How we got here?

I was listening to my favorite podcast earlier this week, Citizen Radio, and they were discussing the government shutdown. Allison stated the government shutdown isn’t really about healthcare it is about ideologues who want to abolish the government and those who want to have government.

This is what we have. We have a government run by an elite few who can afford to run for office, which is exceedingly expensive, and then these representatives are puppets for money, which translates largely to corporations and their fanatical base. These representatives are the most privileged amongst us, and continue to represent privilege as they cling to power like dying men to breath. As a result they buy into and prop up the American mythos of the self-made-man, women’s work is housework and motherhood, people of color are burdens on the system, LGBTQ individuals are deviant, and Christianity supersedes all other faiths among many other examples. Thus trying to prevent any power shift to those they believe to be a threat.

The Government shutdown (2013) is entirely the GOP’s fault. Dems aren’t obligated to debate with them over something that is already law and was upheld by the Supreme Court. That’s not how government works, and if our elected officials don’t know that then they need to fund schools ASAP. But they do know that, which is why we’re shutdown because that was the end goal here. Now, why would they want the government to shut down? I’m not entirely sure. I know their base are a bunch of fundamentalists who think end times is approaching, but this isn’t going to reinforce the belief that government isn’t needed. Instead it is going to demonstrate just how much a federal government is needed.

In a GOP wet dream, everyone will realize that government isn’t needed because nothing changed during the shutdown, or maybe because this is a wet dream, all social welfare programs and Obamacare ended immediately. You know a throw back to the days of the Confederacy. I don't agree with something my government does, better quit. Regardless, everyone will rejoice because capitalism will be straight up the law of the land, not entirely different than life now except we have the federal government with its regulations to protect us a bit.

However, what we’re going to see is more like this: the immediate shutdowns of parks, etc. This will be mocked by the right wing without any thought given to the workers out of work. Then in a week or so, underfunded social welfare programs are going to feel the burn. This might not impact the Right’s whole base, but some of them are going to be. How do we know? Because red states disproportionally use social welfare programs…might have something to do with capitalism run amok without regulation. But sure, enough of the wealth GOP backers are fine with this as with the shutdown of OSHA. However, they might start singing a different tune when we get to the federal agencies in charge of our food. Sure private companies can take a lot of the workload except the federal inspections. Hey meat eaters, you may want to cut back next month, right in time for Thanksgiving. So how many people need to get sick before the government can reopen?

I’m a labor person. To me, then I heard shutdown I knew Congress members were still going to collect paycheck. And probably continued to be piss drunk on the floor, but I thought about the low-wage workers who are getting screwed.

I’m not absolving the Democrats. They have a lot of problems too, but in this specific instance, it isn’t us. I will say that the left has contributed to the system where this is possible. We don’t hostage take like the right, but we gerrymander too, which is what enabled this. There are Tea Party reps on the House floor because state GOP redistricted to accommodate. The Dems did too in Maryland, and lefty places, but we didn’t elect as many left wing reformers.  I’m not advocating answering the GOP with leftists, though I would support leftist candidates.

So yes, the GOP shutdown the government because they are having a tantrum that they think will yield more votes for them in the future, and because they can go home and say they stood up to big government by shutting it down for a day, a week, a month, whatever. But every US citizen is to blame for letting our political leaders do this. We didn’t hold the Dems responsible when they started giving into the GOP’s hostage taking, and we didn’t take them to task for it. This all conditioned the GOP to think this was a perfectly good way to get their agenda across.

On yesterday’s Capitol Hill chase, Miriam Carey, 34-years-old, was a mom with a history of mental illness including postpartum depression. She tried to drive through White House barriers and then set off the chase that ended by the Capitol building. Finally, when she got out of her car, she was shot by several police officers. A law enforcement official says she was unarmed, and it is not known whether she posed immediate danger. Carey was traveling with her one-year-old daughter, and the girl was unharmed but is now in protective custody. Carey was also a black woman, which adds to the controversy around this. We can obviously talk about how the police protecting everyone on the Hill yesterday are working without pay, but I think we need to address that Carey was unarmed when she exited her vehicle. Also, maybe now we come back to that conversation post-Newtown about mental illness in this country and the lack of available resources?

