Fencing out emigrants better than building levees?

President Bush just signed a bill to build a 700-mile fence on the 2000-mile U.S.border with Mexico to keep illegal immigrants out. Wow, that’s going to do a lot to further relationships with our Central American friends.

Congress earlier had appropriated $1.2 billion for the barrier, but it’s expected to cost around $6 billion. That’s about $4 billion less than the projected cost of building New Orleans’ levees to federal standards. But let’s get our priorities right. The levees would only protect citizens from the threat of death and destruction. Much better to protect them from the immigration threat, especially with elections looming.