Echo opinion in The New York Times- Cruel Trump causes suffering

Trump’s Shutdown Is Not About Border Security

Another government shut down created by Trump for political purposes is proof about how unfit he is to lead America. Even as the negotiations to end this stupid "shut down" impasse are ongoing, the legacy left by the episode adds to the preponderance of evidence about Trump's incompetence.
An echo editorial board opinion published in The New York Times

Donald Trump has a history of creating violence, and cruelty with his rambling rhetoric, Tweets and caustic actions during his terrible wrong minded administration.

About 800,000 federal employees, and the citizens who depend on them, are being hurt for an empty political stunt.

For a sense of the true cost of his government shutdown, now deep into its second week, Donald Trump should spend less time rage-tweeting and venting his spleen in cabinet meetings about Democrats’ refusal to throw money away on his wasteful border wall and more time perusing the #shutdownstories making the rounds.

With even a quick peek beyond his bubble, the president could learn much about the legions of government employees and contractors who spent the holiday season agonizing over how to cover their next mortgage payment or electric bill or trip to the grocery store if this political charade drags on much longer.

Let’s be clear: This fight is not about security. Contrary to Trump’s claims, there is no flood of savage foreigners pouring across the border. Even so, reasonable Democrats and Republicans acknowledge a need for some mix of a bigger staff, better technology and, yes, fencing — as well as humane and sensible immigration and asylum policies. Achieving all of that has proved a tall order even for competent administrations. But it’s why Congress, on a bipartisan basis, has already been allocating more money for border security — although the administration has spent less than 10 percent of what Congress has allocated in the past year.

To avoid the complex, hard work that has traditionally gone with his job, Trump has instead manufactured a political impasse over a symbol, a wall, that even his new acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, back when he was a congressman, derided as “an easy thing to sell politically” that “doesn’t really solve the problem.” John Kelly, Trump’s departing chief of staff, told The Los Angeles Times that the administration long ago abandoned the idea of a concrete wall as irrelevant to the real needs of border security — drawing a heated contradiction from the president on Twitter.

Instead, if Trump would take the time to check in with what’s happening in the real world, he might read about the divorced Army veteran who’d worked “three jobs to survive” before getting hired as a paralegal at the Federal Trade Commission — and who now has no idea if he’ll make the rent. 

Also, Trump could hear from the single mother who says that she’ll have enough for rent — but not for food. He might be moved by the wife of a corrections officer wondering how her family will handle their “mortgage, day care and car payments” while her husband is working without pay. Or by the disabled Air Force vet who, having waited more than a year for “service-connected surgery,” cannot get final approval for her procedure until the shutdown ends.

An estimated 800,000 federal workers have had their lives upended by this latest presidential temper tantrum. Some 420,000 of those, deemed “essential personnel,” are working without pay. This includes upward of 41,000 law enforcement officials, 54,000 Border Patrol agents and 53,000 Transportation Security Administration workers. (If you flew this holiday season, it was only thanks to these unpaid women and men.) Another 380,000 workers have been furloughed, including 28,800 employees of the

Forest Service, 16,000 in the National Park Service and 16,700 at NASA.

The longer the cruel stoppage continues, the more people will feel the squeeze. Already, the Small Business Administration has been shut down, delaying the processing of loans. A growing number of national parks, museums and historic sites will need to close, disrupting tourism for the sites and for surrounding businesses. At some of the parks kept open during the holidays, even as many rangers and other support staff members were furloughed, there were reports of trash piling up, toilets overflowing with human waste and episodes of vandalism. Routine screenings by the Food and Drug Administration are being put on hold, and the Federal Communications Commission is set to halt most of its operations on Thursday. 

Sadly, the situation on Indian lands is about to get dire. The list goes on and on.

For the workers directly affected, among those facing the greatest economic uncertainty are contractors, who make up more than 40 percentof the government work force. This includes not only white-collar positions, but also thousands of blue-collar jobs, such as janitors and security guards. Unlike regular government employees, many contractorsmay not be compensated for lost time. They could simply lose the income.

Even for regular, non-contract employees, who have eventually been granted back pay after past shutdowns and can reasonably expect the same this time, the grinding anxiety and financial costs of scraping by in the meantime mount with each passing day. 

