truck transports across the border go through the same process (with minimal checks for “humans”) but really get reviewed so they can charge more access fees.
And Paula does not enjoy the support she previously enjoyed at the polls.
The track ENDS at Nogales, Sonora, close to the eastern immigration walkthrough station. There are NO tracks that connect across the border and the dang fence. Has been that way for years and years and years.