For this edition of Think Tank, we asked the Paul Smith’s community for their thoughts about the Government Shutdown. Here’s what you all had to say:


My opinion is that, yes, it is critical for our country’s integrity and security to secure the borders and force (if need be) compliance that has been made lenient by our last president. Trump, from my perspective, is trying to come through on his promises. The promises that led me, and nearly all others in my community, to vote for him. Yes, at times I think that political “stuff” gets out of control and that people undoubtedly use power inappropriately, but I have never regretted my vote. I think that many “far left” Democrats are unwilling to compromise in any way because they feel they would be viewed as submissive to our President or that they are giving up their beliefs. However, if they would have been willing to at least communicate in an efficient manner, they may not have had so much to complain about in terms of the shutdown. Sometimes I feel that Americans, or maybe just humans in general, enjoy having something to complain about. It gives them a conversation starter and it is a way to stir up interest in their lives.

-Audrey Emerson


Firstly, presidents in the recent past have had a streak of abusing the power of the Executive Branch, so it’s not just Trump. This is most definitely an abuse of power. Just last year, Trump himself tweeted that there was a 45-year low on illegal border crossings. So which is it? National emergency or a problem that’s been handled?

This is a blatant misuse of the (vastly overreaching) power of the President for an entirely political agenda. 

Donald Trump got elected on a conservative platform, advocating small government. This is the direct opposite of small government.

-Jared Barnhart


I think that Trump is abusing his power and has been since he came into office. I think we do have a state of emergency, but it is due to the forced ignorance of our nation by Trump and his followers to deny climate change as an issue. I have friends who have trained to be on the United States/Mexican Border for the mass migration and they have said there are not as many people, nor the demographic that Trump is claiming. I do believe that there needs to be more security on our borders, but a wall is a ridiculous idea. People are needed down there. Create more jobs in the fields of Border Patrol and Homeland Security. Put the money in the hands of the people who would be needed to man the wall he wants instead of the inanimate object. Use the rest of the money to educate the public from elementary school to the adults how to better prepare for the changes that absolutely need to be made in order to transition to reliance on renewable energy.

-Lynn Wray


 

Thank you all for your responses. You can check out some past editions of Think Tank here:

Think Tank: Easily Offended

Think Tank: Lead Ammunition

Think Tank: Hiking Permits

Think Tank: A Troubled Culture