By JAKE ROME
Staff Writer
This is an article judging purely character. Legality and ability aside, Trump should not be shutting down the government to fulfill a campaign promise. The hastiness and irrationality displayed through this shutdown need to be talked about. 800,000 plus government workers have been without pay for what will soon be the longest shutdown in United States history, and for what?
Historically, a shutdown is made when Congress cannot come to a settlement. A short shutdown is designed for each party to recollect themselves, make adjustments to plans, and come back into discussion with a clear head. In this case, however, Trump took it upon himself to declare the wall not being constructed as a “national emergency” in order to shut down the government. This is clearly Trump’s CEO side coming in to play as president. He pitched his idea of the wall back in 2016, did not realize how big of a project it is, and got upset when every legislator wasn’t immediately on his side. So what does he do? He takes the matter into his own hands, and offers the government an ultimatum. And honestly, why wouldn’t he? In no way shape or form does this shutdown hurt Trump; he is heavily protected by his own earnings, and is in heavy interest of lobbyists and business tycoons across the nation. Working for free is obviously not an issue for Mr. Donny, but hundreds of thousands of citizens are struggling to survive, just so Trump can protest comfortably from the Oval Office.
Along with this, Trump shows almost no support to those working underneath him. In his most recent address, Trump stated, ”To those who refuse to compromise in the name of border security, I would ask, imagine if it was your child, your husband, or your wife whose life was so cruelly shattered and totally broken”. While illegal immigrant violence should be discussed, Trump is using the suffering of these victims as pure rhetoric. It is beyond hypocritical to criticize others (the Democrats) for not reaching a “compromise,” when Trump decides a national emergency should be declared to prioritize his own agenda over the government’s. The shutdown is completely unnecessary, and something as massive as a southern border wall should not made into an ultimatum. Billions of dollars are required for something that may or may not be even necessary, and a proper decision without the pressure of nearly one million hungry people should be made with due process. Trump is using rhetoric to create a greater illegal threat than actually exists, and is doing so just to fulfill his campaign promises. Don’t believe me? Check the calendar. His term is more than half finished, and Papa Donnie still has not much progress in his primary project. This unnecessary shutdown has been nothing but detrimental, counterproductive, and straight immature, all for Trump’s benefit.