Editor’s note: The Daily Signal’s readers weren’t favorably impressed by the Democrat-driven government “shutdown” that barely outlasted a weekend. Nothingburger or not, it leads our roundup today. Be sure to write us at [email protected].—Ken McIntyre

Dear Daily Signal: Regarding Genevieve Wood’s commentary on the government shutdown, politicians would rather have an issue than a solution (“Schumer Shutdown Makes Clear Democrats’ Real Priorities”). Donald Trump is not a politician. He is a businessman who has made his living solving problems and making deals.

What scares the D.C. establishment is that President Trump will solve these seemingly intractable problems in what appears to be no time in the political world, and this shines the light on the professional politicians’ hypocrisy.

Border security first, then fix the immigration system. DACA was an executive order, not legislation. There is a lot more to fix than the illegal alien problem. We have the abuse of the H1-B visa program by businesses (Disney comes to mind) and a host of other issues. Let’s do this in order and do this right.—Stuart Pennington

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Nothing but Democrat obstructionism in hopes of gaining seats in Congress and preventing President Trump from accomplishing anything on this issue. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., is one of the worst. The rule of law is absolutely essential to a strong America. The Dems are making things worse.—Randy and Peggy Malcom, Limon, Colo.

Thanks for Fred Lucas’ article about the Schumer shutdown (“How Shutdown Under Trump Compares With Obama, Other Presidents”). It was especially good that it mentioned that shutdowns such as this cost the taxpayers billions of dollars as the government is shut down, then restarted. I doubt a very large portion of voters realize this.—Duane Bishop, South Jordan, Utah

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With this three-day shutdown, the Democrats tried blaming like usual everybody else. But, really funny thing, it fell right on Schumer’s lap. And America knew exactly what he did and why he did it.—Jeff Pearson

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The budget for running the government has nothing to do with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, and the two should never have been linked. The problem here is the same one that appears again and again in politics, not only on the national level but the state as well. It is called political gamesmanship and should not be allowed in the procedures of the government.—Rockne Hughes

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Many of our citizens are getting fed up with politicians (“Democrats Change Their Tune on Government Shutdowns”). Instead of listening to the people they represent, they play politics. They do exactly what they accuse the other side of doing.

Instead of listening to the people, their goal is to please their big-dollar donors. They could care less what the people want. They have an agenda, and they don’t care who gets hurt or what it costs. But if it looks bad on them, they will change course.—Charles Buck

https://twitter.com/annette1027/status/955410727614984192

A Tale of 2 Marches

Dear Daily Signal: It’s sad, but none of this would be happening if the mothers of these “free choice” people had a mother who had felt the same way (“I Went to the March for Life. Here’s What I Saw”). They are really lucky that their moms were right-to-life supporters.—Jerome Gardiner, Walker, La.

Over 98 percent of aborted babies are aborted for no reason other than the convenience of the parents. There are far, far more families available to adopt these kids than there are babies available. This is close to my heart, as I adopted one. Have whatever opinion you like about ending the life of defenseless, healthy children, but be real, please.—Victoria Lierheimer

The March for Life was reported in brief on page 4 of my local paper, mostly depicting a picture of Trump and brief article regarding politicians’ speeches. Can’t wait to read about the Women’s March on the front page tomorrow!—Gisela Brinks Thomlinson

And please take note: no vile language, costumes, or nasty signs.— Jo O’Sullivan­­­­­­

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Thank God for President Trump (“In March for Life Address, Trump Prods Senate to Pass Late-Term Abortion Ban”). Anyone who disagrees with him on this issue is a sick person.—Karen Davenport, Akron, Ohio

March for Life in Washington, D.C.? Didn’t see anything about this march on CNN, BBC, or Euronews. Oh.—Michael Douglas Hawkins, The Hague, Netherlands

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The “rest of the story” is as beautiful as Tim Tebow’s life (“At March for Life, Pam Tebow Recounts How Super Bowl Ad Saved Baby’s Life”). Thanks to Pam Tebow. —Warren Pugh

God bless you both, Pam and Tim.—Lorraine S. French Osborn

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Regarding “29 of the Best Signs at the March for Life,” I’d also like to see one stating “Mature fetuses for life.”—Donald B. McKay, Saint Francis, Minn.

