What if the Port of New York/New Jersey had 400 ships stacked end to end hundreds of miles into the Atlantic, and after port authority officials complained to federal officials holding up the line, the customs director said, "grow up."

Today, border ports are the front door for trade to all America. So why is it that nearly seven years after 9/11, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff still has not delivered on the major pieces of border security - safe, fast, smart movement of people and products? And workable security for America's future?

Last week, Chertoff told those of us who call the border home to "grow up." Our comments, suggestions, and proven initiatives on how to make the border safer, faster and smarter in a post 9/11 world were, according to him, only the words of critics.

We should ask the better question: When everyone agrees that the border is neither safe, fast nor smart, who is responsible?

Chertoff ought to lead, follow or get out of the way.

Let me explain.

On October 30th, 2001, only days after the infamy of 9/11, I wrote George Bush to share support and ideas. Franklin Roosevelt too faced a day of infamy. Within days, he gave us hope. All during his presidency, his message to the American people was simple—"all we have to fear is fear itself".

Since then, all of us on who call the border home have shared this message - prosperity is as important as security. "Do not let terrorists stop trade. If they do, they win.'

In that letter we outlined real solutions from real Americans - one stop inspection stations, 24/7 use of existing border infrastructure, more highly trained staff and most of all, pre-clearance technology to identify and cross safe goods and secure travelers - all proven strategies to speed the movement of secure people and products.

Some of these strategies go all the way back to former Texas Comptroller's John Sharp's landmark "Border Report" of 1998.  

Since then, Congress has appropriated billions of dollars to move people and products through borders faster, safer and smarter. I personally have been to Washington, D.C., several times to meet with Customs and Immigration officials on innovative solutions. One key pilot program has been on Chertoff's desk for over two years.

Guess what? The money has not been spent. In fact no real solution is on the table, even though current biometric technologies are in use around the world.

Last week, a U.S. House of Representatives Committee met here in El Paso to review border bridge wait times. What people in Dallas and Denver need to know is that ports in San Diego, El Paso and Laredo are the keys to your prosperity.

After all, 85 percent of U.S. exports to our second largest trading partner travel through Texas ports. Slow ports mean a slow economy and ultimately slow growth in jobs.

What did they find? Here's what Lurita Doan of the U.S. General Accountability Office said: "We need more lanes and more roads. We need to build more as fast as we can, where we can. Our goal is to ignite a building boom at our ports of entry." Other witnesses said that 1,000 authorized Customs positions remained unfilled and that Customs needed 7,000 new agents to do the job.

Guess what? These same solutions were delivered to the U.S. government way back in 1998 - in Sharp's "Border Report."

By now, moving people and products faster, safer, smarter in a post 9/11 world should be a top U.S. priority. Instead we have cabinet level leaders who say "grow up" when we who live, work and raise families here work daily to make real solutions a reality.
While Ports in New York and Los Angeles face the same security issues as El Paso, our ports are used as excuses. It is not we who need to grow up. It is Chertoff who needs to do his job.

Would Chertoff tell New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg to "grow up" if the Port of New York was paralyzed? Border security should be about the best ideas to make us safer - smarter and faster - here and everywhere where people and products move in and out of our great country.