Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
FORBES: Why President Trump's Border Wall Is An Example Of Bad Leadership
https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamhartung/2017/01/28/why-president-trumps-border-wall-is-an-example-of-bad-leadership/#782aa09826cf"Get the assumptions wrong and nothing else matters" - Peter F. Drucker
President Donald Trump made it very clear last week that his administration intends to build a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico. And he intends to make Mexico pay for it. He is so adamant he is willing to risk U.S./Mexican relations, canceling a meeting with the Mexican president.
Unfortunately, this tempest is all because of a really bad idea. The wall is a bad idea because the assumptions behind this project are entirely false. Like far too many executives, President Trump is building a plan based on bad assumptions rather than obtaining the facts - even if they belie his assumptions - and developing a good solution. Making decisions, and investing, on bad assumptions is simply bad leadership.
The stated claim is Mexico is sending illegal immigrants across the border in droves. These illegal immigrants are Mexican ne'er do wells who are coming to America to live off government subsidies and/or commit criminal activity. The others are coming to steal higher paying jobs from American workers. America will create a huge decrease in the number of illegal aliens by building this wall and keeping Mexicans in Mexico, and there will be a big jump in American employment.
Unfortunately, almost everything in that line of logic is untrue. And thus the purported conclusion will not happen.
1. Although it cannot be proven, analysts believe the majority (possibly vast majority) of illegal immigrants enter America by air. There are two kinds of illegal immigration. President Trump's rhetoric focuses on "entries without inspection." But most illegal immigrants actually arrive in America with a visa - and then simply don't leave. These are called "overstays." They come from Mexico, India, Canada, Europe, Asia, South America, Africa - all over the world. If you want to identify and reduce illegal immigration, you need to focus on identifying likely overstays and making sure they return. The wall does not address this.
2. Not everyone who speaks Spanish is Mexican. Without a doubt, the vast, vast majority of people who illegally immigrate across the Mexican border are from Central America. They leave harsh conditions in Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and other politically unstable nations. They traverse a difficult Mexican landscape - perhaps more than half of them unaccompanied minors - in an effort to find a place to live. In 2014 Mexico captured and deported 150,000 Central Americans, an increase of 44% from the previous year, and they represented 97% of Mexico's deportations. Human migratory movement is not a Mexican problem, it is a Central American problem. . . .
President Donald Trump made it very clear last week that his administration intends to build a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico. And he intends to make Mexico pay for it. He is so adamant he is willing to risk U.S./Mexican relations, canceling a meeting with the Mexican president.
Unfortunately, this tempest is all because of a really bad idea. The wall is a bad idea because the assumptions behind this project are entirely false. Like far too many executives, President Trump is building a plan based on bad assumptions rather than obtaining the facts - even if they belie his assumptions - and developing a good solution. Making decisions, and investing, on bad assumptions is simply bad leadership.
The stated claim is Mexico is sending illegal immigrants across the border in droves. These illegal immigrants are Mexican ne'er do wells who are coming to America to live off government subsidies and/or commit criminal activity. The others are coming to steal higher paying jobs from American workers. America will create a huge decrease in the number of illegal aliens by building this wall and keeping Mexicans in Mexico, and there will be a big jump in American employment.
Unfortunately, almost everything in that line of logic is untrue. And thus the purported conclusion will not happen.
1. Although it cannot be proven, analysts believe the majority (possibly vast majority) of illegal immigrants enter America by air. There are two kinds of illegal immigration. President Trump's rhetoric focuses on "entries without inspection." But most illegal immigrants actually arrive in America with a visa - and then simply don't leave. These are called "overstays." They come from Mexico, India, Canada, Europe, Asia, South America, Africa - all over the world. If you want to identify and reduce illegal immigration, you need to focus on identifying likely overstays and making sure they return. The wall does not address this.
2. Not everyone who speaks Spanish is Mexican. Without a doubt, the vast, vast majority of people who illegally immigrate across the Mexican border are from Central America. They leave harsh conditions in Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and other politically unstable nations. They traverse a difficult Mexican landscape - perhaps more than half of them unaccompanied minors - in an effort to find a place to live. In 2014 Mexico captured and deported 150,000 Central Americans, an increase of 44% from the previous year, and they represented 97% of Mexico's deportations. Human migratory movement is not a Mexican problem, it is a Central American problem. . . .
