Short of Deploying Land Mines... 

... I just don't see the National Guard at the border doing much good. I think this is especially true given that they won't be doing any actual guarding, just providing surveillance and technical assistance to the Border Patrol. I'm sure there are very good reasons for doing this having to do with the Posse Comitatus Act, but still... it will make them less effective.

Frankly, I waffle back and forth on walls and troops at the border. While at first blush it may seem like a simple and effective solution, I always end up having a flashback to Star Wars when Princess Leah says to Govenor Tarkin, "The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers." I can't help but wonder if the same is true here. (Yes, I am a geek.)

In the end, America is a damn attractive place to live for illegals. As long as the benefits of living in the United States (jobs and welfare) are greater than the cost (crossing the border), they will keep coming. It's really just that simple. So how do we make the United States less attractive to illegals coming over the border? I've discussed these issues at length previously:

Replace the Income Tax with a National Sales Tax: I'm convinced that one of the main reasons why so many employers hire illegals is because they can pay them cash, and just not deal with the paperwork involved with the IRS. It's not that the employers hate the idea of taxes all together. It's just that its too much of a confusing paperwork burden to place on employers... especially small employers. By removing that burden, it puts all potential employees on a level playing field. And I do believe that given an equal choice, employers would rather pick citizens than illegals.

Require Proof of Citizenship to Get Welfare: And something that goes hand and hand with this is changing the Constitution to require that someone born in this country have at lease one citizen as a parent to be considered a citizen.

That's it. That's all it would take. The beauty of these two ideas is that they actually save us money, and don't require Orwellian national identification databases, land mines, or troops flying choppers over southern states. Of course, simplicity was never something the government excelled in.