Domestic Port Sales & Security

S.B., contributing editor

If you've been watching the news lately, you might have heard that the U.S wants to sell control of several domestic seaports to Arab countries. Personally speaking, I think this is a bad move. I believe that sales of ANY domestic seaports to a foreign country is bad business. It just seems that selling ports to foreign governments is asking for trouble. I think that some sort of trade agreement would be a way to go. Also, we might be able to consider the leasing of these ports to foreign governments, with the United States maintaining principal control of the port, and also having final say as to what can happen there. This solution would bring some additional revenue into the united States coffers, and help to boost our economy, encourage trade with other nations, and maybe even provide some jobs for American workers at these ports.

Whatever course of action that the United States takes, I think there should be a strong law enforcement presence in these ports to keep our country protected from additional threats that could come by sea, and also this would help to keep a lid on illegal activity in these ports. I understand that given the volume of freight that comes into our country by container ship alone, this would be a daunting task, but it would help to keep people honest, while law enforcement could keep a sharp eye out for anything that looks to be out of place. I think that our Customs officials do a fine job, and that they should keep up the good work, but that giving control of a domestic port to a foreign government would be a strategic error of major proportions.