Government workers lean on citizens for help

Connor George, Reporter

I expect that the president of the United States of America would do everything in his power to do what’s best for the citizens. However, when a man like Trump is in office all of those responsibilities seem to just fly right out the window.

Much like a little kid who holds his breath when he doesn’t get his way, Trump decided to shut down the government when he didn’t get his wall. In doing so he put over 800,000 people out of work. Not only are these people citizens, but they actually work for him.

In the wake of our genius president making a move like this, other people have stepped up to help the furloughed workers. According to the New York Times on Jan. 17 businesses, banks, local government, organized labor, and charitable organizations are coming together to help these workers. Some banks have halted late payment fees on credit cards while charitable organizations have set up food banks for furloughed law enforcement employees who work for the FBI. These actions are some of the only things that have helped these government workers get through this hard time.

It’s honestly incredible that random people have helped the workers more than the heads of the agencies or our president who caused the whole thing. The only effort expended by the federal government is sending letters encouraging landlords and business owners to help them out.

I don’t think it’s possible for one’s efforts to appear any weaker in the eyes of its citizens. Locally, two food banks in the Bay Area have started feeding thousands of workers who have been affected by the shutdown. According to KQED the San FranciscoMarin Food Bank is helping feed U.S. Coast Guard employees, around 400 people.

The only faith I have left in this country is in the people. It’s hard for anyone to have faith in anything else when the leader of our country does more harm than good for his citizens. He has one last chance to make this right, and it starts with this willingness to keep the government open, even if the funding from Congress doesn’t include a wall, but does include 21st technological means to secure our southern border.

I expect people to pitch in during natural disasters as celebrity chef Jose Andres has done in the aftermath of Puerto Rico’s hurricanes or Butte County’s Camp fire through his nonprofit World Central Kitchen assisted by celebrity chefs with Guy Fieri and Tyler Florence. On Jan.24 Forbes reported Andre’s efforts to feed furloughed workers in Washington, D.C. and similar efforts by celebrity chefs like Emeril Lagasse, Ming Tsai, Andrew Zimmern and Rick Bayless, #ChefsForFeds.

I applaud these celebrity chefs support of Americans living in this unnatural disaster created by our most selfish and childish president. I implore Trump to not repeat this if he doesn’t get the wall he wants in renewed negotiations. Even his own party feels reluctant to support a repeat of Trump’s unnatural disaster. As reported in the Los Angeles Times on Jan. 30, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said ‘”We’ve been down this path before. There’s no education in the second kick of a mule.’”