A NEW LOW

It's now official, another precedent has been broken by our corrupt, dictatorial president: he's created the longest government shutdown in American history.  Add that to the fact that Donald Trump is the first president ever to win while losing the popular vote by millions, and that he is also the first to  have never held elected office before or served in the military before being elected, and not forgetting his refusal to shut down his businesses while in the White House, or release his tax returns, and you can see what an insane choice this country made two years ago, and what a horrifying and surreal experience it has been to be an American nowadays.
Trump has allowed the government to shut down for one simple reason: the wall.  His refusal to sign any budget bill that doesn't have at least five billion in spending for his wall, and the Democrats refusal to spend that money has led to the longest government shutdown ever.  Yes, eight hundred thousand government workers are going without pay, national parks are getting filthy and food is often going to market with out proper safety checks, all so that our toddler in chief can have money for a wall that he repeatedly claimed that Mexico would be paying for. 
It's obvious that, despite what Trump says, the wall that he and his supporters love isn't needed  because of any actual effectiveness it might have, (most undocumented immigrants arrive her legally by plane and overstay their visas) but because of the message it sends.   It's a powerful metaphor for the preservation of white America, the fear that the country is being overrun by "the other".  This means that any and all logical arguments against the wall will never change the mind of the President and his followers because it isn't really about keeping people out as it is telling them to stay out.  Although Trump and his supporters will often throw in a few words about supporting legal immigration, it's obvious that this all about more than people coming over the border from Mexico; if Trump and his followers had their way, the whole country would be sealed off to any nonwhite immigrants.  Remember when Trump  was reported to have asked "why do we have to take so many people from shit hole countries?",  reflecting his true attitude towards legal immigration?  As offensive as that was, it was also one of his few honest statements as president.
With the situation getting worse daily, the possible end to the impasse is essentially a nuclear option: Trump is threatening to declare a national emergency at the border and use military spending dollars to build his wall, allowing him to reopen the government and still get what he wants.  The legality of this option is debatable, with strong arguments being written both for and against this presidential power.  The absurdity of declaring a national emergency at a time when illegal crossing is, according to the New York Times, is at a forty six year low, is not going to phase a man so determined to waste government tax dollars on a symbol of hatred.  But if he does make such a declaration, he will be setting a precedent for future presidents that could lead to an almost imperial style of governing in which the president could call almost anything (people lacking healthcare?  climate change?) a national emergency and bypass congress to get funding.  Is this kind of authoritarian leader what the founding fathers of our country wanted?  I certainly don't think so, but we may end up in such a situation.  Quite frankly, the election of a man like Trump has divided our country more deeply than anything since the buildup to the Civil War.  Let's hope this doesn't end the same way.