Most Americans oppose Trump’s totally unnecessary shutdown of the federal government. His reckless, impulsive behavior to follow through on a stupid campaign “talking point” designed to provoke fear and rally support from racists who oppose immigrants never was based on actual information and never had a thoughtful plan for implementation of the wall. Likewise the actual shutdown was never thought through to anticipate the horrible and cruel consequences. Like everything else Trump does, it was totally a scam intended to deceive people.
Various persons have identified various problems with Trump’s shutdown, but here I’m identifying a few fresh insights that have not been mentioned much elsewhere.
I encourage people to read this smart article with fresh insights into what the shutdown really means: https://www.alternet.org/2019/01/what-the-shutdown-really-means/
Ronald Reagan (as candidate and president) routinely blamed the government as the root of our problems, and he did not think the government could or should solve problems. He was totally negative about the government, and he destroyed much of the government’s ability to help us. Dogmatic right-wingers and libertarians (and most Republicans) continue that negativity. The government must protect us from tainted food, corrupt business practices, dangerous working conditions, unsafe airlines, etc., etc., etc. Trump’s shutdown forces a radical escalation of that negativity! Trump and his right-wing Republican supporters are THE WORST KIND OF ANARCHISTS! Rather than “make America great,” they are actually DESTROYING America and DELIBERATELY DESTROYING the services that Americans need!
Along those lines, I encourage people to read this article, which provides more information beyond what I had already been saying: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/18/1812648/-Thoughts-on-the-Shutdown-The-Government-is-Often-Working-People-Doing-Good-for-Fellow-Citizens?detail=emaildkre
Indeed, Trump’s shutdown is a way to destroy the administrative state, like Karl Rove, Steve Bannon, etc., have wanted to do. This article also makes the case that I have been making: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/01/15/1826509/-The-Shutdown-IS-The-Deconstruction-Of-The-Administrative-State?detail=emaildkre
Trump boxed himself into a corner. The Republicans joined him in the doomed box. This interesting article provides more information: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/15/1826280/-Trump-is-trapped-And-he-locked-the-entire-GOP-in-with-him?detail=emaildkre
The group “People Demanding Action” (peopledemandingaction.org) provided information and a PETITION TO SIGN (see below). Here is their information: “Being forced to work for free is slavery; government workers are starting to look for new jobs that actually pay a salary.” They listed these immediate problems:
• 800,000 federal workers furloughed or working without pay, and many contractors who depend on the federal government will have no restitution for lost wages
• TSA workers are calling sick-outs, making air travel less safe
• National Parks are going unstaffed, leading to overflowing trash cans and toilets in protected areas
• 1,150 federal rent-subsidy contracts with landlords who provide low income housing have expired without money to renew.
• USDA food benefits are already being cut off, with money due to run out before the end of February.
• 50,000 IRS employees are being called back to work without pay, so Trump can lesson the political fallout from his temper tantrum.
• Data releases farmers rely on for crop planting are not being released, damaging agriculture.
• Domestic violence shelters are cutting back on services because their finances are so uncertain.
• Health care services for over one million American Indian and Native Alaskan women has stopped.
• Federal food assistance to 32 million working class women and children could run dry by the end of February.
• The federal government itself even sent a letter to landlords of public housing, where 75% of residents are women, begging them not to evict anyone.
PLEASE SIGN THEIR PETITION. The group says, “The House and Senate have both passed bipartisan funding bills without Trump’s wall. Mitch McConnell has refused to allow these bipartisan bills to the floor in an effort to avoid embarrassing Donald Trump.”
HERE IS THE PETITION TO SIGN:
