Once again your dysfunctional government is desperately attempting to avoid a third government shutdown. Our failed leaders will bar the doors to the Capitol Building on Saturday night if both houses cannot agree and sign a spending bill labeled the ‘Omnibus.’ Because GOP politicians did not finalize its content until 8 p.m. on Wednesday, no one has read everything in the 2,232 page document. However, here’s what we do know. As you read this, know that this was a bipartisan agreement; Democrats are as wasteful as Trump Republicans.

The Ombnibus will cost Americans $1.3 trillion. With corporations and the wealthy contributing fewer tax dollars to our government, I know that we cannot afford such a ludicrous spending bill.

Trump and his circle of sinners have quickly become the most expensive administration in American history. Mnuchin cost taxpayers one-million dollars for just eight flights. Pruitt and Zinke believe that they are ‘first class passengers,’ wasting tens-of-thousands of dollars. Carson’s wife spends taxpayer dollars on furniture for her husband’s office. The Trump Klan spends $16,333,333.33 dollars each month according to Snopes. Trump used Air Force One to travel to and from Mar-a-Lago nearly every weekend in 14 months. Operating the president’s aircraft costs taxpayers $200,000 each hour; add in the cost of secret service etc., and the you’ll see that we cannot afford Trump.

The Omnibus allows $541 million for the ‘Gateway Tunnel’ between New York and New Jersey.

In a sad attempt to appease the great majority of the American people, minor additions are added to background checks for gun purchases.

One-billion dollars will be allocated for additional border security.

Four-billion dollars will be applied to the efforts to end the opioid crisis in America. (Ten times that amount is needed to begin addressing the tragedy.)

Although the budget has already granted $686 billion for the Pentagon to waste; the Omnibus adds another $80 billion to an already bloated budget.

What is not included in the Omnibus is funding for programs greatly needed by the majority of Americans. There is no funding for programs to fight the growing number of Americans living in poverty. No money is planned to aid low-income Americans in their efforts to improve their family’s lifestyle, and narrow the gap in income inequality.

There is no money in the budget to solve one of the most important problems in our nation. Without more Americans attending our colleges and universities, America will fall further behind other developed nations in its ability to provide a sufficient workforce greatly needed to move our nation forward in the 21^st century.

The United States of America is 320 million people. It is not composed of tunnels, tanks, and nuclear bombs. It is not the right of our public servants to live lives of luxury and privilege at taxpayer expense. Our government fails to place our people in priority number one. Time for change.

A cursory look at our government helps us understand why it fails the great majority. The average age in America is 37.8 years of age. The average age in congress is approximately 60 years of age. Women compose 19.4 percent of the House, and 22 percent of the Senate. Our population is dominated by women; 50.9 percent to 49.2 percent.

Until we have many more younger Americans and women serving our people in Washington, our government will never represent all Americans. Time for the old, white men to retire.

You can change our nation for the better; you have your vote.

Op-ed by James Turnage

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