Thoughts On the Government Shutdown Ending…For Now

The longest government shutdown in America is over….for now that is. After 35 days and 800,000 government employees missing out on two paychecks, you know who conceded and agreed to open the government.

The problem is that this is only a temporary resolution. If Congress and you know who cannot come together, the government will shut down again in three weeks.

At least he did not get his border wall.

After weeks of a stalemate on both sides of the aisle, the halting of a number of flights by the FAA at a number of East Coast Airports (including LaGuardia Airport in New York City), due to staffing shortage finally got the attention of those in power.

From my perspective, the administration is completely tone-deaf to the needs of American people. They want to accomplish what they want to accomplish and if there are adverse consequences, so be it.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross asked why furloughed workers couldn’t just go to the bank and ask for a loan to cover their expenses.

His net worth, as of 2016, was estimated to be $2.9 billion.

And then, you know who suggested that the grocery stores would be willing to “work” with the Federal employees until they receive their next paycheck.

These comments are tone-deaf, insensitive and is proof in my eyes that this administration no idea what the average American goes through on a day-to-day basis.

Just another reason for you know who to be a one term President.

 

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Thoughts On The Continued Shutdown and the Ban On Transgender Soldiers

We are officially into the second month of the longest government shutdown in American history. The stalemate on both sides of the aisle remains as the approval rating for you know who continues to drop.

The financial reality in this country is that many workers, in spite of having jobs that come with a steady paycheck, are within one or two missing paychecks of financial disaster. If the government does not open by Friday and the Federal workers who have been furloughed or working without pay do not receive their paychecks, it could create a financial ripple that affects every American household.

The irony about this shutdown is that it comes down to a disagreement about how to keep the country safe. The people whose job it is to keep us safe cannot do their jobs because they lack financial support to complete their jobs. FBI agents are complaining that they are unable to do their jobs without a paycheck or funding. 10% of TSA agents are calling out sick. They are the front lines of national security at our airports. How are they supposed to do their jobs if they cannot afford to come to work? A number of TSA agents have resigned or considered resigning out of sheer desperation.

Mitch McConnell could have ended the shutdown already. But he refuses to, blocking four bills that would have re-opened the government and supply badly needed paychecks to government employees. He is already laying the groundwork for a 2020 re-election campaign. If I lived in Kentucky, I would be thinking long and hard if he deserved my vote.

On top of this shutdown, the Supreme Court has ruled in favor of barring Transgender men and women from serving in the military. Upholding this ban is akin watching a magician doing street magic using playing cards. The audience is directed to look at their left hand while their right hand holds the card that will “magically” appear from thin air. We are in the middle of a national crisis, those in power should be working together to re-open the government. They should be not banning Americans who are willingly going into the military, knowing full well that they may have to sacrifice their lives to protect this country. President “bone spurs” is one to talk about who should and who should not be in the military.

I feel like the country at this moment is at a fork in the road. We can either go one way and move towards the ideals created by our Founding Fathers. Or, we can go another way and remain a divided country where identity politics and labels rule over us. I just hope (hope being the important word in this sentence), that we, as a nation make the right decision.

This Tit For Tat Business Is Getting Us Nowhere

When in a business situation and trying to come to deal that will please both parties, there are two ways on how to respond to the situation.

The first type of response (i.e. mature) response is to sit down with the other party and hammer out a deal that both sides will walk away satisfied with.

The second type of response (immature) is to respond in an action that can only be described as tit for tat.

Earlier this week, Nancy Pelosi asked you know who to delay his State Of The Union speech (which is as of now scheduled for January 29) until the government shutdown has ended.

His response was something that we have been sadly become accustomed to. Not only did he cancel a pre-planned overseas trip by a congressional delegation, he did so less than an hour before they were supposed to leave. He claimed that it was because of the shutdown that those who were on the trip could not use government airplanes. But while he denies the use of government airplanes so our Congressmen and women can thank our troops in person, Melania flies to Florida using a government airplane.

What is good for the goose is good for the gander. If members of Congress cannot fly using government planes to support our troops, then the first family cannot use government airplanes for personal use. But this is nothing new, at least coming from him. He thinks that he, his family and the people closest to him are above the law and are not expected the follow the rules that the rest of us follow.

