Walls That Crumble, Systems That Fail: Why the Big Beautiful Bill Gets It Wrong
I posted a similar bog on March 19, 2017—but it seems the warning went unheeded
I believe in national security. I believe in protecting our borders, upholding the rule of law, and ensuring that America remains a safe and sovereign nation. But I also believe in wisdom over waste—and history has taught us that walls, no matter how tall or expensive, are rarely the answer.
📜 History’s Walls: Expensive Symbols, Not Lasting Solutions
Throughout history, civilizations have built walls to keep people out—or in. These barriers were meant to project strength, but they often revealed fear. And more often than not, they failed.
| Wall | Purpose | Outcome |
| Great Wall of China | Keep out Mongol and Manchu invaders | Breached repeatedly; invaders bribed or bypassed it |
| Berlin Wall | Prevent East Germans from fleeing | Thousands escaped; wall fell in 1989 |
| Maginot Line (France) | Stop German invasion | Germans went around it via Belgium |
| Hadrian’s Wall (Rome) | Block northern tribes | Eventually abandoned and looted |
| Amorite Wall (Sumerians) | Stop nomadic invasions | Nomads simply went around it |
These walls didn’t fail because they weren’t long enough or strong enough. They failed because they tried to solve complex human problems with concrete and stone.
💸 The Real Cost of Repeating History
The newly passed “Big Beautiful Bill” allocates a staggering $46.5 billion for border wall construction—one of the largest single expenditures in the entire package. But that’s not the only cost.
Because the bill adds trillions to the national deficit, it triggers automatic cuts under federal PAYGO rules—including $500 billion in Medicare cuts over the next eight years.
That’s right: while we’re pouring billions into a wall that history tells us won’t work, we’re slashing funding for the healthcare of 68 million Americans—seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities.
🏚️ From Medicare Cuts to Homelessness
These Medicare reductions aren’t just numbers on a spreadsheet—they’re a direct threat to the stability and dignity of millions of Americans.
- Over 1.4 million low-income seniors will lose access to Medicare Savings Programs (MSPs)
- Monthly Medicare costs will rise by at least $185 per person in 2025
- Some seniors will lose $6,200 per year in prescription drug assistance
- Cuts to Medicaid-funded long-term care will push more vulnerable seniors into unstable housing or homelessness
For seniors living on fixed incomes—often under $25,000 a year—these added costs are devastating. Many will be forced to choose between paying rent or buying medicine. Some will end up in emergency rooms. Others will end up on the street.
🔁 What We Could Do Instead
| Program | Cost | Impact |
| Border Wall Construction | $46.5 billion | 1,500+ miles of barriers |
| Medicare Cuts (PAYGO) | $500 billion | Higher costs, reduced access, increased homelessness risk |
What could $46.5 billion do instead?
- Cover Medicare premiums for over 1 million low-income seniors for 10 years
- Fund 92,000 units of affordable housing for homeless veterans
- Hire 575,000 new VA claims processors to reduce backlogs
- Modernize every port of entry on the southern border with smart tech and personnel
🧠 Security Without Sacrifice
We can protect our borders without sacrificing our seniors. We can invest in smart surveillance, binational cooperation, and economic development—without gutting Medicare to pay for concrete.
“If the Great Wall of China couldn’t stop the Mongols, and the Berlin Wall couldn’t stop freedom, what makes us think a $46.5 billion wall will stop poverty, migration, or human resilience?”
Walls crumble. But values endure.
Let’s reverse these short-sighted measures and pursue solutions that endure—ones rooted in wisdom, not fear; in progress, not concrete; in legacy, not walls that history will one day mock.
