Dear President Trump, Majority Leader McConnell, Majority Leader Pelosi, and Minority Leader Schumer:
So - it is obviously unacceptable to keep going with a government shutdown. Lives are now in danger - the FBI can't do its work, air traffic controllers are exhausted and not getting paid, the Coast Guard and others protecting us are in same situation - it's time to find a solution to the showdown. I am not totally kidding around here - I know this might sound ridiculous, but hear me out:
So - it is obviously unacceptable to keep going with a government shutdown. Lives are now in danger - the FBI can't do its work, air traffic controllers are exhausted and not getting paid, the Coast Guard and others protecting us are in same situation - it's time to find a solution to the showdown. I am not totally kidding around here - I know this might sound ridiculous, but hear me out:
1. There needs to be a grand bargain struck - Democrats will have to give President Trump some of his wall, and Republicans, in turn, will have to give Democrats a LOT of what they want, since, let's remember, this wall was supposed to be paid for by Mexico, per President Trump's many many repeated campaign claims, and that ain't happening, so at this point, if the Republicans and Trump really HAVE to have a wall, they are going have to give a lot too (see point #2 in a moment - before you freak out about me saying that Democrats should give Trump some of his wall, hang on) - yes, SOME of his wall can be built, in places where it makes sense - it can be a "big, beautiful wall" but it will come with a cost - basically, all kinds of things the Democrats want will HAVE to be put into the deal - that includes major health care and housing initiatives, increased taxes on some of the wealthiest people, major steps to tackle the problems of wage and housing inequality, etc. and so on - listen - you want the freakin' wall, at this point, you are going to have to PAY and pay through the nose for it, and unless you do, you ain't GETTING the damn wall - on the other hand, Democrats WILL have to hold their noses and give President Trump the thing that some of them absolutely do not want to do, which is, at least in places, a wall - but not where it does no good at all for border security - there are places where it is way too expensive and unhelpful for border security in the first place, so it will have to be a "case by case" wall - still, both sides have to give and give big, but in the end, they both will get things they both desperately want - that is America, that is how it SHOULD work, that is compromise, and we have to find a way out of this, this "northgoing Zax meeting southgoing Zax" thing just is not working, it is causing many people who have nothing to do with the issue to suffer, and it is endangering Americans all over the place - there is no alternative but to find a deal and make it work
2. Mexico can "pay for the wall" - how? Well, we give them the money, and then they pay for it. It can be part of the overall grand bargain in point #1. President Trump and the Republicans can save face - we create an aid package for Mexico that helps them deal with their own issues, create a safer and more economically prosperous situation - tackle the drug crime and the human trafficking and all of that by working with the Mexican government and reducing the stream of people who WANT to leave and come to the US in the first place - PART of this could be funding for a wall on the border in some places, that Mexico can help build in a way that feels more right for them, and thus, President Trump and the Republicans can save face and rightfully (sort of) claim that Mexico did, in fact, "pay for a wall", but actually, it's with our money anyway, so Democrats can save face too - and furthermore, it will address humanitarian issues within Mexico and Central American in general (some of the money could go to other Central American countries that also want to be proactive and help solve their internal problems that lead to all the migration north)
I know, the problem with this plan is that it all makes too much sense to ever work. It would involve setting aside egos and the polarizing partisanship that has gripped Washington and our entire nation enough to realize that both sides could get a lot of what they want if they would just agree to find things that both sides could get out of the deal, rather than only trying to punish each other and draw a line in the sand that neither side is willing to cross.
ps. I also realize this plan is expensive - and I would counter with "how much is a really prolonged shutdown going to cost our government and the economy? What kind of toll will a prolonged shutdown take on some of the people most impacted?" I would say, at this point, you pretty much have to do whatever it takes to end this impasse, and if it's expensive, then it's expensive. Whatever we're doing now ain't working!
Thank you for reading this.
Sincerely,
Dan Israel
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
