United States Senator Kirsten Gillibrand – The Shutdown

Senator, I have written this column for 37 years. I design my own thinking based on right and wrong, not a party. I am obliged to no one in any way. Each month for 37 years I have researched for this column. This article is the result of that research. 

Under every White Cross, from Arlington, to Normandy to Flanders Fields lie the reasons why. We have forgotten who we are. We are Americans who chill with Patriotism due to our decency. We need to find ourselves. End this system of bribery. We need to take seriously the quality and integrity necessary to fix and run this country. Our rules and regulations need a vast overhaul. Leaders must work in an environment of honor or this cannot be done. I urge readers again to send a copy of this to Senator Gillibrand. And Senator, the torch is yours to hold high. I am right Senator. Someone must begin. We must provide an arena for our leaders to function within their human condition with honor. That we fail this is what is wrong. The best that humans can be will thrive and is our one true hope.

We have allowed our system to falter to great extreme. It no longer works. It is not recognizable as a tool that respects and enables our founding pursuit. And that is “That all Men/Women are created Equal.” Greatness requires the best that we can be. For this to be, human weakness must be addressed within the structure of the system. Course must be that causes, and that respects, patriotism, honor and common good.    

Our course was of such noble character that had it been maintained, it was a force for good that could create the unity that this world so desperately needs to survive. Our system has evolved over decades of one purchased regulation at a time into a place that degrades the character and integrity of its’ participants. For decades, rather than create Middle Class our economy sucked it dry. Trump is one symptomatic result. We must be wise. We must stop blaming our candidates. It is our “SYSTEM.” Most enter Politics well intended with a strong desire to serve and improve our land. They soon find that this is not possible in a “SYSTEM” that demands compliance for reward, or suffer enormous consequence. Those that do not default to their darker nature do not survive. It is made easy to do with dirty reward and false accolade and disgraceful acceptance. It is far too easy to look the other way. And the price is our land. 

There are two major problems stemming from the same root. One is that each must comply with the needs of their significant donors or funding will be in jeopardy, and so too the chance of re-election. The other is the need to comply with the wishes of the party or you will be denied the respect of this era, lucrative committee positions and access to party funds. The root is the systemic evil of providing reward or consequence for voting decisions. Thus, the self-interest of 546 people (the three branches) reigns supreme over 325,145,963 million Americans. Each American with the same intrinsic value as the 546 that defer their purpose for self-gain. The entire country is perpetually jeopardized and common good has long been relegated to the dustbin as they fight with each other to sustain themselves.     

The system rewards wrongdoing that denies the good of the people, with accolade, money and power. All stemming from the need to comply with the will of monied donors. Monied donors protect only themselves. And the likes of oil, tobacco and pharmaceuticals and others have no qualms about poisoning us, and our government is designed so that they give more value to their donation than our health and the reasons for the blood shed by our children. Wealth writes their own ticket. This is what is wrong with America. It is the root of our severely disrupted course. We are a land governed by blackmail.

The Government Shutdown is one example of our evil course. A course that evolved into acceptability. Evil crept slowly within this system of complying with money, one day at a time, over decades, one regulation at a time, one lobbyist at a time, each donor recipient looking the other way. Then one day you wake up and are surrounded and smothered in wrongs too numerous and severe to mention in a land intended to be the finest in history and the hope of mankind. Evolving is slow and incrementally barely noticed, and thus we adjusted and fell victim to complacency as evil ate the heart out of leadership and our founding intent.

There is so much wrong with this shutdown it is difficult for one that lived in the middle of the 20th Century to recognize that this is America. It is true. We are that far away from the greatness we once sought and were meant to be. Let’s take the two major, glaring wrongs that should have every American in the Street. Each causing the WWII generation to roll over in their graves.

Most importantly, Democracy is the act of electing officials and vote, yes ‘VOTE’ on behalf of the peoples’ interests. Shutting down the government sidesteps “VOTING,” it sidesteps the three branches of Government and allows dictatorial pursuit, that in this case literally tortures individuals and punishes each citizen.

The shutdown is torture, hostage taking and blackmail and defies “EVERYTHING” American. Nancy Pelosi should not budge until there is provision to end Government Shutdowns that serve to sidestep the Constitution by decimating Americans. If she gives an inch this will happen again. Senator, I urge you to advise the Speaker to make this clear to Americans. 

Few Governments have found such an evil course, where your entire land suffers, to get their way. Few Governments, even dictatorial, have so ruthlessly abandoned their entire structure in favor of torturing 800,000 and abandoning their system and the needs of everyone. Torture? Yes, it is a befitting word. When you force someone to work without pay, when you will take their job if they don’t, when their kids need to eat, when you instill hour to hour fear within families, how is that not torture. Then, you pass a bill that says they will be paid someday. For your issue, you ignore their struggle for food, for shelter, for their house itself. Their credit rating is jeopardized or ruined, how are these things not torture? 

And then: 

When in all of this, you ignore the poorest of the working, poor, the maid, the janitor, the supplier, the subcontractor and ignore their employees and families, all that lose everything (and under a heartless President you do not include them in the bill that promises eventual pay – most of these people are destroyed and not noticed and they will be left to bleed) how is that not torture? And when it is over poor withered souls, American souls willing to work, suffer homeless and in ruin. Small contractors ruined. American lives shredded. Credit ratings shot for decades. When you damage lives to such extreme that most would rather take a beating, a caning or be water-boarded instead, how is that not torture? And worse than all of this, how is this America? And worse than that how is it that American hearts have turned so cold that we are not in the streets protesting this horrid departure that forces those that lie under American white crosses to roll over and weep?

Next is the Senate. The ever present common good denying Senate of the United States of America. Mitch McConnell should not rule dictatorially supreme over what the Senate can vote on. We need to examine how the Senate and House leaders so completely control what legislation is voted on. The rule is not law, it is a guideline to protect against being too busy. Yes, the only reason for this is so each Senator and House Member cannot tie up the Chamber with their personal legislation. This leaves Historically vital issues in the hands of Mitch McConnell. If you study Mitch McConnell you will find he is a complete partisan, that mutual compromise is foreign to him and that the people rarely interfere with his thinking. That is why there needs to be a relevancy committee to insure that vital legislation is determined and voted on and that outcome is determined by the will of the people. Mitch McConnell has a major role maintaining this shutdown for the President. He knows no shame. Who protects us from this?

Every aspect of this shutdown is dictatorial, and denies American participation. It is a battle between Nancy Pelosi and Trump’s blackmail being fought on the trampled blood, sweat and tears of our people. Republicans tremble in compliance and most know better yet put themselves first. It is the System Senator, the System. Trump is the denier of democracy. He knows that under democracy he will fail so he took hostages. Nancy is the protector, trying not to be blackmailed by a dictator, and she is willing to allow democracy to decide and prevail. This foolish man decided on blackmail and human suffering, listening to Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh. What have we become? As terror goes, when you give in, it comes back with vengeance. Stay Strong Speaker Pelosi. The magnitude of this shutdown with Congress and the people, having no say is an insult to all that we are and a joy to our enemies. The blackmail is on the President. If it wins our enemies and all that is wrong wins. And it will happen again. We need to fix this system and allow “The best that humans can be” to do their work.   

(Senator —just in case you see this— When it’s over I hope legislation can be passed that allows every victim, including, non-government workers, to inform of their losses and be made whole – including law that prevents Credit Ratings from being harmed due to the Shutdown). And Senator, restoring honor and integrity to government can be the foundation of your Presidential run. Cleaning up the system. Making clear you are removing bribery. The people know this is the problem. The people want this.)   

Bill McClellan