By Alex Kerravala, Staff Writer
Beginning on the one year anniversary of Trump’s presidency, a disaster in its own right, the US Federal system was met with another disaster; the second government shutdown in five years.
Unlike the Republican led shutdown in 2013, this government shutdown was orchestrated by the Democrats as a means to push smarter, safer immigration control, not as a means to let our borders remain wild and uncontrolled, as some would think, but rather as a means to keep the DREAM Act funded. This act allows for better treatment for minors born in the US under two illegal immigrants, or those who migrated into this country under the age of 18.
The DREAM Act helps protect immigrants who are doing everything in their power to make a better life for themselves, and could not wait for the bureaucratic process to let them in legally. It protects those who graduate high school or have a GED, and only protects the immigrants who migrated for a good cause.
I know, it’s hard to believe a writer for a newspaper out in far left Massachusetts would be in favor of the DREAM Act, but I just witnessed the second government shutdown in my lifetime, something that has only happened 19 times in American history, so I guess this day and age is full of surprises.
The shutdown came to a close as the Senate Democrats put forward a bill that would temporarily fund the government while they figure out the immigration crisis.
The plan only funds the government for an additional three weeks, and will come to an end on February 8. Then Congress will need to have a more serious, long term plan in order.
Ultimately what it comes down to is who really caused this shutdown.
We know what it was about, that being immigration policy, and we know the Democrats were willing to lose some leverage to reopen the government temporarily.
The last important tidbit of knowledge is to know who caused this to keep this from happening again. Despite this being planned by the Democrats, the fault cannot solely, if at all, fall on them.
Since 2017, the Republicans have held the majority in both houses of Congress and the presidency. The fact that something as embarrassing as a government shutdown happened falls solely on the Republican leadership.
Yes, the Democrats were the ones who “held the government hostage to get what they want” but they make up not even half of Congress.
As James Madison pointed out, it is up to the majority party to listen to the will of the minorities and to compromise on important issues if they wish to keep power.
The issue here is that the Republican Congress refuses to compromise, and would rather blame the Democrats for everything because they themselves are unpleasant to work with.
Of course that is just my school of thought. Others, such as the President of the United States, have a different view on the matter.
When asked in a Fox News interview “Who is to blame” on the government shutdown back in 2013, he said, “I mean, problems start from the top and they have to get solved from the top and the president’s the leader. And he’s got to get everybody in a room and he’s got to lead.”
He said that further down in history, “when they talk about the government shutdown, they’re going to be talking about the president of the United States, who the president was at that time.”
Now I am not one of those people that feels it necessary to bash Trump every chance I get, but he really does make it too easy.
We have not one but two divided houses of Congress and a President who blames everyone but himself, but thank God Congress could come together to make a solution, even if it is temporary.