By Diego Lomeli
The longest government shutdown in history has left thousands of federal employees in a state of panic and frustration.
It’s no surprise that President Donald Trump’s egotistical nature keeps him from fully understanding the true cost of his irresponsible decisions. The salaries of government workers were held hostage for nearly five weeks while they dreaded on the fact that hunger and homelessness had become a genuine concern.
The shutdown commenced over a senseless border security stalemate; it should be clear by now that the wall has nothing to do with security, much less the protection from foreign Central American “invaders”.
During the 35-day long shutdown, Trump requested $25 billion in funding for the construction of the wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. The Democratic Party was determined to stand in objection to Trump’s demands.
It’s all an outbursting fit from Trump. The wall is an embodiment of his pride; his political steadfast that has been degraded by his incompetence and his carelessness for the well-being of American citizens. A president should be able to focus his concern on keeping our country safe without placing its citizens in an unstable financial situation, much less invoke fear into the minds of many.
Trump hauls a reckless and destructive agenda with him everywhere he goes, managing to find ways to further accomplish his selfish goals.
Over the past three weeks, social media platforms, though mainly Twitter, have been flooded with the stories of federal employees’ endured hardships. Stories of urgent medical procedures being delayed and parents having to choose between feeding their children or paying their rent were all consequences of the shutdown. Families that rely on Medicaid to cover the major costs of medical care and equipment simply couldn’t afford to make things work.
For some, the exciting process of purchasing a home had stopped entirely due to the shutdown. Financial plans through a rural development loan provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture became out of reach for several thousand families.
National Parks, such as the William Howard Taft National Historic Site in Ohio, Mount Rainier National Park in Washington and Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona, remained closed and unattained to during the shutdown, resulting in litter piling up throughout every park.
It was unrealistic for Trump to suggest that families “make adjustments” for their temporary absence of income. In some state prisons across the countries, inmates laughed and mocked their correctional officers while they received three meals a day, something the prison staff could not afford to do.
It’s clear our concern should reside with the hundreds of thousands of American people affected by the shutdown. With the amount of money that Trump demands be invested into his wasteful wall, a plethora of other more crucial projects could be funded for.
Evidently, Trump is a lot more concerned with the construction of the wall than the potential progress, well within realistic investments, that could help thousands of Americans.