That was very heartwarming and encouraging. Thank you all for being there, and thanks to The Daily Signal for reporting.—Fides et Ratio

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Dear Daily Signal: Exactly what rights are these protesters, observed by Kelsey Harkness at the Women’s March, alleging they don’t have (“I Went to the Women’s March. Here Are 11 Things I Saw”)? Women currently have the right to an abortion. They have the right and access to cheap birth control pills or condoms.

President Trump may be pro-life, but he hasn’t taken away women’s right to an abortion, so why the attack on him? The protests are symptomatic of what is happening in our universities, shouting down or shutting down the opinions of those who hold different viewpoints.—Jerry Zacny

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My, my, my. They are still at it and think they truly represent all women in the USA. How droll. They represent only a small fraction of American women, thank God. I am proud to be a woman who had her own mind in making decisions for me and my body. I chose life and always will.

These women are protesting whatever, but mostly the right to destroy life or to murder. Yet look real close, and you will see a woman who just had to bring her child to the protest. Why bring your child when you believe abortion is your right and no one else’s? Are you showing what you have determined as your mistake? This is not a young teenage girl, but a child.

Anyone with good medical knowledge knows life begins at conception. All aspects of life are in place, including whether the fetus will be a boy or girl or whether there will be twins, triplets, or more.

Our Creator, whom I call God, knows what he is doing. I have learned in 74 years to obey his call and have faith in him. He called me to work in surgery, helping surgeons with their procedures. I saw his miracles more times than I can count, in my 25-plus years as a certified surgical technologist.—Mickey D. Watson

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They do NOT represent me.—Alice Quirk

https://twitter.com/hirschA8720/status/956142738352766977

California Tries to Grab Tax Savings

Dear Daily Signal: How interesting to discover that California now has the highest poverty rate of any state (“California Democrats Want Businesses to Turn Over Half Their Tax-Cut Savings to the State”). You want to see the poorest of the poor in America? Forget the mountain hillbillies, it is folks in California.

The well-off in California live in a dream world, while the real folk suffer and vanish into real poverty. In California, the American dream is mostly just for upper-income white folks.—Paul Oman

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What will happen when (not if) California goes broke and can’t meet its financial obligations? Will they come to the rest of America to bail them out? Of course they will.

And they will claim that it is only right, because it was the rest of America that caused California’s financial collapse by not doing what California did. This is flawed liberal “reasoning” at its best, but it is to be expected.

Mark these words: California’s impending financial crisis will have a tremendous effect on the entire country. It could cause a national financial collapse, and it could happen soon. —Anthony Cangemi, Red Bank, N.J.

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Assemblyman Kevin McCarty is quoted as saying, “At a time when reckless federal tax policy favors billionaires over middle class workers, ACA 22 will help ensure that California can continue to grow and support middle class families throughout the state.”

It wouldn’t surprise me if California has a disproportionate number of state employees compared to, say, Texas. Are those the middle-class families McCarty is talking about supporting? They’ve already run out of other people’s money to spend, so they must rob whatever they can from the few large businesses that still operate in California.  

Won’t it be neat when the most populous state has millions of people with no jobs to go to?—Ken Marx

The Wisdom of Walter Williams

Dear Daily Signal: Walter E. Williams is a true American patriot who has learned the real meaning contained in our Constitution: freedom of the individual to develop their God-given talents to become all that he or she can be (“Why We Are a Republic, Not a Democracy”).

This is the real gift of America to all peoples of the world. It is modeled after the biblical concept that “if you teach a man to fish, you feed him for life.”

Communism, socialism, and liberalism are the vehicles by which the all-knowing and all-wise self-appointed elitists of the world hope and plan to be the insulated leaders whose guiding principle is “do as I say, not as I do.”

President Trump understands these simple basics by defining the true threat from within as draining the D.C. swamp, perhaps better understood as some 60 years of metastatic political cancer.

The entrenched two-party system is in reality a single party whose guideline is “How can we fool the voters today?” The House and Senate have devolved into a literal Tower of Babel, shouting and screaming obscenities at each other as “show” to keep the voters (their sheep) in check. Trump has blown their cover; thus their constant attacks bent on his total destruction.—Maurice Striegler

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As always, Walter E. Williams states the situation perfectly. I consider the Electoral College to be the great genius of the Founding Fathers and the U.S. Constitution.

We are a representative republic, in spite of what some think. I try to correct people when they say we are a democracy. At one time, the senators were appointed by the governors of the states, and not voted upon by the citizens.—Jim Rich, Hendersonville, Tenn.

