Day 16 10-16-2013 PM: The #Shutdown is over, The Republicans caved in like I predicted. John Boehner is a spineless pussy (And I apologize to all the women who may be offended by this, I didn’t mean to insult your lady parts by comparing them to John Boehner, I simply can’t think of another nasty word to use right now.)
The Dow rose 205 points today and will likely climb more tomorrow. #bitcoin is at $151.
Oh and Ed Lauter is dead. Good Night…
Day 16 10-16-2013 AM: The #Shutdown saga continues. Here’s a thought to ponder, Ponzi Scheme 101: You don’t tell your “clients” that you’ll default if they stop paying in. Your United States Government is actually telling you that it will default if we don’t let it raise it’s limit, so it can keep spending. The Federal Government can’t even get Ponzi’s scheme’s right…
Federal Government shutdown or not, we have a real problem in our country. A couple weeks ago there was a story online about a kid, a boy, who actually got in trouble from his school for defending another boy against a knife attack. This same thing happened a few months ago to another boy on a school bus who stopped another boy with a gun. Yesterday a Teenage girl in Massachusetts got punished for picking up a drunk friend from a party in order to bring her safly home. This girl was completely sober but was punished for simply having a drunk friend in the car. She did the right thing, what any good friend, or any good person would have and SHOULD HAVE done, and this act got her suspended for 5 days and she was stripped of her Team Captain status. All because of a schools zero-tolerance policy.
How about we let the Federal Government stay Shut Down for a bit while we fix some of our other problems.
Day 15 10-15-2013 PM: Some girl commits suicide and internet bullies are being charged with a felony, that might be going a bit too far. On the bright side of things 51,000 people signed up so far for Obamacare, Only 44,500,000 left, so in other words at this breath taking pace all the uninsured people will registered in 74 years…
The most conservative members in the house have stood against Boner and his Surrender plan so the government is still #shutdown, for now. The Dow dropped 131 point while #bitcoin stays at $158. More impressive is the fact that the 2nd tier exchanges are @ $142, which thins the gap between them and Mt. Gox.
Day 15 10-15-2013 Midday: Yes folks the #Shutdown has ramifications far and wide. Hans Riegel Jr. the son of the man who created Haribo the German gummy bear candy, has passed away today at 90 😦 Something else you can surely blame the TEA Party Republicans for.
I forgot to mention a few days ago, that Joe Girardi re-signed with the Yankees so now the Cubs continue to search for another washed up has been who failed to save enough cash from their playing days. Who ever the Cubs choose one thing is for sure, the Cubs are going to win it all next year…
Day 14 10-14-2013 PM: Well it’s been 2 weeks since the Government #shutdown, and today was also Columbus day, what did you do to celebrate? Some folks got off work and school while others didn’t. Maybe you decided to participate in a traditional Columbus day activity like Online shopping at one of the many fabulous online Columbus day sales events. Or maybe you kick it old school by spreading Syphilis around to a boat full of Europeans like John McCaffery :-)… One thing is for sure, due to the shutdown birth control must not be available because I read somewhere that Sandra Fluke’s vagina is also closed…
Did you notice the people in D.C. picking up Barricades and moving them to the White House? Great stuff. I’m not sure I understand the whole truckers in D.C. thing though, they could have done more in my opinion, but whatevs…
On more serious note, it looks like some spineless Republicans are beginning to cave and a deal may be near. Eminem announced to the world, he is the Rap God…
The DOW is up 64 points and bitcoin is at $154 (Nice Climb, let’s see if it lasts)
Day 12 10-12-2013 PM: Did you hear microbreweries are being effected by the #shutdown? No shit, there is actually a small hardly known dept called the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, or ATTB, which is closed and unable to process paperwork. This doesn’t effect many people but if you’re waiting to get your paperwork to open a brewery or even file new seasonal brews, you’re screwed until the Fed Gov comes back online. UNLESS, you want to start a new trend in #Microbrewing. Let’s call them Black Market Brews. Completely unlicensed, off the books beers. I think you’d have a pretty large market…
Is this the beginning of the next planned crisis? EBT is down, and the National EBT website is down, due to the #Shutdown Will this lead to anything???
Day 12 10-12-2013 Midday: The Senate held a Saturday session to vote on a Debt Ceiling increase through 2014. Early on It looked as if this measure would pass, but it has indeed been blocked so far. This means the House Republicans and the the President are still at a stand still over the Debt Ceiling increase.
In my opinion if the Congressional Republicans cave and allow anything to pass which funds Obama-care (Artfully named the Affordable Health Care Act) it will be a sign of utter surrender. The Senate Democrats did their best just now, to invoke fear in the minds of people, with all their sky is falling nonsense about what might happen if the U.S. Goes into default, which of course doesn’t need to happen even if they don’t raise the ceiling.
And so the #shutdown saga continues. I’m going finish reassembling my chainsaw and cut some more tree down, in case they need more fire wood to burn that house down 🙂
Day 11 10-11-2013 PM: The Republicans in house are talking about making a deal in order to end the #shutdown. Paul Ryan, the GOP 2012 V.P. Candidate is pushing a plan that would allow for a Debt Ceiling increase, this shouldn’t be a shock to anyone. John Boehner, as usual is showing signs of being spineless.
The Dow was up again today by 111 points while bitcoin is still at $141.
Day 10 10-10-2013 PM: A school in St. Joesph, IL at the St. Joseph Ogden High School ( @SJOSpartans ) home of the #spartans gave their students a Death Panel assignment. You all know how ultra conservative public schools are, so obviously this one must be under the control of Sarah Palin, because we all know how death panels are just one of her lies.
