along with my thoughts...(btw, I've yet to tackle the text coloring technique tips you provided, but again, thanks)
>On the issue of being able to afford the $1.9T Stimulus.
In times of economic "trauma", government spending for 'Stimuli' is 100% proven to work...the only question is "How Much?"...we saw it work in recovering from the "Great Recession" and learned that the recovery time is lessened when the stimulus is not "short-changed".
I provided 'expert testimony' from two Business/Economics PhDs who use that training every day in their careers...the Economics PhD is a senior member of a firm that provides advice and counsel to the largest corporations in the U.S. and around the world on Global Economics, Geopolitical Risk, Comparative Industry Analysis, etc....they described the $1.9T Stimulus funding as a '1% loan for 30 years', most likely from China, Japan or the U.K...representing something on the order of 1% of our national budget per year (very doable)...also, their understanding, from professional sources, is that a return to pre-COVID economic health and performance will be hastened from 4 years to two years as a result of the Stimulus, thus enabling us to pay back the debt quicker and, not inconsequentially, make all our lives that much better sooner...businesses have had to shutter, employees are laid off, government services have lost funding, charitable organizations are suffering...you know all this...what you're not acknowledging is that we are "at war" with an unseen "enemy"...COVID-19.
Having said (repeated) all that, I have to ask...on what basis are you "not buying" this?...the figurative "Markets" have already responded favorably to the news...why are you not seeing the wisdom? I can understand a reticence to incurring large loans, but this is the type of sudden catastrophe (COVID-19) that requires such action...and btw, we're not out of the woods yet. (now I'm wishing I had the text coloration working ;-))
>re: Marshall Plan
The majority of immigrants banging on our southern doors are from the "Northern Triangle" of Central America (El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras)...those countries are not only poverty-stricken, but essentially overtaken by drug cartels that continue to service their biggest customers...yep, you guessed it...the citizens of the USA...so, it is in our own self-interest to make things right there. For our "Marshall Plan" we get 1) a dramatic reduction in immigration pressures, and 2) a healthier America, free(r) of the drug scourge. You might even see in the future, opportunities for marketing U.S. products to local countries that can now pay for those goods...i.e. an actual "ROI" for that 'Marshall Plan'...it's been done before, but if you prefer to just close your eyes and ears to what's going on about you...that's an option.
>re: Biden's border response
You make very strong accusations, but as is becoming commonplace, no supporting data or analysis...just "feelings". To help you out just a bit, I've attached a link that provides some easy to read material regarding the "What and Why" of the increased immigrant pressure on our southern border. As for children in cages...it's been common knowledge for years now that Donald Trump instituted a policy - with malice of forethought - that forcibly separated children from their parents, with no attempt at recording their whereabouts for future reunification, solely to 'discourage' immigration attempts...the children thus separated were truly kept in cages with no attempt to improve the situation...the Biden administration thus far has been overwhelmed with immigrants from the "Northern Triangle" countries...it is absolutely not separating families and is working feverishly to increase suitable housing...that wasn't available from the previous administration, even though the surging 'demand' was evident back in 2019...btw, in order to process and clear the logjam of immigrants, we need more judges...but Trump didn't see the need...just wanted a "Wall" that even his own party wouldn't fund (first two years, Trump had the WH, Senate and House...nothing to stop him).
Your comment about "Human Trafficking" and Joe Biden is not only bizarre, but seems made out of "Whole Cloth"...where on earth did you get this from?
>re: "Infrastructure"
What I'm referring to are the points I just made about housing and processing...more investment was needed even back in 2019 by the Trump administration...immigration was surging with no expectation of abating, so they should have taken action...but, predictably, with their distain for humane behavior, they didn't, thus leaving the new administration to fix it all amid a COVID crisis and even more terrorized and frightened Central Americans. Once again, I have to ask...where are you getting your "50%" pieces of "data" from?
>re: 'Simple vs. Complicated'
From Trump's POV everything is "Simple"...never mind the root cause(s) and ensure a lasting solution...just build a "Wall" and "Voila!"...problem solved!! Again, his own party wouldn't fight for it...they knew it was - to use phrasing you're familiar with - "B.S."...they never authorized a dime for it. You bring up the notion of 'politics'...I agree that's a part of this story...a convenient 'Wedge Issue' that keeps the troops...who you know will never spend a moment assessing the root causes and logical solutions...riled up for 'easy votes'. I'm not sure what business you're involved in, but I'll bet not all problems you're confronted with are "Simple"...if I'm wrong, then I'm envious.
>re: 'Frustration'
I'm not kidding...I don't like an unresolved problem like illegal immigration festering, with no evidence of collaboration to resolve it. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think we both are unhappy with the 'Status Quo'. If we leave 'politics' out of it, we are confronted with a economic and humanitarian challenge that tests our resolve as fellow citizens and believers in Christianity. The previous administration did absolutely nothing to bring Americans together on the issue...or treat the Central American calamity with Christ-Like empathy...it's now up to Biden's administration...and us.
Please don't feel compelled to respond "in kind" with as many words as I have...but if you do, I'll read them all. I'll say it again...I appreciate you taking the time to make this a real "forum". It is possible to have level-headed conversations with opposing viewpoints...and to actually find 'resonance points' that draw people closer.
Link: https://www.pewresearch.org/hispanic/2017/12/07/rise-in-u-s-immigrants-from-el-salvador-guatemala-and-honduras-outpaces-growth-from-elsewhere/