The Government Shutdown in a Nutshell

The government shutdown is entering its fifth week. This could go on for another five weeks- if not longer. Why are we here? The simple and truthful answer: the president got his feelings hurt when Ann Coulter, Laura Ingraham and other right wing talking heads called him weak. Donald Trump shut the government down because the legislative branch wouldn't give him money for a wall he assured us Mexico was going to pay for.

Almost every statement he's made since being sworn into office has been a lie, but especially the claims he's made concerning Mexico, the wall and illegal immigration.

Fact: border crossings have been declining for the last decade. Fact: the overwhelming majority of drugs coming into the country come in through legal ports of entry. Fact: immigrants, whether here legally or illegally, commit less crime than Americans. Fact: Mexico is not paying for Trump's wall.

None of this matters. Donald Trump has been lying since he coasted down that gold escalator and his base refuses to hold him accountable or even acknowledge the fact that he's a habitual liar.

The government shutdown has been the worst consequence of his incessant lying. As I type, comfortably in my home, there 800,000 people working for free or laid off without pay. This could have been prevented. Donald Trump had complete control over the U.S. House and Senate for two years. The Republicans could have used reconciliation to build his wall but they didn't. The border crisis he's pushing didn't manifest until the Republicans lost the House of Representatives.

There are a lot of important emergency spending bills that need passed, but those bills, like the 800,000 workers affected by the shutdown, are collateral damage.

What Do You Think He Does During A Traffic Stop?

We've all been there. One minute you're driving along and out of your periphery you see those flashing lights. You squeeze the wheel and look at the speedometer to see exactly how fast you are going. Everything was normal until it got real.

This feeling transcends race, class and gender; however, it would be disingenuous not to acknowledge the fact that race, class and gender can all factor into how the rest of the stop goes. This leads me to the brother in the video, What do you think he does when he sees those flashing lights?

For the record, I know the majority of police stops end without incident. I also have heard the "just comply" talking point, and I know "not all cops". I'm talking about the psychological stress that comes with watching an anthology of videos starring people who look like you being choked, beaten and shot for no reason. How do uber-patriotic Black people process these images and deal with these situations?

America means different things to different people. I don't know a lot of Black people who feel as included in the "American family" as this man does. I've asked the few Black people I know who Own MAGA gear if they've noticed any difference in the way they are treated when they wear their hats and t-shirts. For the most part they say Black people stare at them, some white people stare at them, but people who may not normally talk to them give a nod and a smile.

Immigration is a complicated issue. There is no economic incentive for the Black community to support mass immigration. In many cities Blacks compete with legal and illegal immigrants for the few service industry, manufacturing and construction jobs left. This argument doesn't negate the issues at the center of the mass exodus from Central America. I understand why poor and working class people are so emotionally invested in this debate, but I can't, for the life of me, understand how people of color can hear the rhetoric espoused by the America first crowd and believe they are included.