Many of these workers live paycheck to paycheck, with little wiggle room. Some of their creditors are more understanding than others, and even one missed payment can carry heavy consequences.

Last Thursday, the Office of Personnel Management tweeted a link to “sample letters” that workers could use in negotiating payment plans with creditors. This is not a new practice; similar templates were sent during the 2015 shutdown. The letters nonetheless earned much mockery on social media — especially the section suggesting that workers ask their landlords about trading “services to perform maintenance (e.g. painting, carpentry work) in exchange for partial rent payments.” After suffering a Twitter beat-down, O.P.M. removed the offending passage and issued a statement that it was part of a “legacy document” from 2013 that had been posted in error.

No matter: On the same day that federal workers were being urged to try their hands at a barter economy, Mr. Trump was busy firing off a series of rabid, finger-pointing, wall-related tweets, including one about how a wall deal had been thwarted not only by “Democrat obstruction” but also by uppity federal judges.

In one characteristically empathetic post, Trump sneered that “most of the people not getting paid are Democrats.” While this divisive, evidence-free claim tells you everything you need to know about this president’s hyperpolitical approach to his role, it most likely failed to impress the hundreds of thousands of families across the political spectrum who are suffering as a direct result of Mr. Trump’s grandstanding.

For pure lack of class, however, nothing topped the president’s tweets of Saturday, blaming Democrats’ opposition to his wall for the tragic death of two migrant children* (Jakelin Caal Maquin age 7 and Felipe Alonzo-Gomez age 8, both were migrants from Guatemala) who had been apprehended by the Border Patrol and put into custody.

As if all this weren’t bad enough, on Friday, Mr. Trump issued an executive order freezing pay for the government’s civilian work force in 2019 — around two million people. The order can be, and is expected to be, overridden by Congress once the budget impasse is resolved. So, practically speaking, Mr. Trump’s move does little more than further fuel tensions.

Mr. Trump has claimed — without evidence, naturally — that “many” federal workers have urged him to “stay out until you get the funding for the wall.” This seems unlikely considering that a recent poll by Reuters/Ipsos found that only a quarter of all Americans support the shutdown. Only 35 percent said they favored including money for the wall in a spending bill.

This is, to put it mildly, not a broadly popular policy point on which the president is holding the nation hostage.

*The Washington Post: We Warned DHS that a migrant child could die in U.S. custody. Now one has.

Republicans Wasting Money Denigrates our Nation's Democracy

Americans are in a crisis of Democracy right now. There's a political party inside of the Republicans who want to upend our government as we know it, says Ed Shultz of The Ed Show on MSNBC.

Americans have lots of freedoms, but there are no options about how Democracy works.

Democracy means the majority decides issues. Democracy also allows those who don't agree with the outcome of a democratic vote to return and try again.  Meanwhile, the majority rules. There's no ambiguity about this simple basis of Democracy. Majority rules.

In a Democracy, one legislative house of one branch of government is not a majority, by any measure. In other words, House Speaker Boehner leads a minority.

Therefore, those who are in the minority must obey the law.

That's how Democracy is supposed to work.

Instead, right now. in the democratic USA, a minority in the Republican party, a right wing fringe called the Tea Party (not even a registered political party), insists on closing government because they happen to disapprove of the duly voted and ratified health care reform law, called Obamacare.  

Unfortunately, Republicans who are intent on closing down government because of their obsession with health care reform, would rather waste tax payer time, money and our nation's credibility as a Democracy rather than keep our government operational.  They're obsessed with one legal law. 

Suppose Democrats insist on shutting down government because many of us don't happen to like the freedoms provided in Second Amendment guns rights?  Well....
we sure won't go there.....

This tragically looming government shutdown is outrageous and, in my opinion, an illegal act incited by right wing extremists. Their intransigent position is actually breaking the law and, therefore, it's sedition.  

All Republicans complicit in this government shut down, for the sake of crazy ideology, should be punished by the laws forbidding sedition, and incitement of discontent or rebellion against government. This continued behavior will eventually be labeled as treason and the Republican Party will be punished for leading this irresponsible and unpatriotic insanity. 

In past centuries, minority fringe groups of people who engaged in subversive activities wound up in a bad way.

In a Democracy, sedition is punished by striping away the citizenship of those who are guilty. 

