Texas ag leader criticizes Obama

Staples:Border with Mexico unsafe

By staff reports

Posted May 17, 2011 at midnight


Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples, who recently formed an exploratory committee to run for lieutenant governor in 2014, spoke about the Texas-Mexico border situation to a gathering of the Wichita County Republican Women on Monday.

During his speech, he spoke of dangers facing Texas farmers and ranchers whose property is near the border.

"The sovereignty of the United States is under siege on Texas soil."

He talked about ranchers on their own land being fired upon by drug cartel members.

Staples mentioned instances of ranchers being driven off their ranch land at gunpoint, the locks to their fence gates cut off and replaced with locks by the drug cartels.

He also mentioned ranchers who have put ladders over their barbed-wire fences because they were tired of the fences being cut each night and their cattle getting out.

"In his recent El Paso speech," noted Staples, "President Obama never mentioned the ongoing drug war."

He added, "Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano keeps saying that our border is safer than it's ever been."

He said the 1,241 miles of Texas-Mexico border is patrolled by only 8,000 border agents.

"The president said we have more Border Patrol agents than ever before. It's like telling a person with a broken leg, 'I've given you five aspirin. What more do you want?' I say it's not working."

As to the budget battles in the Texas Legislature, Staples said he has been told to expect a 40 to 45 percent cut in the Texas Agriculture Commission budget.

"We will have to determine what our priorities are. Government needs to live within its means.

"Texas farmers understand cash-flow problems. They just don't want their taxes raised," he said.

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