UNITED STATES—The federal government shutdown has now surpassed a record at 26 days as of Wednesday, January 14. As an American, I could care less about President Donald Trump, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Lindsay Graham, Mitch McConnell, Republicans or the Democrats. Do you know who I care about? I care about all of the furloughed federal workers who did not get paid this past Friday, and the workers who are likely to not get paid this week either. Can you imagine working a job and not getting a pay check for the hard work that you performed the entire week, the entire two weeks, three weeks or however long you have to work before you get paid?
Not only can it be frustrating, but it can be downright depressing for so many people. I think I am more frustrated by this game politicians are playing. Wait for it, wait for it, whose going to blink or crack first. It’s not happening, Trump wants the border wall, but Democrats are not willing to fund it. So the government is still partially closed and the longer the shutdown goes the worst the situation is going to get if you ask me. I mean no employer can expect in their right mind for someone to come to work and not get paid for their work.
I mean Congress passed a bill noting that all workers not paid will receive their back pay during the shutdown, but you can’t give IOU’s to the mortgage company, the gas company, the electric company, your car insurance, your cellphone, Cable or Internet provider. Are government officials aware of this? I mean stop for a few seconds and seriously think about the people impacted most by this shutdown. I mean members of Congress and the House of Representatives are still getting a freaking paycheck! Are you kidding me? If there are federal workers not getting a check including members of the TSA, why in the hell should Congress be awarded for not preventing a government shutdown in the first place? We elect these officials into office, but for the life of me, they can never seem to co-exist and get things accomplished without their egos causing major issues.
Someone please explain this logic to me because it’s baffling and makes no utter sense to me at all. If the federal government is partially shut down and some people are NOT getting a paycheck that should apply to EVERYONE, not a select few. It’s showing a clear message as to who is IMPORTANT and perhaps who is not. There has already been chatter of TSA workers calling in sick and not showing up for work because they’re not getting paid. I mean, that is concerning to me because if the shutdown lingers it can start to threaten national security when it comes to the airwaves.
If there is no one to check to see if people are bringing dangerous weapons onto airplanes, then we could have another catastrophe on our hands. We also have chatter of the IRS not being able to process tax returns. That really is going to peeve people in a major way America, especially since the federal government has already taken our tax dollars and used them. My fear is the longer this shutdown goes, the more people who will be impacted, that will ultimately result in elected officials having to take a close look in the mirror and ask themselves if all this hoopla was really worth it because you hurt way more people than you actually helped in the long run.
