The price of Trumps wall

So Trump wants to build a Wall.

I have made some estimates and considered the costs and materials needed to construct the Great wall of Trump. Be prepared as these are minimum estimates.

For starters, the Mexican border is 1,954 miles long and if we subtract away 54 miles to allow for border crossings that makes it 1,900 miles. Now if the great wall of Trump requires bricks one foot long, one foot wide and one foot deep then the foundation layer would require...10,032,000 bricks.

But if Trumps wall is to stop the Mexican Miscreants, then it needs to be high-let's say fifty foot high. Now if it takes ten million bricks to make one foot of wall then how many would it take to build fifty foot of wall? 510,600,000-Over half a billion bricks. Now lets look at the weight of the materials; assuming that every block weighs ten pounds, that means that over a billion tonnes of raw materials would be needed-and that is not including the bonding agents to keep the wall upright-and if that is five percent of the walls total weight then 100 million tonnes of grout is required.

Then there is the excavation and transport fees- let's assume at worst that it costs a hundred dollars per tonne. That's more than 5 trillion dollars right there. Then there is wages for the construction workers which I will set at 15 bucks per hour for 6 hours a day and I will assume that it will take 100 workers 1 day to build half a mile of wall-that's 900 thousand dollars a day for 1,360 days which equals...just over 1.3 billion dollars.Then there are amenities, accommodation...and then there is the estimated time of completion-At half a mile a day? eight years at best. A quarter mile a day? 16 years.

So the price of Trumps wall? At best 7 trillion dollars and eight years of labor. The look on the faces of Trump supporters? priceless. Now that is a modest estimate and clearly such a project will never hit the drawing board-the point of this experiment is to show how Trump is dangling the carrot.

a reply to: Thecakeisalie

They could build a wall so strong and dangerous nobody can climb over.

Fly over it.

They could pay border guards to stand shoulder to shoulder all the way from the Gulf to the Pacific.

Find one that takes bribes.

They could build a wall reaching to the vacuum of space.

Tunnel under it.

Sail around it.

Walls don't work, the last gasp of failed empires is wall building. See China Wall, Hadrians wall, The Berlin wall, the Gaza wall…

You've been Trumped

a reply to: Thecakeisalie

Your ending gave me a good laugh. haha nice work.

a reply to: Thecakeisalie

And why is this a problem? Over a seven or eight year period, spending all that money into the economy, in a trickle up fashion, rather than trickle down (the way it's been and hasn't worked). I say build the wall, just for the sake of a unifying project that spends money back into the economy, gives people honest work and a purpose.

Btw, since I do these sorts of projects, your ballpark is low, it would be more like 10 trillion with the advanced detection electronic systems, for another trillion, I can make it lethal. Now that's a deterrent,what was that ad line? "Better living through electricity."

Cheers - Dave

a reply to: Thecakeisalie

No.
Just $10.5 B over 4 years
www.youtube.com...

Try to use common sense next time, instead of simpleton statements

originally posted by: M5xaz
a reply to: Thecakeisalie

No.
Just $10.5 B over 4 years
www.youtube.com...

Try to use common sense next time, instead of simpleton statements

You seem like you would be a good financial expert.

a reply to: Thecakeisalie

Will his wall have a walking path. He will charge money to walk. LOL

*americans on left...everyone else stay right...

don't worry, Mexico is paying for the wall trump supporters will cover the rest

That's hilarious. I'm trying to think of something else to say but it's very early in the morning where I am. Can't wait to read the excuses. Perhaps trump supporters will offer free labour and time.

a reply to: Thecakeisalie

If he follows Israels lead the wall will be constructed mainly of pre-cast tilt-panel concrete sections that will be purpose made to specific heights, thickness and necessary penetration points and interlock.

I read on here last week that his wall estimates range between 4 and 12 Billion.

You don't necessarily need a physical wall... especially not the entire length of the border. There are other ways to secure the border without building a wall the entire length of the border.

You can also pay for it by simply taxing money sent out of the country to Mexico, not to mention charging tariffs on goods manufactured in Mexico.

If it ever happens, I highly doubt it's going to be an old fashioned brick wall. I would assume it would be a mixture of pre-cast concrete, fencing and cabling.

a reply to: Edumakated

I think this might work too!!

*warning do not pee on fence...zap... Ouch

a reply to: Thecakeisalie

The wall is nothing more than taking advantage of a virtual crisis.

Prosecute the companies that hire illegals and fine them 50K for each illegal hired and they will stop hiring them.

If AMERICANS companies stop hiring them, then they will stop coming because their is no incentive for them.

3 of the largest offenders of Illegal immigration are the Agriculture ,Construction, and hospitality industries which are also some of the largest lobbyist.

Trump is associated with the construction and hospitality industries. He has no intentions of stopping them from coming , but rather capitalize and get part of the billions that it will cost to build and maintain.

He miserably failed my political litmus test and is why I don't trust a word he says. Trump is either incompetent or is purposely lying and trying to capitalize on a virtual crisis at the expense of the tax payers.


John Oliver breaks down the minimum cost of the wall.

a reply to: M5xaz

Try to use common sense next time, instead of simpleton statements

I'm pretty sure I used the words 'Modest estimate' and simply saying the word 'simpleton' does not make one an Oxford scholar.

a reply to: Thecakeisalie

Coming with with Trillion $ made up figures on poor arguments is not modest or sensible.

C'mon man he can't mean a physical wall.

Trump has said we don't need a wall the entire way.

If you think you can wall off the Mexican Border.

You have never seen it.

originally posted by: whyamIhere
C'mon man he can't mean a physical wall.

Trump has said we don't need a wall the entire way.

When has he said that?

And if he did, I bet you there are 10 other videos of him saying he would build it the whole way.

That's kinda the problem right?

See it's funny, cause Conservatives make fun of Bernie Sanders for having Pie in the Sky policies like free education.

Well GOP, meet your 'pie in the sky issue'. A 2000 mile long border wall that Mexico will pay for.

It's so absurd to even contemplate, I don't even understand how some people can look at this financially and think it's a good idea.

~Tenth

a reply to: Sublimecraft

I'm pretty sure that towards the end of the campaign Trail Trumps physical wall will become a metaphorical one.

'When I said I was going to build a wall, I meant I was going to build a wall'

a reply to: tothetenthpower

Right nice point. Trump will run a electric fence for 2000 miles with 20,000 volts!

*shoukd not have tried to cross into he US!