As the shutdown continues, experts predict that the financial damage to the economy could pass the amount that he states that he needs to build the wall.

Earlier this evening, he announced that he will support DACA and TPS (Temporary Protected Status), if the Democrats agree to the wall. Do I smell desperation?

He has obviously learned that tit for tat and acting like a man-child taking a temper tantrum will get him nowhere, at least in the short-term. The question is, will he learn that in the long-term or is this just temporary until until the government opens and it is business as usual?

 

 

New Randy Rainbow Video-“THERE IS NOTHIN’ LIKE A WALL – Randy Rainbow Song Parody”

In my humble opinion, Randy Rainbow is a national treasure. Since blowing up in 2016 in the wake of the Presidential election, he has made us laugh and forget, even for a short time that you know who is f*cking with our country.

His latest video is entitled “THERE IS NOTHIN’ LIKE A WALL – Randy Rainbow Song Parody”.  Using the song “There is Nothing Like A Dame” from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, South Pacific, Rainbow perfectly expresses the anger and frustration that many Americans feel as the government shutdown is well into its 4th week with no end in sight.

We all need a laugh right now. As he always does, Rainbow provides it and makes it all just a little easier to deal with, if only temporarily.

Would DACA for the Wall Work?

As the government shutdown continues on, the emotion and frustration on both sides of the political aisle continues. One could argue that both the Republicans and the Democrats are digging in their heels instead of trying to make some sort of agreement that appeals to everyone.

I’ve been thinking that perhaps if Democrats agreed to the wall in return for the Republicans signing off on DACA, that would finally get this country back to normal.

According to an article in Newsday today, the administration supposedly offered to fund DACA in return for the Democrats signing off on the wall. Though to be honest, it feels like a trap. I don’t trust that the administration will keep DACA as leverage if and/or when the Democrats come to the table.

The irony of this offer is that in the past, the Republicans have fought against DACA with everything that they have.

I count myself lucky that I personally have not yet been affected by the shutdown. But someone close to me has and that hits home in a way that only adds to the frustration that we are all feeling.

As the days go on, this shutdown appears more to be more about the individual needs of the major political parties as a pose to doing what is right for the country and the voters. This is why many Americans don’t vote. They feel apathetic, ignored, like their voice means nothing to those in power.

If this shutdown does not come to an end soon,  I fear that this apathy and feeling of being ignored will grow to the point where many will not vote at all. Without that vote, the American Democracy that we know it to be will cease to exist. That is the scariest thought of all.

 

I Got Called On My Post Last Night

Last night, I wrote a blog post with the following headline: “At This Point, Why Not Just Give Him The Dam Wall Already“.

Today, I was called out on my post.

To be honest, the post was written out of sheer frustration. The fact that this stalemate continues without the needle moving in either direction is more than frustrating. It makes me want to tear my hair out.

The problem still lies with you know who. Even if both houses of Congress and both political parties were able to come together on a bill to reopen the government, it is still contingent on you know whose signature. Without that signature, the bill is DOA.

Now he is denying that he said that Mexico would pay for the wall. I don’t know what is worse, his claims that he didn’t say what we all heard him say or his lies.

The truth is that the ripple effects of this shutdown expand beyond the paychecks of government workers. Miami airport had to close a terminal due to a lack of TSA staff. The FDA is unable to ensure that what we are putting in our bodies will not send us to the hospital or the grave. Visitors at the Joshua Tree National Park are cutting down trees because the staff that patrols the park is few and far between.

But while this is happening, members of Congress continue to receive a paycheck and Mitch McConnell is not helping by standing by and doing nothing. In fact, they went home this weekend, flying through airports with less TSA staff and air traffic controllers (who are also government employees) either furloughed or working without a paycheck.

Why should these people continue to receive their paychecks while hundreds of thousands of Americans are not receiving theirs due to an adult temper tantrum? They earn their salaries because we hired them. We can easily fire them come the next election cycle. They should not be earning their paychecks until the government has reopened.

Like all of you, I am a human being. And, like all humans, when I am angry or frustrated, I say things that I would not said under calmer circumstances.

