Thursday, October 3, 2013

Much Ado About Nothing

Wednesday morning I got up, got dressed and headed out the door for work. I got in my car, started the engine, backed out of the driveway, drove in heavy traffic and noticed that every strop light was working very well. The police were out in force, keeping the peace, the garbage trucks were out trying their best to block as much traffic as they could, and the planes flew their landing patterns right over my head.

I go to work, and the phones worked, the calls came in, I answered them and the people on the other end of the line spoke with me about their need for a doctor. Every doctor's office I called was open and patients were being treated for whatever ailed them.

I ate lunch in the break room and watched through the great big picture windows as the roads were packed with cars trying to out smart each other to the next intersection. I finished work, took the elevator to the first floor, got in my car and drove home.

On the way home I called my buddy, Jeff, who was in the waiting room at the VA waiting to see which VA doctor wanted to do the surgery to correct the ankle the last VA doctor had put on crooked. He reported that they were only running two hours behind instead of the usual three and a half because so many veterans had stayed home thinking they would not get service.

I got home and at my supper, got ready for bed and fell asleep, secure in the knowledge that I was safe and sound because my government had shut down and for now were probably not going to bother anybody.

Our local "National Park," the "Ding Darling Wildlife Sanctuary" was reportedly closed for most of the day, but re-opened in the late afternoon.While it was closed, people continued to stroll the boardwalk without the services of the park rangers who usually sat in the office drinking coffee and collecting fees for the park use. The strollers got to use the park for free!

I watched the news on ABC, CBS and NBC. Not a one of them mentioned that Congress had begun passing legislation that would keep the military, the VA and the regular essential government services open, but that's exactly what happened. All we heard from the media was interviews with businessmen who complained that they might have to shut down. In the background you could see the workers slaving away at making whatever they were making. It looked like business as usual to me.

I kinda like having the government "shut down." It means that congress won't be wasting time making laws against cheating, lying, stealing and killing, most of which we already have laws against. How many laws do you need to say, "Don't kill people?"

Sequester was a total dud, despite the outcry that it would cripple the country, and so is the government shut down.

By the way, I selected the stupid picture above because liberty has nothing to do with the government shut down...absolutely nothing. The government does not promote liberty, it limits it.

I say the more government shut down the merrier.

8 comments:

sue hanes said...

Come on - Joe. You don't really mean that. It's not good to have the government shut down.

What about those poor people who came to D.C. to sight see. They won't be able to see the sights.
It's like when I went to Mount Rushmore and I couldn't see anything because of the fog. It was very disappointing. We are in a fog right now. We need our government back - good or bad.

Joe said...

sh: By the end of the week they will be able to see the sights. Congress is funding the entire government one critical part at a time. Except they won't be funding Obamacare.

Dave Miller said...

Except Joe, it is already funded through mandatory allotments. Ask the GOP and they will admit that. The only way to defund it is to repeal it, which they can't pass.

Dave Miller said...

Yes Joe, for many, life goes on unimpeded. And for others, it can get very hard.

How many people are now not getting paid, and contrary to the shutdown of the 90's, will probably not get that back pay?

Are you prepared enough to lose half a month's pay and not have it negatively impact you and your family?

Were you that prepared when you were young and starting out in life?

What about people that depend on programs like WIC and SNAP? Is it possible that some of these folks will be harmed negatively by the shutdown?

It seems as if you have adopted the cavalier attitude of Rush that he expressed yesterday.

Ducky's here said...

Well Joe, I'm not expecting very deep analysis from you and this article is pretty shallow.

May I remind you that the economy is still weak. Growing but very slowly.

Now you don't see anything effecting you so everything is fine. I get that, you're a fringe righty.

But when a handful of extremists in the house overseen by a man scared stiff of losing the speakership and not caring for the legislative process can risk ... higher unemployment, rising mortgage rates, dollar devaluation it's a real body blow to American democracy.

Now, in order to throw this tantrum, if the dollars value drops and oil prices rise as a result you'll be screaming and looking for a way to pin it on Obama.
The former may happen. The latter will not and the Tea Party has failed and failed badly, to understand its limited base.

Joe said...

DM: "How many people are now not getting paid, and contrary to the shutdown of the 90's, will probably not get that back pay?"

Zero.

Ducky: "Now you don't see anything effecting you so everything is fine."

(affecting)Actually, the less Congress "works," the finer things will be. They are funding everything. No one will be harmed, no one will go without pay, no one will suffer because of the "shut down."

Relax. You're much too stressed.

To All: It is becoming more and more clear that some people grow up with deranged thinking and are unable to draw correct conclusions from facts. Education does not help them, nor do facts or truth. Their DNA prevents them from logical thinking and from recognizing their illogical thinking. They are called liberals.

Lone Ranger said...

One of the things that Obama considered non-essential is the American Forces Network --AFN. If you are in the military stationed overseas, you are not able to watch TV or listen to radio during the shutdown. However, all duplicative (I just coined that word) government broadcast services such as VOA, RFE, Radio Free Asia, etc, etc, etc. are still roaring along.

Glenn E. Chatfield said...

Who really shut down the government?
http://townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/2013/10/04/who-shut-down-the-government-n1716292/page/full