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My thoughts on Walter Williams’ column: Special interests and the “you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours” philosophy have gotten us so far away from the simple order and across-the-board benefits that serve all. It’s embarrassing to view, at this time in history, how corrupt our government has become. It feels like the other nations are looking at us and seeing we have run amok. I’m hoping it’s not too late to have common sense take the reins for our basic needs to be met.

We the people should be the government (that was the plan and also the reason we needed checks and balances), but we can all see that a fair amount of lawlessness has taken over. Our judicial systems and president making law without Congress, for example.

The checks and balances are effective only if educated, honest people are in charge and get involved and participate for the good of all, not special interests and agendas. Facts and not rhetoric must be the bottom line.

I hope I live long enough to see our nation’s government “downsize” to become what it was originally meant to be. Maybe volunteering to serve in government instead of getting amazing incomes and benefits might help, along with term limits, so no one gets particularly greedy. Just a thought.—Dahn Carey

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The Electoral College gave Donald Trump 84 percent of the U.S. counties, versus 16 percent for Hillary Clinton. That’s a much more realistic representation of the will of the country than Mrs. Clinton’s 2.9 million popular vote majority, which can be accounted for by less than 1,000 square miles of U.S. territory.

Had the victory gone to the popular vote majority, those 1,000 square miles would have decided the course for the remaining 3.8 million square miles. God bless the Founders and their wisdom.—Milt Rudy

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Even the ancient Greeks eventually found that a democracy became mob rule. A constitutional republic as established by our Founders, allowing for amendments, is the best form of government. It provides many guaranteed freedoms and opportunities for all citizens.—Victoria Marie

Canada’s Lesson on Religious Freedom 

Dear Daily Signal: About Emile Kao and Zachary Jones’ commentary, elected officials who don crowns and make laws that limit their people are no longer public servants (“Religious Liberty Is Eroding in Canada. Here’s What Americans Should Learn”). People who limit elected officials are free.

The U.S. Constitution is intended to limit the government, but legislators routinely ignore the principle. Legislators would never vote for the Enumerated Powers Act because it requires them to state the article and section of the Constitution that authorizes any new law.

Elected officials in crowns hate religion and in fact all civil rights, because they challenge their authority.—Gene Ralno

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There is only one way to fight religious oppression, and that is head on and without quarter. Those who wish to oppress religious freedom have been doing so in the same way. We, the religious, have been tolerant and respectful and where has that gotten us? Time to fight like our lives depend on it, because they do.

Freedom of religion is in the First Amendment to our Constitution, and nowhere does it say anything about all those supposed rights of current liberal manufacture.—Tim Dayton

Your Opinion and ‘Fake News’

Dear Daily Signal: The problem of “fake news” that Mike Gonzalez comments on comes from reporting opinions as news (“Don’t Let Liberals End Opinion Diversity Under Cover of ‘Fake News’”). News should be facts, verified and unvarnished by opinion. Reporting someone’s stated (or inferred) opinion isn’t really news, either, but it passes for news way too often.

There is so much happening, both good and bad, and our news outlets seem to be so keyed in to politics they can’t find anything else to report.—Christine Hankins

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Only truth should have freedom of speech and press. To knowingly disseminate falsehood is false advertising and against the law, probably including swindles and slander. But who cares about the Ten Commandments when we can impose a power play to subject the people to tyranny, remove human rights, and make beasts of burden of the citizens? —Mary De Voe

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About Jarrett Stepman’s commentary, the truth and nothing but the truth is what we all want (“Europe Comes Up With Perfectly Orwellian Responses to ‘Fake News’”). Just tell the news without reporters giving their opinions of what they think is going on. Anything other than that is slander, and should be dealt with accordingly.—Geno Bouwens, Sparta, Mich.

The Sex-Change Revolution and 167 Surgeries

Dear Daily Signal: Regarding Ryan Anderson’s commentary, it’s interesting to observe all the supporters of the transgender “ideology” resort to falsehood or absurdities in supporting outright fabrication of facts (“The Sex-Change Revolution Is Based on Ideology, Not Science”). Clearly, facts prove that a good many who have submitted to horrific surgery of this sort ultimately have killed themselves, otherwise we would not be so concerned.

Great harm is being done to children. That’s the main concern. And parents are being victimized as well. It’s a sham because it is a movement pushed forward by the LBGT community, a biased group with a dishonorable goal that harms children.—Gloria Diaz, Barnstable, Mass.

