Michelle Delaney, SOUTH LAKE TABLET
If you are one of the 800,000 government employees who haven’t received a paycheck recently, you may wonder if a wall along the U.S.- Mexico border is as important as your family’s health and well being. You may think that the $5 billion+ that Trump wants in funding to build a wall could better be used to aid fellow Americans. You may worry that the longer the shutdown continues, the more vulnerable the country will become. You may be correct.
This is the longest shutdown in the history of the United States and has left many wondering how long can they provide for their families. Temporary solutions suggested by government agencies (Walking dogs, babysitting, selling off personal items) are disturbing and prove that many of our politicians are out of touch with the average citizen.
Once government leaders start placing their aspirations before the well being of their constituents, it’s time to hold them accountable. The United States may have a broken immigration system but, more importantly, its citizens have a broken government.
The salaries of the President and members of Congress are written into the constitution. They will get paid, and they will continue receiving health care and retirement benefits.
We don’t need to make America great again, it is great. Unfortunately, we have trusted our elected officials and relied on them to do the right thing. Sometimes they don’t.
It’s time that we the people take charge and let our voices be heard. Let’s begin by getting our Federal employees paid and back to work.
Contact your elected officials and tell them enough is enough.
If you are unsure who to contact, visit https://lakevotes.com/officials/state.