Security - of our border

So this whole deal about protecting our U.S. border is really quite bizarre to me. I don't really understand the problems with not being able to do it nor do I understand why it isn't more of a priority for Americans to make happen.
So many of our troubles in the U.S. are as a result of our porous border. Yes, I know I am being nice by saying porous instead of just saying practically wide open. We have smugglers who bring in drugs, people, and who knows what else. They also take out money, weapons, and who knows what else. To me that is good enough reason to "secure" the border. However, and most unfortunately, there are more scary reasons to "secure" the border. Let's start with disease for example. Choosing the H1N1 virus pandemic makes one good case. Mexico was top of the list with a serious outbreak before we were experiencing our own spread of the disease. Granted many Americans were smart enough to cancel trips to Mexico at that time but what about all of those who came to the U.S. from Mexico? What if that disease wasn't a world wide pandemic but a disease isolated mostly in South America? Another even better example for "securing" our border is stopping the criminal element from entering our country. We have enough of our own bad guys and really don't need any more. The gang activity here in the U.S. is outrageous but that is another blog to write about. When we find someone here illegally we deport them back to Mexico so they can crawl back under the fence to report to work the next day. What? Really? Hey the alternative is to incarcerate them but then who gets to pay that bill? Like we have money growing on trees? Please! Now the really big one I don't even want to acknowledge. Not that there aren't many more but I have already made my point and feel no need to add to the rage many Americans feel. Ok, I will write it, terrorists. We can't keep them off of our planes where we actually have an opportunity to know their name and see their face. I am not sure why they bother with the planes when they could enter through Mexico via our U.S. border, (the porous one). What price are we as Americans willing to pay by allowing terrorists into the country?
How much money would it take to "secure" our border and really do it right? Well not that much compared to all the other wasted spending elsewhere, but then our government is concerned about the trade off of "securing" our border the decline in tourism, the economic impact in both countries, blah blah blah. So we are saving money so we can make money at the expense of our American right to freedom to let others terrorize us? Ok, that is another blog opportunity.
It is really simple don't you think, when you really think, hard and serious? Come on...give me any good reason why we can't just "secure" the border and then let the rest of the problems go away?