on the federal shutdown
I know there are more than a few people on my facebook, linkedin, and twitter lists who are cheering on this shutdown, thinking that it's the best thing in the world. They never stopped trying to reverse the 2012 election, one where Obama won (mainly because the Republicans didn't give the American people some decent alternative platform to vote for more than actually totally liking Obama), an election where the GOP may have won the majority of seats due to gerrymandering, but lost the popular vote by over a million nationwide (which should lead to a very close majority to either party, not a 30 seat majority for the GOP); and even a supreme court who ok'd the law on grounds within the constitution, not re-writing the constitution itself.
But who is this affecting at first? well, people like my older brother who fixes the sophisticated equipment that the military uses all over the world. This affects the people who control the dams and dikes that kept places like Wilkes Barre from flooding worse than Agnes a couple of years ago (The Army Corps of Engineers), it affects more than a few colleagues that are working hard as members of the National Weather Service (the people that put out all those weather warnings and the models that the the private sector uses); it affects the National Guard units that more than a few friends know at least someone in are immobilized, and probably not used when we might need it most; it will affect the paychecks of everyone from Air Traffic Controllers that several of my friends who are pilots use to the military members themselves to even the FBI/CIA/INS who are supposed to protect us; it will even hurt doctors and nurses as they will most likely see delays in medicare and medicaid payments that would go towards their paychecks.
And if you think all these workers aren't deserving of the pay they get, please instead of the platitudes from afar tell them to their face; whether it's the park ranger in the Yellowstone, the people who maintain the Lake of the Ozarks so they can have a tourist business and not major flooding, the workers like my older brother at Tobyhanna who maintain the electronics that our military uses, the air traffic controller that several of my friends use to fly planes for pleasure or business, tell the soldier that gives their life to protect us, even the people who make sure that what you think you have in your 401k actually can verify that it's there. I bet more than a few of them are either friends, maybe a few family members, or even your friends' friends that you know fit the bill. Please tell them to their face that they don't deserve to make a decent salary for the work they do, I dare you. Because I am sure that if you were told the same thing as a private sector line-worker by your boss in an unwarranted manner you would sue them for defamation or just not serve them anymore.
So all these people who are having in essence a big genital fight, the ones who will still collect their paychecks, we will be seeing just a fight for theater. And btw, the longer this goes on, the more likely we will be to see even the military shut down as well as air traffic control due to the debt ceiling. That is unless you actually do to those workers you always accuse the opposition of doing (even if they aren't actually doing it).
I actually have a bit of a challenge for the politicians and their spinmeisters attm. If they really want to cut the size of government, how about we start by taking away all their security at the Capitol Building and the Capitol Offices where the congresspeople/senators work every day? maybe take away their travel accounts and per diem expenses? it would be a good start. But don't harm those you take for granted, just to have a triple-x version of kabuki theater on the taxpayer dime, ok?
But who is this affecting at first? well, people like my older brother who fixes the sophisticated equipment that the military uses all over the world. This affects the people who control the dams and dikes that kept places like Wilkes Barre from flooding worse than Agnes a couple of years ago (The Army Corps of Engineers), it affects more than a few colleagues that are working hard as members of the National Weather Service (the people that put out all those weather warnings and the models that the the private sector uses); it affects the National Guard units that more than a few friends know at least someone in are immobilized, and probably not used when we might need it most; it will affect the paychecks of everyone from Air Traffic Controllers that several of my friends who are pilots use to the military members themselves to even the FBI/CIA/INS who are supposed to protect us; it will even hurt doctors and nurses as they will most likely see delays in medicare and medicaid payments that would go towards their paychecks.
And if you think all these workers aren't deserving of the pay they get, please instead of the platitudes from afar tell them to their face; whether it's the park ranger in the Yellowstone, the people who maintain the Lake of the Ozarks so they can have a tourist business and not major flooding, the workers like my older brother at Tobyhanna who maintain the electronics that our military uses, the air traffic controller that several of my friends use to fly planes for pleasure or business, tell the soldier that gives their life to protect us, even the people who make sure that what you think you have in your 401k actually can verify that it's there. I bet more than a few of them are either friends, maybe a few family members, or even your friends' friends that you know fit the bill. Please tell them to their face that they don't deserve to make a decent salary for the work they do, I dare you. Because I am sure that if you were told the same thing as a private sector line-worker by your boss in an unwarranted manner you would sue them for defamation or just not serve them anymore.
So all these people who are having in essence a big genital fight, the ones who will still collect their paychecks, we will be seeing just a fight for theater. And btw, the longer this goes on, the more likely we will be to see even the military shut down as well as air traffic control due to the debt ceiling. That is unless you actually do to those workers you always accuse the opposition of doing (even if they aren't actually doing it).
I actually have a bit of a challenge for the politicians and their spinmeisters attm. If they really want to cut the size of government, how about we start by taking away all their security at the Capitol Building and the Capitol Offices where the congresspeople/senators work every day? maybe take away their travel accounts and per diem expenses? it would be a good start. But don't harm those you take for granted, just to have a triple-x version of kabuki theater on the taxpayer dime, ok?