SHUT WHAT DOWN?

     Big headlines re the shutdown of the government. Looks as if it might actually happen and then what? Seriously, what are the consequences and are they serious enough to cause a huge amount of agita as in early January with the Dems ruling the House, maybe we can get somewhere. Maybe, maybe not, but in my mind, the question is what government have we had till now for these past two years? 
     It has been one of corruption, of one appointee after another quitting or being pushed out due to clouds of corruption hanging over them, the most recent being Zinke, who should have gotten on his horses a long time ago and ridden out of town. But there is more corruption remaining as even as we make huge recalls of produce, the government has allowed the easing or total cancellation of rules protecting the waterways that irrigate these fields, that we drink, the air that we breathe, the land that we walk upon. Our planet is either flooding or burning or drying up and yet Trump and his selfish crew see nothing other than their wallets and bottom lines. The hell with the people of the country seems to be their mantra.
     We have been wrapped up in investigations lo these past two years and the outcome so far is the knowledge that we have as president an alleged criminal worthy of being indicted with felonies, an incompetent individual who appears to be illiterate and what, afflicted with ADHD and not taking his meds, who, when crossed, sulks in his living room like a teenager in his bedroom. And meanwhile the world is spinning out of control and ain't nobody getting of this particular mad, mad world.
     What is the worst is the rot that seems to permeate the government, the hypocrisy, the lack of compassion and dare I say it - the complicity in the harmful treatment or lack of treatment to those needing it, particularly children. Yes, folks, it can happen here, we can see people hunted down like rabid dogs, thrown into inhumane situations, and why - because we are doing this already!!! And yes, there appears to be no shortage of people willing to be the ones to rip children from parents, to be cruel and nasty to them and to their parents, to allow an attitude of, as Tucker Carlson, a proponent of the Trump administration, to say that "the immigration crisis" in America makes the country " poorer and dirtier and more divided."
     But wait, for here comes a proponent of immigration but uh oh, sorry, folks, only for the Irish, as Ryan, a descendant of Irish fleeing the potato famine of the 1850's in Ireland, wishes to leave them thousands of special visas as his parting gift before he leaves. Guess the poorer and dirtier only comes from others, Make no mistake about it, I could care less whether it be Hondurans or Irish or Scots or British or Somalian - as long as they are here to contribute, to become Americans, to raise their children with American values of freedom and humanity, of justice and optimism for improving a situation, for a realistic focus on issues facing the country and the world.
     And do not forget Melania, the newly blonde First Lady who now more closely resembles Ivanka, and frankly she looked better with her former hair! But seriously, she sends her spokeswoman out to complain about the media's treatment of her? Truly? What has she done for her adopted country? Uh, no, has not worked with her supposed architectural degree to enhance the country, has made 4 inch heels fashionable , maybe good for the shoe industry and  podiatrists, has her ungrammatical program Be Best, which has done nothing best in particular and oh, yes, wants children to avoid bullying, particularly cyberbullying and to be good people. Yup, and for that she can present the epitome of that - uh, nix that. Well, he is still useful as the epitome of what one should not be!
     So what are we shutting down? An attempt to make the immigration crisis worse? To blow it up even more than it already is - when it should not even be a crisis at all? To cut the funding of governmental programs? Which ones? The social programs have already been cut. The environmental programs have already been cut. We have had shutdowns before and survived and Trump says let it be on him so fine! Give him what he wants and do not fall for blackmail into doing the wrong thing, the immoral thing, that which will have disastrous consequences long down the line and that which will go a long way in disappearing America, to shutting that down.
     Folks, we are a crucial point in our history. Will we go the way of the rest of the world at present, the way of selfishness, of dictatorship, of imprisonment, of oppression of groups of people, or will we bite the bullet and stand up to bullies, be they orange people or not? The choice is ours. The responsibility is ours. The consequences are on us.