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Cannon suggests Google to eyeball border fences
The Salt Lake Tribune
Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated:07/08/2007 01:14:58 AM MDT

After the defeat of a comprehensive immigration reform bill in the Senate, Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, says the government needs to prove it can do something about the flood of undocumented people living and working in America. Otherwise, the public won't have any faith in its leaders.
Calls from constituents show that many have lost faith in their government, Cannon said in a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. "Put simply, the American people do not trust government to keep its word," he said in the letter written Tuesday.
His idea: show the public that the immigrant-blocking fence along the U.S.-Mexico border is going up, and soon workers will not just be able to stroll into New Mexico, Arizona, California or another border state.
"When millions map their trips online or view their own neighborhoods on Google Earth, making it possible for concerned citizens to see for themselves where the fence has been completed, where it is being built and where it is scheduled to be built, updated in real time, is not a Herculean task," Cannon said.
If the all-knowing search engine isn't going to create Google Border, you can always create your own visual map of the immigration problem. The directions will come back something like, "Leave Mexico City, head north," 500 miles. "Climb fence," 12 feet. "Enter Arizona."

Bishop vs. the NEA

Rep. Rob Bishop doesn't hate the National Endowment for the Arts, but he did try to ax a $32 million increase from the group's congressional funding. The House, now under Democratic control, approved a boost to the nonprofit's $128 million request, putting them at about $160 million for the fiscal 2008 year.
Bishop, however, argued that the extra money would be better served by beefing up budgets for the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service and Forest Service to help protect their lands on the U.S.-Mexico border. There are some dangerous areas along the border where federal lands rangers don't even dare to tread, Bishop argued on the House floor.
"If you have to choose between preserving the life of an agent there or funding more public art, you choose protecting life," Bishop's chief of staff, Scott Parker, says.
The House, however, didn't buy the argument and defeated two amendments Bishop offered to cut the money. But, hey, why not compromise? Maybe the group can paint a mural along the new border fence to make it seem safer.

On the map

Utah is usually a flyover state in presidential politics, a state so overwhelmingly Republican there's no need to campaign there or even stop to refuel. But this year, candidates are paying attention to Utah, even if it's just to refuel their bank accounts. Here's a count of who has been here and how many times this year:
* Mitt Romney: twice
* Mike Huckabee: once
* Rudy Giuliani: once
* John McCain: once
* John Edwards: once
* Bill Richardson: scheduled trip Friday and Saturday
* Chris Dodd: scheduled trip Saturday
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* BURR reports for The Salt Lake Tribune from Washington. He can be reached at tburr@sltrib.com.



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