Kevin’s Journal: Even Though the Government is Shutdown, it Should Not Shutdown the Empathy of our Leaders

President Trump and his administration disbanded the office of special education and rehabilitative services, which oversees special education services to schools across our nation, on Oct. 1. With this they dismantled the federal oversight this office was providing for the individuals with disabilities education act (IDEA) which is a federal law that ensures students with disabilities in public schools or any other type of schools that receive federal government funding are able to receive accommodations and services while they are in school.

While this program has been underfunded since the start, and unfunded for the last few years, it is important to note that this is still a federal law and schools are still required to provide services under this law.

As someone who has received services through IDEA this is a topic that truly shows the culture of our politics today and it worries me to see that we have decided to leave behind people who need these benefits the most, especially after seeing how much it can improve their education.

The empathy and ethics of our leaders in Washington has been on the backslide for years now, and this latest action shows how much they are willing to sacrifice in order to save money and cut “unnecessary” funding. While we all have different views on politics and policy I think we can all agree that everyone has the right to a quality education no matter their race, income status, gender, or ability.

This action was a long time in the making for Trump, who has wanted this since his first presidential term. The difference this time around is that he has actual people in charge who will make it happen. When thinking about the ethics of Trump, it feels like there has been a different standard set for him, lowering the bar for both him and future presidents.

Our government definitely has the capacity for empathy, but our leaders are not pushing for it and it shows. Our inability to think of people who need our support the most should concern anyone and everyone who cares about the state of our country.

I’ll end with this: if you don’t like what you’re seeing, call and write to your representatives. March in the streets. Use your voices for good to ensure future generations have the ability to use their voices as well.