Speak Out 1/18/19

Politics

The truth is the government shutdown isn't about a wall or immigration. Trump had the House and the Senate for two years and couldn't get his wall funded because it is a waste of money. This is about losing the midterms and blocking the Democrats. Just like in North Carolina, Michigan and Minnesota where Republicans are doing everything to thwart the will of the people by trying to take away power from the Democrats who were voted in. And in Missouri where Gov. Parsons wants to undo what the people voted for -- redistricting. Call a spade a spade.

Blacktop

When may we expect that someone in our great city and state realize that blacktop streets with unmarked lanes are extremely hazardous because drivers cannot distinguish where lanes are. Someone please report the reasons for our streets. There are no reflective markers on our main streets.

Illegal is illegal

All President Trump wants to do is to "limit" the illegal immigrants coming to this country and reward those who follow the law by coming trough legal ports of entry and applying for United States citizenship. It is obvious that there is still a lot of resentment that President Trump won the 2016 election. Anyone who is against legal immigration needs to think clearly. No one is saying that legal immigrants are not good workers, and I would say if the "immigrants" who worked for this individual are here illegally, they need to be sent back. If they are here legally, then it's good they have jobs that they excel in. Sour grapes are still out there because of the 2016 election.

Employees will be paid

I don't think we need to shed too many tears for the government employees laid off by the partial, temporary shutdown. Yes, some who live paycheck to paycheck are being inconvenienced. But, they will receive all their pay, just belatedly; the government has already announced that everybody will get all their back pay. So what it boils down to is they are just getting a free vacation, at taxpayers' expense.

The wall

I have a suggestion for resolving the government shutdown. Why don't Trump and all the millionaires in the legislative branch who voted for the tax cuts that mostly benefited them throw a portion of that pile of money into a fund to cover the cost of the wall, instead of asking the lower income folks of this country to have their tax money used to pay for this border albatross.