‘No pay, no work’

Our leader says that he is proud to shut down the government. Nevertheless, he still gets paid. For him, this has been shutdown light. A few weeks in and it is clear that the shuttering of our government is being carried on the backs of unpaid laborers who continue to loyally slog to their jobs, with no paycheck in sight. Meanwhile, our leaders don’t suffer at all. Perhaps now is the time for government workers to assert their own strengths. What if laborers and their families refuse to play a role in this drama? Maybe then we will see the power that the worker holds over government and industry alike. Let our leaders see what it is like without a Secret Service. Let industry see what happens when air traffic controllers walk off the job. Our loyal, unpaid government workers need simply say, “No Pay ... No Work.”

So if he truly wants a shutdown, then let’s give him what he wants. Ultimately, it comes down to the working men and women within our government. Barbara Lelich, Mill Valley