Raheem Kassam, fellow at the conservative think tank the Claremont Institute, admitted as much when he said:
"The Democrats have basically just started a new conversation on the political right about how to privatize the heck out of all of that."
Romina Boccia, a federal budget expert at the conservative Heritage Center stated:
"The real conclusion to draw from this is: which of these are truly inherent, governmental functions, and which of these could we take out of the hands of what is ultimately a hyper-partisan process now."
Some are citing hundreds of thousands of TSA workers' willingness to work for free (those that did not call out sick) as evidence people will perform out of a sense of duty regardless of compensation.
One "Bay Area journo-writer" tweeted:
"This government shutdown would've lasted like a day in European countries because no one would go to work without getting paid. That's the big lesson workers should learn from today. Work stoppages get sh*t done."
Need more proof?
Consider that in June 2017, Donald Trump announced a plan to revoke responsibility of tracking and guiding airplanes from the FAA in favor of handing it off to private vendors.
Just like what Ronald Reagan tried to do in 1981 when he threatened to fire 13,000 air traffic controllers who participated in the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO) strike for raises, shorter workweeks, and better working conditions, Republicans and Libertarians are hoping they can use this shutdown to justify their dream of eliminating the public sector.
It starts with the TSA and the FAA; then they're onto Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid, as was the life-long objective of former House Speaker Paul Ryan.
The state of public education hangs in the balance under an administration that works to undermine it in favor of corporate charter schools not required to adhere the same academic and professional standards like state teacher certification, gender and cultural diversity, and curricular oversight.
We will not be able to confront the imminent dangers of climate change without a vigorous Energy Department advocating for alternative energy.
We will not keep our lakes, rivers, and coastlines free of industrial waste without a robust EPA.
We can forget about workers' rights with a Labor Secretary beholden strictly to profit at the detriment to workers' safety, security, and sovereignty.
The Constitution's Preamble clearly defines government's role as that which "establishes justice, insures domestic tranquility, provides for the common defense, promotes the general welfare, and secures the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity."
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