Prudence and Our Political Disfunction

A section of border wall is constructed on the U.S. side of the border in Tijuana, Mexico, on Jan. 28, 2019. The U.S. government had been partially shut down as President Donald Trump battled congress for $5.7 billion to build walls along the U.S. border with Mexico. Despite Trump agreeing to end the shutdown, the debate over border wall funding and other immigration issues continues. Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images

Commentary

We just survived the longest government shutdown in U.S. history and are staring at the possibility of another one within weeks. We all know the issue—to build part of a wall along the southern border or not—but many seem perplexed by the underlying forces that have led us to this point.