There is an old Chinese curse:

“May you live in interesting times,”

Interesting is not the word I would use to describe the times we live in.

 

At This Point, Why Not Just Give Him The Dam Wall Already

When faced with a toddler having a tantrum, one has two choices. They can give the child what they want, knowing that this will stop the tantrum. The downside of this method is that the child learns that he or she will get what they want with a tantrum if the initial answer is no. Or, the parent will look the kid in the eye and make it clear that no means no. Taking a tantrum will not result in getting what they want.

Right now, in Washington D.C. we have a President who has been taking a tantrum for nearly three weeks. This tantrum has led to a government shutdown and will likely prevent federal workers from receiving their badly needed paychecks tomorrow.

At this point, I am so sick of the back and forth. Why not just give him the wall already? He has from my perspective, already proven to be an ineffective and clueless leader.  Let him waste billions of American tax dollars (read: not Mexican tax dollars) on a border wall that will do not nothing to resolve the issues with our immigration system.

Then we will see what happens next fall, perhaps then those who blindly follow him will see the truth of the man they continue to support.

 

Thoughts On Last Night’s Presidential Speech

Since the advent of the public airwaves, every President has used the medium of radio and/or television to communicate with the nation.

A certain person is no different.

Last night, he briefly spoke to the nation emphasizing the need for the wall. I would have hoped that he would have tried a different tactic, but it was the same bullsh*t he has been shoveling at us for weeks: immigrants (especially brown and black-skinned immigrants) are a danger to this country and the Democrats are to blame.

There was no recognition of his part in this matter, no willingness to compromise. Just my way or the highway. How much longer will he hold this nation hostage over a wall that is a waste of American (not Mexican) tax dollars and does nothing to resolve the issues with the immigration system? The Democrats are willing to do their part, why he can’t he?

The problem is that he is pandering to his base instead of speaking to the whole country. And instead of relying on facts, he is relying on lies and half-truths. Unfortunately, we have become accustomed to his pandering and his half-truths over the past two years.

Pandering to your base and telling half-truths does not a President make. Unfortunately he does not understand that and probably never will.

If You Want To Win The 2020 Election, I Suggest That You Find A Way To Re-Open The Government

As the government shutdown continues on, the frustration from all walks of life in this country is palpable.

The latest anxiety is that if TSA absences continue, this will create multiple issues at our nation’s airports.

The fact is that the government has to re-open at some point. We cannot continue to allow this orange hued man baby to continue to take an adult tantrum and holds the paychecks of government workers hostage.

 

While keeping our borders secure is a non-negotiable issue, we should not be wasting $5 Billion dollars to build the wall and then waste even more money for security and maintenance.

On this morning’s Brian Lehrer Show, US Representative Nita Lowey (D-NY) proposed a plan to re-open the government while continuing with negotiations in regards to the wall and border security. I personally think that it is best of both worlds, but I am not the final decision maker in this process.

The fact is that the American voter has a long memory, especially when it comes to elections and more specifically, Presidential elections. We vote with our wallets as much as we vote with our cultural/social/religious beliefs. If he wants to become a two President and not a one term President, he had better find a way to compromise and re-open the government. Otherwise he might be a one term President.

 

It’s One Thing To Say That You Support The Troops, It’s Another Thing To Support The Troops

Many politicians will say one thing, but in reality, do another thing.

You know who is no different. He says that he supports the troops, but as usual, he only acts upon it when his reputation is in tatters. This week, his reputation is in tatters due to the government shutdown that he as usual, is blaming others for.

Since the early 2000’s, when George W. Bush was in the White House, it has been a Presidential tradition to visit the troops around the December holidays. You know who made a “surprise” visit to the troops in Iraq in order to save face from the government shutdown that many are blaming him for.

Americans are used to politicians saying one thing and doing another thing. But we are not used to (and should never be used to) a politician, especially one who was elected to the highest office in the land, who says one thing, completely changes his statement within a short period of time and then blames others when things don’t go his way.

Saying that we need to support the troops is an obvious statement. Backing that statement up with action is another thing entirely. Not that he would understand that concept.