What I Expect from a Republican Controlled Senate

You hear it on all the news programs and on commentary from political pundits. It seems to be the conventional wisdom that Republicans, who won control of the House of Representative in the last mid-term elections, will take control of the Senate in the November 2014 midterm election.

I agree that the fight for the Senate is real and the coming elections pose significant consequences for country. Personally, I shudder to think about Republicans having the final say on major issues that will affect me and my family during the coming decade.

 

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"Border Surge": Boon For Defense Contractors

The border security plan the Senate approved last week includes unusual language mandating the purchase of specific models of helicopters and radar equipment for deployment along the U.S.-Mexican border, providing a potential windfall worth tens of millions of dollars to top defense contractors.

The legislation would require the U.S. Border Patrol to acquire, among other items, six Northrop Grumman airborne radar systems that cost $9.3 million each, 15 Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopters that average more than $17 million apiece, and eight light enforcement helicopters made by American Eurocopter that sell for about $3 million each. The legislation also calls for 17 UH-1N helicopters made by Bell Helicopter, an older model that the company no longer manufactures.

The Black Hawk helicopters required under the plan include five of the latest high-tech models with digital cockpits. As for the American Eurocopter aircraft, the patrol would be required to add eight AS-350 models to the 85 it already has in its fleet.

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The "Border Surge": Don't Fence Me In

The Republican Party is in a pickle about immigration.  They know that they can't stand in the way of comprehensive immigration reform if they are ever to woo minority voters. However, they also know that if they support a reform bill, the GOP base will make them pay at the polls. The big question is what to do to appease both sides. Enter an agreement to beef up border security, better known as the "Border Surge". I knew something was wrong when I heard that the agreement was favored by the likes of Bill O'Reilly.

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