PSA: The government is currently shut down because Trump wants his wall but the Democrats say it is inefficient and ineffective. Trump is asking for 5 billion.
The daily cost of discretionary spending that is currently being saved (though most will be retroactively paid once the government is open again) is 3 billion dollars. That means that during the 20 days the government has been shut down we have paid for the wall 12 times.
Or….
We presently owe 21+ trillion dollars in debt – the projected interest on the debt for 2019 is 364 billion. Which is roughly a billion dollars a day. Trump’s wall costs 5 DAYS of INTEREST on the debt.
Or…
Our federal governments projected expenditures for 2019 are 4.14 trillion. Let’s put that in context of a household budget. If we said 4.14 trillion is represented by 100,000 household income then the 5 billion dollar wall is equivalent to spending $120.77.
As a country does it make a difference if we have borders? Obviously yes.
Should we seek to make it difficult to enter the country illegally to protect our nation from terrorism and crime? Yes
Are those who are just seeking a better life for themselves and have no criminal intent better served in our country by entering legally or illegally? Legally
Should we seek to make it more difficult for drug and human traffickers to bring their “wares” in and out of the country? Yes
Will “the Wall” solve all these problems? Obviously no
Would “the Wall” help us better be able to deter some of these issues? Most likely yes
Is it racist to seek to protect the country and enforce our existing laws at our most vulnerable border? No
Does it make sense for Chuck and Nancy to continue to insist that the government be shut down and its workers unpaid on financial and moral grounds? No
Let’s spend the $120.77.
The world will not end. Our country will have one more tool to better protect ourselves from crime, human and drug trafficking, and terrorism. And we will encourage those who have legitimate reasons to desire to live here to come in the right way which is significantly better for them as well.
By the way just last year – for real – Chuck and Nancy offered 30 billion for this project. Now it is “so immoral” 5 billion cannot be considered even in the face of an extended government shut down.
I’m not a big fan of the president – nor am I that excited about a wall. But political gamesmanship and intense hatred for Trump are what is driving this. And it is frustrating. This is not a big ask by the president and to keep the government closed for an extended period of time because of a personal vendetta against the president is foolish and despite their claims of altruism, this is politics at its ugliest.
Passionate Grace 