UNITED STATES—Well it has been close to two weeks since the federal government has gone into a partial shutdown. I note partial because the government has not completely shut down, but there are plenty of Americans who are impacted by the closure. It looks like state and national parks are feeling the brunt of the closure first, but my biggest concern is not President Donald Trump, it’s not Nancy Pelosi, it’s not Chuck Schumer, it’s not the border wall, it’s not the United States senators or House of Representatives. Any guesses as to whose livelihood I’m concerned about?
It’s those everyday Americans employed by the federal government, some who are forced to work without receiving a paycheck. I wonder if members of Congress found themselves without a paycheck, that government issued vehicle or if the perks of working for the government were taken away would they be happy? I sometimes think this game of politics is more about people exuding their power or ensuring their ego doesn’t take any blows.
Yes, we need to have stricter border policy to prevent illegal immigration. However, I do not think building a border wall for billions of dollars will stop people from illegally entering the United States. It has transpired for years, and it will continue to transpire for years to come. In addition, didn’t Donald Trump mention that Mexico was going to pay for the wall? If that is the case, why is our Commander in Chief now asking Congress for the funds to secure the wall?
You know what, the he said, she said has really boiled my blood; this is the reason I hate politics SO MUCH! Everyone wants to play the blame game. Democrats want to blame Republicans, Republicans want to blame Democrats. How about instead of taking a freaking vacation during the holidays, all members of the House and the Senate, including the POTUS be forced to be locked in a building or room and stay in that room until they knock out a deal. Jeez, my 6 year-old nieces behave better than these grown adults. We vote people into office to do a job and instead of doing the job we elected them to do, we have to deal with this crap.
At the rate this stalemate is going, the federal government could be partially closed for more than a month, if not longer. The fact that we’re even talking about the government shutting down is ridiculous. Elected officials should be doing everything in their power to ensure such a thing doesn’t happen. No, we’re instead sitting and watching as politicians play a game of chicken to see who will crack first. The fear is I don’t see anyone caving in, and this could lead to a very interesting 2020 Election Day. Why?
Americans fed up with the constant bickering and lack of action, might choose to not send a blue wave or a red wave, but a black wave and just boot out all the elected officials in office and perhaps replace them with actual candidates who will do what they claim to do. At the end of the day, no one should be happy that the federal government is closed in any capacity because lives are impacted by that closure and sometimes those in power don’t see it until it’s too late.
Written By Kelsey Thomas
