Federal government shutdown shows we really likely are that shallow

The federal government came to a “shut down” during a weekend, meaning most people likely haven’t noticed one bit of difference. It could be come Monday that things start being impacted publicly.

TRUMP: Blame? Or praise?

Although I have to admit, my initial reaction to learning our Congress is ideological enough to be stubborn and let daily government activity come to a halt was to check on how this would impact U.S. Postal Service delivery. I get paychecks in the mail.

YES, MAIL DELIVERY is one of the so-called essential services that will continue even if the United States government is supposed to be closed for the duration.

But what is going to happen, particularly since President Donald Trump on Sunday engaged in political trash talk – saying he thinks Republicans ought to go ahead and just stick it to their Democratic Party opposition. Change the rules that give minority parties some say and make it impossible for the GOP majority to just ramrod their desires through into public policy.

Which is something they could easily do. In fact, it is the reason that Democrats say Republicans deserve full blame for any disruption of government activity. How can a Republican president and Republican-dominated Congress blame somebody else for nothing happening?

Personally, I have long realized how petty partisan and ideologue leaning government officials can be. I’m fully aware that for some government officials, being able to say they dumped on Democrats would be the very purpose of government’s existence.

SO ON SATURDAY, when my father asked me whether I thought the government would really shut down and officials would really be so hard-core hostile toward immigration policy and the DACA kids, I politely told him that “Yes” they could.

While deep-down, I had to hold back a temptation to laugh in his face and mock his naivete.

Keep in mind that my father is one of the normal people; as in those who don’t really pay much attention to daily government activity and procedure, and I suspect deep down thinks I’m a tad ridiculous for giving it much thought myself.

The focal point of how partisan politics does impact our daily lives

I don’t doubt many people are like that, and they’re the ones who most likely are watching the activity taking place out of the District of Columbia these days and wondering to themselves, “Why?”

IT’S BECAUSE WE have those people who are determined to muck up the process that might allow for a more sensible federal immigration policy to move forth.

Specifically, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy that Trump wants to see wither away in a couple of months. But he has oh, so generously offered to let something remain in place IF Democrats give him one of his longest-running pieces of political rhetoric – the barricade built along the U.S./Mexico border.

Democratic officials in Congress will never do anything to support that concept. They’re using the powers provided to a minority party to stall a vote from being taken in Congress toward funding that would keep the government’s operations from occurring.

Democrats don’t have the power to pass anything. They can merely thwart; just as Republicans did for years during the presidencies of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.

THERE WERE GOVERNMENT shutdowns, most famously the one of 1995 when Republicans led by then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia thought they’d have the nation’s backing in openly thumbing their nose at Clinton. They didn’t -- the shutdown was a significant part of Gingrich’s decline as a public official.

Which is why I’m sure Republicans are convinced they’re now due for a shutdown-related victory. They probably believe that Democrats MUST take the blame for whatever inconveniences are caused by this current shutdown.

They still have to work during shutdown

While I’m sure many Democratic-leaning people are convinced this will be perceived as yet another GOP screwup; and one that can be a prime part of a Trump legacy of governmental incompetence.

All of which I’m sure will come to a head when people start seeing how our government (which we’d like to boast is the finest form of self-governing in existence on Planet Earth) is just as cheap and petty as the people whom we elect – we really do get what we deserve. We put these people in office to begin with.

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