Jayne: Shutdown a loser for Trump, workers, nation

It was only when Democrats took control of the House that funding for a wall suddenly became a national emergency. Which brings us to the underlying point.

One of the core philosophies behind the government shutdown was that government is bloated at best and unnecessary at worst. Remember one of Ronald Reagan’s most famous lines: “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.’ ”

In the hands of Reagan, that philosophy becomes a good-natured quip. In the hands of Trump and in the minds of many of his supporters, it becomes dangerous dogma reinforced by 40 years of repetition.

You might buy the trope that government is the enemy and that a shutdown is a means to an end — reducing the size of the federal government. And we might believe your sincerity if Republicans had not ballooned the deficit last year. Reminder: Those precious tax cuts were coupled with an increase in spending (both of which were supported by Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Battle Ground). The federal deficit is expected to approach $1 trillion this year, and the debt is about $22 trillion. And still, conservative mantra promotes smaller government and the notion that government is either bad or incompetent.

Neither of which is true. During the shutdown, there were reports of national parks being trashed; national monuments were closed to visitors; and the air transportation system would have come to a halt if “essential” employees had not been required to work without pay.

Those are the obvious effects. Less noticeable but no less important: The Small Business Administration stopped approving routine loans; Environmental Protection Agency inspections stalled; and the E-Verify system that checks if potential employees are in the United States legally was shut down. But, wait, there’s more: Food and Drug Administration inspections of low-risk facilities were halted; the FBI stalled interviews of child victims in sexual assault prosecutions; and initial public stock offerings for companies stopped. The list of minor government functions that we might not be aware of but which impact our lives — as compiled by Vox.com — is extensive.

Meanwhile, Trump’s own advisers admit the shutdown had a more deleterious impact on economic growth than they initially predicted.

All of which adds up a pointless and counterproductive shutdown that did not yield the results Trump desired. But it might have served as a reminder that an efficient government is essential to civilization. But that probably depends on your perspective.