The US Government Shutdown: A Reflection of America's Moral Bankruptcy
In a shocking display of moral recklessness, Congress has voted to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the border patrol, despite ongoing killings of unarmed white American citizens by immigration enforcement agents. This betrayal of public trust is just the latest example of the government's systemic failures and its disregard for the rights and well-being of its citizens.
The fact that seven House Democrats voted in favor of allocating $64.4 billion to DHS, including $10 billion for ICE, despite their party's "commonsense" reforms, raises serious questions about the priorities of the Democratic Party. These reforms, such as prohibiting masks and requiring judicial warrants before entering a person's home, are the soul of the Fourth Amendment, without which no one is safe from the state's intrusion.
The government shutdown that is now likely to occur will have far-reaching consequences, including the impact on federal workers who go without pay, families relying on food stamps, and the broader economy. However, the more significant issue at hand is the fundamental question of whether the US government is worth the money it collects and the respect and obedience it demands.
The government's so-called "department of government efficiency" has fired 300,000 civil servants and reduced every benign function of government to penury and ineffectuality without a corresponding reduction in spending or improvement in efficiency. It has also used social benefits as instruments of extortion and punishment, selectively targeting blue states and institutions perceived as hostile to the president's agenda.
The government's priorities are reflected in its budget, which includes $839 billion for the Pentagon, including $33.8 million for US operations in Venezuela. The Department of Health and Human Services is also under threat from a maniacal figure who appears bent on bringing back preventable fatal childhood diseases. The National Labor Relations Board, meanwhile, has posted tropes associated with white supremacists online, suggesting that its agenda is at odds with the values of American workers.
The issue of abolishing ICE has become a major rallying cry for the left, thanks in part to grassroots activism that has documented the crimes of the government through cellphone videos. The threat to impeach DHS Secretary Kristi Noem if Trump doesn't fire her has further galvanized opposition to the agency. Even some Republicans are beginning to question the morality of ICE's actions, with 19% now wanting the agency abolished.
The government shutdown is no ordinary event; it represents a rejection of priorities and a chance for the minority party to showcase its own agenda. However, this shutdown also presents an opportunity for Americans to ask themselves whether their government is worth the money they pay in taxes, especially when that government uses that money to enrich its officials, imprison babies, and kill its citizens.
The question has been framed on the streets: is a government that impoverishes healthcare and nutrition, flouts the law, enriches its officials, imprisons babies, and kills its citizens worth the respect and obedience it demands? The answer may lie in whether or not we choose to shut down the government to force our leaders to respond to these questions. One thing is certain: the future of America hangs in the balance.
In a shocking display of moral recklessness, Congress has voted to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the border patrol, despite ongoing killings of unarmed white American citizens by immigration enforcement agents. This betrayal of public trust is just the latest example of the government's systemic failures and its disregard for the rights and well-being of its citizens.
The fact that seven House Democrats voted in favor of allocating $64.4 billion to DHS, including $10 billion for ICE, despite their party's "commonsense" reforms, raises serious questions about the priorities of the Democratic Party. These reforms, such as prohibiting masks and requiring judicial warrants before entering a person's home, are the soul of the Fourth Amendment, without which no one is safe from the state's intrusion.
The government shutdown that is now likely to occur will have far-reaching consequences, including the impact on federal workers who go without pay, families relying on food stamps, and the broader economy. However, the more significant issue at hand is the fundamental question of whether the US government is worth the money it collects and the respect and obedience it demands.
The government's so-called "department of government efficiency" has fired 300,000 civil servants and reduced every benign function of government to penury and ineffectuality without a corresponding reduction in spending or improvement in efficiency. It has also used social benefits as instruments of extortion and punishment, selectively targeting blue states and institutions perceived as hostile to the president's agenda.
The government's priorities are reflected in its budget, which includes $839 billion for the Pentagon, including $33.8 million for US operations in Venezuela. The Department of Health and Human Services is also under threat from a maniacal figure who appears bent on bringing back preventable fatal childhood diseases. The National Labor Relations Board, meanwhile, has posted tropes associated with white supremacists online, suggesting that its agenda is at odds with the values of American workers.
The issue of abolishing ICE has become a major rallying cry for the left, thanks in part to grassroots activism that has documented the crimes of the government through cellphone videos. The threat to impeach DHS Secretary Kristi Noem if Trump doesn't fire her has further galvanized opposition to the agency. Even some Republicans are beginning to question the morality of ICE's actions, with 19% now wanting the agency abolished.
The government shutdown is no ordinary event; it represents a rejection of priorities and a chance for the minority party to showcase its own agenda. However, this shutdown also presents an opportunity for Americans to ask themselves whether their government is worth the money they pay in taxes, especially when that government uses that money to enrich its officials, imprison babies, and kill its citizens.
The question has been framed on the streets: is a government that impoverishes healthcare and nutrition, flouts the law, enriches its officials, imprisons babies, and kills its citizens worth the respect and obedience it demands? The answer may lie in whether or not we choose to shut down the government to force our leaders to respond to these questions. One thing is certain: the future of America hangs in the balance.
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[gif of a politician facepalm]
$839 billion for the Pentagon 
meanwhile, 64.4 billion for DHS... who's gonna save America? 
ICE is like that one aunt at family gatherings - nobody really wants her around 
Food stamps for families, $10 billion for ICE 
where's the logic in that? 
19% of Republicans want ICE abolished... guess that says a lot about priorities 
I'm trying not to think about what's gonna happen to ppl who rely on food stamps during this shutdown... it's like, can't we just find a way to compromise instead of letting politics get in the way? 
we gotta start thinkin bout the human cost of this and not just the benjamins
& federal workers losin pay 
that's some sick right there 
. The truth is that our immigration system is broken and needs to be overhauled, not perpetuated with more taxpayer dollars. And as for the Democrats who voted in favor of DHS funding, aren't they just enabling this mess by not pushing hard enough for real reform? It's time for both parties to get their act together and stop playing politics 
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And don't even get me started on ICE - those poor unarmed white Americans getting killed by agents is just wrong 
I'm so worried about what's going on with the US government shutdown 
. It feels like they're more concerned with politics than people's lives 
. The fact that ICE is still getting funded despite all the allegations against them is just crazy 
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. How can they justify giving ICE a budget while unarmed Americans are being killed? It's like they're saying "sure, we'll fund your violence" 
the government shutdown is a huge deal 
and other areas makes me wonder if they're focusing too much on defense 