I thought I could wait out the shutdown and not speak out, but with today’s campaign being announced to “send a brick to Nancy and Chuck” by [President Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign], I cannot keep quiet any longer.
I am directly affected by the government shutdown as a furloughed government employee. It is a humiliating and demeaning experience to be treated this way by any employer.
The president, I believe, thought that by giving raises of 2.6 percent to the military and all the government department heads a $10K-a-year pay raise, and taking the very small 2.1 percent pay raise away from the rest of the government’s employees, he would gain national support and save enough money to pay for his wall.
The wall is useless because people have [already] been shown going over the wall, breaking bones in the process, before turning themselves in to border security.
The largest caravan in a number of years passed through a tunnel under the wall before turning themselves in while seeking asylum. The drug cartels are much smarter than a wall in getting the drugs they sell into this country. A wall is no deterrent for them.
The president thinks name calling and taking employees as hostages is the best way to make his point. Is this the way we want our government run, bullying people to get our way? Does this reflect the freedoms many worked and died for?
The GOP can parade immigrants as murderers or rapist that are illegally in this country all they want, but such senseless crimes exist in every society and no wall will stop those crimes from happening.
There is never a valid or just reason to close all or part of the government. I feel like a hostage/pawn in this president’s reality. I feel our president sees government workers not as an asset to the country, but as a liability not worthy of even the smallest pay raise for their contribution.
If I could say one thing to congress it would be “please end the shutdown.”
This is not a game. Real people are being hurt by this, and I have no hope that the president will end it anytime soon.
I do think immigration and border security discussions are needed, but holding part of the government hostage will not make that happen.
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