Of course, even a potential curtailment of right wing extremism would cost tax payer money but, in so doing, it might be an investment. Removing the citizenship of seditious Tea Party extremists could save Democracy from the anarchy.  

And the morale of this blog is this:  It's called sedition when elected lawmakers in Congress support initiatives that will shut down government and break the law.

President Obama Must Stand Up for The People Who Elected Him - Congressional Right Wingers Must Stand Down

Our United States Congress was on paid vacation for most of the summer of 2013, knowing full well about the financial crises looming in our federal government. Yet, they procrastinated.

Every one knew about the need to vote to pay for government, in a continuing resolution beyond October 1st, when the fiscal year ends. They also knew about the crucial raising of the nation's debt ceiling. Nevertheless, as the clock ticked away like a flashback from the Tell-Tale-Heart horror story by Edgar Allen Poe, the Congress started frantically holding late night sessions throughout the weekend while television pundits created melodrama about whether or not the essential work of government would get done.

Meanwhile, regardless of political ideology, Americans are frustrated beyond words because we simply can't fathom where Congress gets the authority to hold government hostage, because a minority of right wing zealots don't happen to like the federal health care reform law aka "Obamacare".  It's a standoff.  

Trying to find a solution is like trying to find the source of the relentless heartbeat in the Tell Tale Heart. Only a few people seem to get how to solve this stupid power struggle over Obamacare.

This is how it gets resolved:  Congress pledges to uphold the law. Obamasare is the law. Congress, therefore, needs to do its job and fund government to support the implementation of all laws.

In Edgar Allen Poe's short horror story, a delusional killer is haunted by the evidence of his deed when the heart of a murder victim keeps beating, even after the body is buried behind a wall. Eventually, the delusional killer is driven to confess, because of the madness caused by the hidden sound of the beating heart. The  madness, of course, is in the fact that there was no "beating heart".

Republicans who hold fast to destroying health care reform are acting like the delusional protagonist in Tell Tale Heart. They're professing an obsessive mantra about how health care reform will irreparably harm civilization as we know it, but, at the same time, reassuring constituents how certain provisions of Obamacare will not be repealed! They're supporting coverage for preexisting conditions and for children remaining on their parents health plans until they turn 26 years old. Yet, at the same time, they're listening to a delusional Tell Tale Heart drone of doom, even threatening to close down government, to prevent Obamacare's implementation. Incredibly, there's not a shred of evidence to support any of their delusional horror predictions. 

As a matter of fact, there's a better than 50/50 chance that none of their Tell Tale Heart delusions are factual.

Therefore, President Obama must put an end to this horror story. Americans need to hear from the President we elected. He must stand firm to support and uphold the Federal Health Care Reform law as it was passed by the people's Congress and upheld as Constitutonal by the US Surpreme Court. It's unlawful for Congress to hold a federal law hostage, just to be spiteful.

Republicans are delusional enough to think they might get away with shutting down government because they don't happen to like health care reform. Well, they're about to be fire by the American people for not doing the job they're elected to do, which is to keep government open.

Meanwhile, President Obama must continue to stand against a government shut down, regardless of the the pressure to unfund or delay health care reform. No president, not now or in the future, should endure this breech of duty by Congress, especially when it's about a law whereby millions of people will be able to afford to buy health insurance.

Republicans Need to Serve in the Military Before Holding Servicemen's Pay Hostage to Misguided Ideology

Texas Senator Ted Cruz never served in the US Military. Nevertheless, his right wing Tea Party misguided political ideology is holding hostage our nation's military pay. He's taking this terrible anti military position because he doesn't agree with implementing the federal Health Care Reform law. Shutting down government will freeze military pay, for the sake of not implementing a duly passed heath care reform law. Meanwhile, Texas has much to gain from health care reform, because the state has the highest percentage of uninsured people in the nation. Health care reform, aka "Obamacare" will offer Cruz's constituents the opportunity to finally buy affordable coverage.

How to solve getting the military paid, now and in the future?

It's simple. All US legislators, especially those who serve in the federal government, should be required to serve in the US Military. Like magic. Presto! Serving in the military will teach our lawmakers how vitally important it is for the military to be paid. It's horribly wrong to withhold military paychecks, because it's families that truly suffer. Military personnel don't live in a cocoon. They have families to support. Freezing military pay hurts the families of our nation's defenders.

