The government shut down on Oct. 1 for the first time in seven years. The last U.S. government closure occurred in 2018 during Trump’s first presidential term. Sounds like a pattern developing here.
All Congressional fingers point at Democrats causing this rift, though the GOP has a seven-person majority in the Senate, Legislature and Administration. Are they just sore losers?
It makes me mad! Voters hired these clowns to run the government, which requires a budget and cash to fund the many aspects of what good government is supposed to do. They had nine months to compromise but didn’t.
So, the shutdown is not good and what looked ominous when he took office in January, now looks disastrous. Seeing 750,000 government workers lose their jobs – and income – by my account means some two million citizens (based on four-person basic family unit) have been tossed into misery. That doesn’t count every other industry shedding employees.
And now the government has banned news stations from covering the huge protests against militarization of National Guard units in NYC, LA and Chicago. Hello censorship! The press keeps us free!
Even sadder is that the entities that have previously existed to help folks out of deep water have they themselves been shredded. FEMA? No more. Charitable organizations? On their last legs. CNN and Public Broadcasting to get the news? Nun uh.
Listening to news reports (while available) the first day of this siege, I was struck by the combative answers given for every routine media question, along with machine-gun retorts to every follow-up question.
There was no civil give-and-take question and answer. It was hard to listen to, if only to keep up with the GOP stance on the next question, because that guest had already begun the next fight with the press.
My kids did that when small. If they couldn’t squirm their way out of an honest answer, they’d toss a mudpie at their opponent. But that’s not why we voted for candidates to represent us.
Protesting governmental policies and actions is not new. It is an American right granted under our Constitution and Bill of Rights. It is the only way that citizens can make elected representatives recognize they are on the wrong road.
That’s why I am grievously concerned at the poor decisions affecting millions of citizens – of every color, gender and location. Current leaders are raising the fear levels everywhere so that their misdeeds will be overlooked. It’s deceive, decoy and point everyone in the wrong direction before voters notice that the emperor has no clothes.
The current administrations (state and federal) are waging war against all citizens, but especially Democrats. And the irony is that the longer voters keep re-electing this same brand of ultra-conservatives, the worse it will get. Even Pope Leo XIV was offended!
Gerrymandering voting districts is just one for instance. There’s also the tight grip the state legislature has on allowing citizens to generate Constitutional amendments.
Nope, no way can individuals ask to put school options on the ballot or allow LGBTQ issues to be reviewed, much less women’s health or medical rights.
The legislature keeps that ability. Only they can add anything to the Constitutional ballot so voters have no voice. For that alone, I’d suggest voters read the upcoming November ballot closely before voting for anything. Gov. Abbott’s brand is just as negative – it takes away but does not give.
Who knows about the Federal shutdown? The 2018 one lasted seven weeks. Families that haven’t shored up their war chest of household provisions need to request amnesty from Washington!
And start getting curious. Some folks have it and too many don’t. And it’s not true that it kills cats. They have nine lives anyway.
Curiosity pecks out the truth of anything. Or it can make people fumble around until an essence of the truth emerges.
That’s what’s needed now – everywhere – to dig out the essence of the truth, especially concerning government.
So, I’ve wondered: if DJT#47 is so supportive of Health Minister Robert F. Kennedy and his war on vaccines, why did the medical team just give the president a Covid-19 booster and a current flu vaccine shot?
Is it good enough for him but not the masses? Just curious.
Shelly has worn more hats in the communications field than Carter had pills but forgot to retire when she closed her promotions business. She earned a BA in Journalism at NTSU (before it became UNT) and has never lost her love of words.