After another round of failed negotiations, the government shutdown has officially entered the record books. No other impasse has gone on this long, sparking fears of a prolonged and painful battle.
Naturally, the Democrats blame the Republicans for this mess. Admittedly, this is an embarrassing situation which must be resolved soon. But more importantly, it’s a human crisis. Tens of thousands of government workers don’t have paychecks. Even worse, many perform critical tasks but without pay.
Most ironic of all, the U.S. Coast Guard must perform their duties without financial compensation. In my opinion, the Coast Guard is the most honorable of the military branches. They have two primary objectives: protect our nation’s waterways and territorial integrity, and to save people in distress.
President Trump ran on the message of border security as a practical means of putting “Americans First.” The guardsmen do exactly that, and yet remain the only military branch without a paycheck. Due to a technicality — the Coast Guard falls under the Department of Homeland Security, and not the Department of Defense — the government shutdown indirectly threatens us all.
Under these circumstances, it’s easy to throw stones at Trump and the Republicans. To be fair, the conservatives haven’t done a brilliant job running things. However, it’s the Democrats that have consistently refused to come to the table over the past few decades.
Government Shutdown or Not, We Cannot Lose Our Country
At first glance, the Democrats seemingly have a valid point. They will negotiate with the President on multiple issues. However, they will not budge on the controversial border wall. With this impasse, the reasonable solution is to meet somewhere in the middle.
Adding to their argument is Trump’s public perception. The Commander-in-Chief relishes his role as “the boss.” It’s his way or the highway. This arrogant attitude might work in the boardroom at Trump Tower, but it’s not going to fly in Washington.
I’ll be the first to admit that Trump has many negatives to attach to his positives. But one thing that I do appreciate is his stance on national sovereignty. We are a nation of laws. If we lose this status, we lose our country.
For those that may disagree, I’ll simply direct my argument to the individual level. What makes your car or your home yours? Let’s go even deeper: what makes your spouse your one and only, and not someone else’s?
We Americans protect our rights and our relationships through laws. Otherwise, if we did not have property or marriage laws, anyone could violently overturn our claims. Again, if we don’t have laws, we don’t have our country.
As such, this government shutdown isn’t Trump’s fault. He is merely emphasizing the obvious. If the Democrats want to hold the American people hostage over its lawless, anarchic policies, let them. But in this regard, Trump is absolutely right to stand his ground.