I’m rarely good at tragedies immediately after they occur. I’m better a few days later when everyone is ready to be rational. I have emotional responses like everyone else, but I’m not the type of person to be lost to them, so my initial responses can be off-putting to those who expect similar emotional views. So when everyone is ready to have a conversation about postpartum depression and women’s healthcare let me know. Until then, I’ll be over here.

Third Highest Poverty Rate in the Nation and Maybe a Government Shutdown, well that will show those Washington elitists

Yeah...probably not.

The Senate sent the House's spending bill back which means: Government Shutdown 2011 Part II.  I'm not overly concerned about this.  We've been here before and the Dems caved.  I'll blog more about it if things look like they are coming to fruition/shutdown.

Otherwise let's talk about poverty in the District.  According to the latest data I've seen, DC has the third highest poverty level in the nation hovering somewhere around 1 in 5.  Yeah, 1 in 5 people in DC live in poverty.  Elitists.

We're trailing Mississippi and Louisiana.  Shocking I know you never thought we'd be trailing them in anything except illiteracy numbers, but really you were thinking Georgia, right?  The have such financial worries they are killing potentially innocent men to save money, which isn't cost effective.

Additionally, DC just made Bloomberg Business Weekly's best city to live in list.  I think #6.  We have some awesome restaurants, schools, and the like too bad no one from here can afford them.  Bloomberg also spent a little time discussing your likelihood to be a victim of violent crime in the District.  I still think we should divide that category into native vs. tourist.  You're always more likely to be a victim if you're a tourist.  That's a Commandment, but not in the Constitution.

The Census Bureau's American Community Survey suggests nearly 110,000 people live in poverty in the District.  That maybe more people that the entire population of Montana.  Additionally, contained in that number are 30,500 children.

Let's save some money and not declare war on Pakistan, and let's end the other three.  While we're at it we should tax the wealthiest Americans and businesses.  Your company wants to be here then you have to pay for that right.

Shut It Down.

Ok, so I live in DC. The government shutdown will seriously affect me and mine. I don't work directly for the government but through government contract, but the government runs just about every thing in the District.

That being said, sarcasm aside, shut it down. I made a Facebook joke yesterday about government shutdown meaning parking liberation in the District. So hailing from Ohio several of my friends (and I use the term loosely) married military and enlisted. So I received one (thankfully) comment about how her husband is a serviceperson and they rely on his paycheck. Legit, sarcasm was never this girl's strong point, and being my main form of discourse we were never close. That being said she isn't wrong.

But, it isn't just the military. And I'm glad Obama is threatening to veto a bill to extend military spending if we can't get a budget together [though this might have changed in the last 24 hours]. We're looking at veteran's services, boarder patrol (maybe this won't come back), and tons of other things. Additionally, Medicare and Medicaid is going to be funded, but are those who mail those checks considered non-essential personnel? I don't know. I imagine anyone who receives direct deposit will get check, but those who do not who knows?

However, let's bring this back to why this is happening. The Republicans (John Boehner) is trying to bully Dems and the Obama Admin into cutting funding. What funding? Planned Parenthood, NPR, assistance for the poor, etc. When Obama caved (like he does) the Republicans demanded more cuts (seriously just watch the West Wing). Now, Obama is holding firm, or at least appears to be. According to the news sites/blogs everything hings on Planned Parenthood funding. This is not about abortion though that is just what the Republicans are saying for fire power; it is about women's health and what should and shouldn't be funded.

Yeah, Republicans don't feel like women should have affordable health services. Poor women shouldn't have access to the pill or gynecological tests. So I say shut it down.