Incredibly, first person accounts written by US Navy Seals tell how they carry money on their persons to pay off informants and to help bribe clandestine operations.So, how is it these same heroic Seals are now at risk for not being paid, because right wing Republicans in Congress don't like Obamacare? Let me get this straight. Navy Seals can pay informants but can't, themselves, get paid? Oh paleeze! Obstructionist Republicans who hold military pay hostage are stupid and unpatriotic. 

Worse, to a right wing person, these extremists are unqualified to hold military pay hostage, because they happen to hold an ideological opposition to the federal health care reform law. Right wing Republican obstructionists, like Senator Ted Cruz and his Tea Party followers, have never put on a uniform to serve our country. It should be against federal law for anyone who never served in the US armed forces to hold hostage military salaries.

Senator Cruz and his misguided political ideology must be cruised out to sea. He and his extremist followers should be re-settled on some remote island where they can do no more harm to our nation with their extremism. 

All military personnel should promptly be paid. Nobody, especially Senator Cruz, should be permitted to make unqualified judgement about the timeliness of defense department paychecks.

President Obama Must Act Against Republican Extremism

Republicans can't possibly care about people. If they cared about people, they'd immediately stop obstructing progressive policies and begin to recommend some creative ideas to help the middle class.

Instead, right wing Republicans are consumed with a misguided ideology, driven by radicalism rather than humanism. They're paranoid about the role of government and stuck in conservative trench warfare against immigration reform, tax reform, health care reform, Second Amendment gun reform and entitlement reform.

While a Republican driven government shutdown looms, middle class Americans are watching our 401 K portfolios shrink while the stock market tries to figure out the fiscal uncertainty. Furthermore, we're worried about how the negative impact of a government shutdown will interfere with earned Social Security and Veterans Benefits. There's absolutely no need for this anguish. Our US government has plenty of money plus the ability to generate more cash through revenue sharing aka "tax reform".  Blogger DC Coder writes, "If Congress fails to fund the federal government by Oct. 1, the start of the new fiscal year, the government will go into partial shutdown. Some government functions – those deemed essential – will continue as usual, while others will be suspended. If a shutdown proceeds the way it would have in 2011 (had the last funding impasse had not been resolved in time), 800,000 of 2.1 million federal employees would be furloughed."

What don't Republicans "get" about the severity of this doomsday scenario? We're already dealing with the consequences of the stupid fiscal sequester. It's sincerely not fair to impose more hardship on Americans by shutting down government because Republicans want to cause trouble.

President Obama's intervention is essential to stop this extremism. Americans need leadership to guide us out of the polarized trenches being defended by radical extremists. Somebody must put an end to this consistent Republican obsession with government obstruction.  

Apparently, Republicans need education about how democracy works. It's like this - the person with the most votes wins the elections. Like, in 2012, President Obama and the Democrats won, because they received the majority of votes. 

But, Republicans also need to know how those who loose elections always have a chance to try to win at another time. Winning at another time means bringing forth good alternative ideas. Republicans don't have any.

Republicans seem to believe democracy only works when they win the elections. In their delusional logic, they're the only party entitled to reap the privilege of living in a Democratic government.

If Republicans sincerely understood democracy, they'd create fresh ideas to present to the American people, so they could plan to win more votes for their policies in the upcoming elections. Republicans aren't likely to win a majority of votes in future national elections while they continue to obstruct government without offering solutions to problems, other than to shut down the government.

Meanwhile, President Obama must animate his resistance to spiraling and out of control Republican obstructionism. 

Rather than soft speeches and beautiful logic, President Obama must tell Republicans how unpatriotic it is to not supporting the Federal Law passed in Obamacare and upheld as Constitutional by the US Supreme Court. He must tell Republicans how dumb it is not to raise the debt ceiling, because the money needed has already been appropriated. Holding the debt ceiling hostage to budget negotiations is like charging on a credit card to buy Christmas gifts, but not paying the bill when the invoice comes due. It's dumb.

Republican extremism must be stopped. Americans need leadership to educate voters about the value of progressive government and the dangers of continued obstructionism. 

Moreover, President Obama must take action to deliver on his campaign promise to fight for the middle class. Where is that Obama, the 2012 presidential candidate? We need him ASAP.