What we should always keep in mind is these current Republican officeholders love shutting down the federal government. This is Confederacy 101 and is not a bug, but a feature of their view toward governmental institutions. Also, where there are cruel outcomes from this latest government shutdown, such as governmental employees not getting paid during the holidays, these Republican officeholders revel in that cruel outcome. It is pre-Ghost Visit Scrooge meets Jefferson Davis.
This is why I have said, as a whole, modern Republican officeholders are no longer interested in governance. There is now a difference between Republicans and Democrats that would have been unheard of two or three generations ago. My Father used to say, when he was in municipal government during the 1960s: "There is no Republican or Democratic way to pick up the garbage or clean the streets." Now, there is a difference.
This is about more than the delusion of our government building a wall along the Mexican-US border that somehow significantly lowers the number of incoming undocumented immigrants from Mexico and locations south of Mexico.* This is also about how, once again, Republican officeholders have revealed themselves as reckless and petulant, and have no real interest in effective governance.
*It is delusional on multiple levels: First, a high plurality of undocumented workers come by plane or boats now, and a majority of "illegals" are those who overstay their visas, meaning they had legally entered our country. Second, with Obando elected president in Mexico, it is more likely there will be a major infrastructure redevelopment program in Mexico, which will keep people in Mexico, and maybe start a movement of Mexicans living here returning to Mexico. Third, many Americans who own property along the border are wary or opposed to building a wall, as they see a government built wall on their property as an interference with their private property rights. This is in addition to the delusions which motivate the desire to build a wall, where those so deluded ignore how undocumented workers pay more taxes to the government than the benefits such immigrants receive from our government, and how employer exploitation of undocumented workers contributes to lower consumer prices as greedy employers give consumers a sliver of the profits employers reap from that exploitation. As with those who are members of the Fetus Cult, my question for those obsessed with "illegal immigration" is, Why is "illegal" immigration your priority, especially when we realize we do not have enough workers here if we were to embark on a much needed infrastructure re-development program?
