Editor, Gazette-Journal:

The real problem with the government shutdown is illustrated by the letter from John Sweeney in the Jan. 24 edition of the Gazette-Journal (“The wall and the shutdown,” Reader’s Write).

Mr. Sweeney places the blame wholly on our president, apparently forgetting that a stalemate requires that at least two parties be in disagreement. The president says no budget without funds for border security. Democrats say no budget that includes an increase in border security. The president offers to expand protection for Dreamers if he gets his funds. Democrats offer to negotiate border security sometime in the future in return for a budget now. Both sides are being childish and everyone, from the top down, should be voted out as soon as possible.

While each side has its adherents, the facts cannot be argued. According to the U.S. Customs and Border Enforcement website, there were 644,318 illegal crossings from October 2017 through November 2018. Those ...