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Regarding Walt Heyer’s commentary, there will be regrets at some point almost anytime someone decides to make a physical change, whether a simple tattoo, an augmentation, or something as drastic as a sex change (“This Man Received 167 Sex-Change Surgeries. He Lives in a World of Regret”). We will want a different change or more change when that regret happens.

Most people are never satisfied with who they are. I was brought up to learn to laugh at myself and accept who I am before I laugh at anyone else. We all do stupid things. Those things we do were made with our choice at that moment; we may not have taken the time to consider the consequences from different perspectives before making the change, especially drastic changes.

One should always strive to accept who they are and what their body is. But to do that, you need to laugh at yourself for thinking that you are not—or at least worrying you are not—the way others perceive you should be. Still, ultimately it was his or her choice; accept the consequences and hope others will do the same.—Joe A. Elizondo

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I resent Heyer’s insinuation that the doctors were just greedy and should have denied further treatment. If they had denied treatment, the patient just would have found another doctor. But more importantly, the doctors would have been reported to their medical boards and likely lost their licenses after being labeled homophobic and racist.

If a person may be fined by the state and lose his or her business and reputation for not baking a cake or hosting a reception, imagine refusing to treat someone with gender dysphoria. More livelihoods ruined.—Frank Armijo

More on ‘Dreamers’

Dear Daily Signal: President Trump creates all his own bad press with his tweets. If he would limit them to just positive remarks, he would not create such controversy. For instance, if he had said nothing about the book “Fire and Fury,” it would have been ignored. But his tweets made it a bestseller.

There are very smart people at The Heritage Foundation that Trump listens to. Can’t they advise him on not tweeting, or limiting tweets to just good things?

The president lately seems inclined to give it all away to the beneficiaries of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (“In DACA Talks, Trump Open to ‘Comprehensive’ Immigration Deal”). He forgets that they are here illegally and are draining our welfare, school funds, housing, and on and on.

DACA work permits should be extended only to those who:

—Speak English fluently.

—Have a high school diploma if they are 20 or older.

—Have a two- or four-year college degree if they are 28 or older.

—Are not on welfare of any kind.

No amnesty. No lottery. No chain migration. The deficit cannot support thousands more on welfare.—Persistent Professor

How Are We Doing?

Dear Daily Signal: Kudos for refreshing and much-needed actual journalism. Thank you for being a beacon of integrity in an increasingly muddled, confused, communistic-type culture in which our great country is mired these days.

I am a longtime contributing member of The Heritage Foundation and an avid reader of history, and I keep up on important daily news topics via various media outlets such as The Washington Times, Fox News Channel, Breitbart, and others.

However, I always make a point of reading The Daily Signal’s email updates for a truly well-researched, balanced, journalistic view of today’s issues (such as recent articles on tragic childhood transgender madness). Yours is the only media outlet I trust to obtain real information on such important matters.

You give many of us hope and inspiration not to lose faith. It’s great to know we are not alone with our concerns about the severe moral decline evident in our American society and culture, and that there are still good citizens in the arena working to turn it around.

We try to do our part to fight the good fight in our everyday lives too. Keep up the great work.—Vince Olds, Mount Airy, Md.

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I just subscribed to The Daily Signal and am very pleased with your topical subjects. Your coverage of the March for Life warms my conservative views on abortion and adoption.

As a Canadian, I am appalled with our prime minister on many fronts but the latest is his stance, and his party’s stance, on abortion. Reminds me of the Obama years and the passage of Obamacare.

I will continue to read your daily news recap over my coffee, which has never tasted so good. Thank you for keeping my political and moral views front and center—at least south of the 49th.—Dale Daniel

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You are reliable. Keep at it. But what is your problem with writing incorrect statements? Barack Obama is not the president. He is a “former president.”

Almost every article you post that contains a reference to Obama identifies him as “president.” Donald Trump is the president of the United States.—D.J. Black

Editor’s note: We know,  D.J. We’ll watch out for that.

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Your news is concise, excellent, factual, and great reading. Thanks.—Eric Smith

You’re doing great. Just keep it honest.—Jim Blackowicz, Schaumburg, Ill.

Enjoy your articles. May they continue into the New Year.—Brannen Edwards, Savannah, Ga.

You folks are crazy.—Ivy Mark

Chrissy Clark helped to compile this column.

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