U.S. Government Shutdown Ridiculous and Inhumane
In the country of Uncle Sam, the world’s greatest power, something ridiculous and inhumane happens in terms of governance. The White House has been closed for thirty days because it has no funds to pay its employees.
It is dangerously curious that the administration of the richest country in the world lacks funds and has to provide junk food to its guests, while the President demands, rather than ask, 5.7 billion dollars to build a wall on his long border with Mexico with the petty idea of “zero tolerance” for Central American immigrants, described by the Democrats as “immoral and useless.
Where a wall is being erected is at airport security posts, exactly between the planes waiting to take off and the passengers trying to board; between the families and the White House that prevents sustenance from reaching home.
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents showed up to work assuming their paychecks would be available; however, instead of a check, they took a deep disappointment to their homes. This is the state of American democracy in early 2019.
US government leaders are so engaged in their pecayune fights and kowtowing to their political bases who seem to disregard the human suffering and economic damage they are causing.
They are hindering the many travelers just trying to reach their destinations. They are making things even worse for Transportation Security Administration screeners most of whom earn between $25,518 and $44,134 a year, plus “locationpay,” according to US Today.
Airport security is just one of many areas that have suffered the partial shutdown of the government, which has been a record for a long time. Coast Guard members became the first active service members left without pay.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is approaching the point where it will stop approving new drugs. Tax refunds, aircraft inspections, food safety and other areas could also be affected.
But the issue of airport security is the most cruelly ironic. The TSA was created when the fantastic hijacking of airplanes occurred on September 11, 2011, after the fabricated terrorist attacks on the New York Trade Center. Now security points are easily deactivated. Was it really necessary to create the TSA? The TSA is now being undermined by the government itself in the name of a border problem that is far from a national emergency. How is that understood?
A union representing some 400,000 essential workers filed a lawsuit against the Trump government for allegedly violating Fair Labor Standards Act by not paying employees.Such a sensitive issue as health is also affected by the forced departure of many scientists working in federal agencies.
“Reminder: Thousands of scientists cannot access their research while Trump is closing. Countless delicate experiments are ruined with many others seriously affected. This foolish action is actively damaging U.S. innovation,” volcanologist Jess Phoenix protested on Twitter.
The closure of the U.S. government shows the true face of Donald Trump.
(With information from Granma)
Written by Jorge Lora