In more important news the Jonas brothers are breaking up. Snoop Dog gets baked for a television commercial (Like he needs another excuse) and Walter Whites (The Meth King Pin Cancer Survivor from Breaking Bad) underwear sold for $9,000. Even during a government shutdown, you can still find people willing to pay nine grand for used dirty underwear.
The Dow had the biggest increase day of the year today based solely on the idea that the #shutdown could soon be over. If that doesn’t prove an unhealthy relationship between D.C. and Wall street, I don’t know what does. #bitcoin is at $141.
Day 10 10-10-2013 AM: #Shutdown still in effect, and I’m still not feeling any effects. I don’t know if this counts as “saving the Cheerleader” but a Russian Boxer is going to make her an honest women at least. Miley wants to do a duet with Britney Spears, it’s not clear if this will be a clothing optional duet or if it will involve any twerking only time will tell.
Kathlin Sebielius got hammered by Jon Stewart of all people on the ridiculous lies being told about Obamacare and how private individuals can’t get the same benefit as large connected Corporations. She tried to say there was no proof that Part-Time employment is increasing and even said that evidance shows Full-Time employment is increasing. So if you’re one of the millions who’s job has been reduced to part-time, YOU’RE LYING! Shut up and register for ObamaCare already…
The Cardinals beat the Pirates in the NLDS and will now face the Dodgers. I only know this because I heard the fireworks last night…
Day 9 10-9-2013 PM: I guess President Obama isn’t a mindless automaton after all. Today he made a comparison between the Fed Gov and a regular American household that actually made sense. Of course he didn’t realize the significance of his own words. He compared the situation to a homeowner who decides not to pay his mortgage. Would not such a person expect to have his interest rates increase and credit rating dropped?
Actually yes, Mr. President, such a person could expect that. maybe you need to explain this to your economists. See a regular American, unlike the Fed Gov doesn’t have the option of raising his own credit limit so he can pay his mortgage. He can’t legally print his own money or electronically add to his bank balance in order to pay his bills. The only option for the regular American who is financially struggling, Mr. President, is to cut his spending so he can pay his mortgage.
Also it’s good to know that Republicans are feeling the pain of the #shutdown. Lindsey Graham said today, “that without the towel boys at the Congressional Gym, it’s starting to smell a little rank.” It’s not just because of the towels Mr. Graham. The Dow is up 26 points and #bitcoin is at $140.
Day 9 10-9-2013 AM: Government still #shutdown while Amazon continues to deliver millions or products to millions of people without a hitch while the Feds are having trouble keeping websites online. Meanwhile in the private sector, you can still find websites for people, businesses and organizations that are defunct, and in some cases they’ve been that way for years. This means private businesses who are no longer even in business have figured out how to keep websites online more reliably than our Federal Government.
Its almost mid October, children are getting ready for Halloween. Families are picking pumpkins and some are getting ready for their fall brew sessions. All this activity continues despite the fact that some unfortunate souls are stuck in limbo because the Federal Government controls their cancer research and those knuckleheads have decided its NON-ESSENTIAL. NICE HUH? It’s awfully convenient that all these services which literally make the difference between life and death are being put on furlough while Unions, Immigration Organizations, Green Initiatives and healthy eating programs are allowed to continue unimpeded.
Looks more and more like another nation every day.
Day 8 10-8-2013 PM: The Republicans are still getting blamed for the #shutdown even though they proposed a plan 45 minutes prior to the shutdown and have laid out three plans since, all of which have been rejected by the Senate. Yup, it’s clearly all because the Republicans are impossible to work with. President Obama gave another speech, which was basically the same speech he’s been giving for 4 years now. The Parks Department gave a protest permit and allowed an immigration rally, DESPITE BEING SHUTDOWN… And Miley Cyrus wants Sinead O’Conner to commit suicide. Oh, and I guess now Joe Girardi wants to explore the Cubs offer, that’s nice.
Mitch McConnell is still an idiot.
The DOW dropped another 157 points while #bitcoin remains steady at $137
Help get the the Spreading Santorum splash page back on top. Google Santorum…
Day 8 10-8-2013 AM: Let’s recap all the things which are not effected by the #shutdown . The Roads still work, Shipments are still moving along, Private Sector employed people are still working, sporting events continue, celebrities still get naked, local commerce still functions, local government still functions, roads get fixed, tolls are collected and last but not least, my kitties still chase the little red laser light and the Wii hand on the screen.
So far it seems the shutdown is only really effecting the 800,000 or so Non-essential people, who instead of getting a real essential job are going to wait for their vacation pay, which Congress has so generously decided to give them anyway. Oh joy. Let’s see if today it the day the GOP caves in???
Day 7 10-7-2013 PM: It’s been one week now since the Government #shutdown and basically life goes on as usual. Most people have not been affected in the slightest by Non-Essential employees of the people having been on vacation. Yes, I’m calling it vacation now, since they will likely get paid anyway, once they return to work, assuming we don’t revolt and force a permanent shutdown before that happens.
An interesting story hit my Newsfeed today, those Navy Seals in Somalia were unsuccessful in their mission. They called it off due to the high likelihood of civilian casualties in the area. Those Seals were indeed honorable men, I fear what might have happened if this were a Drone mission. It’s likely the entire area would have been destroyed and the civilians would have been marked as probable insurgents.
The Republican fight continues in the House while the Democrats insist on a rise in the debt ceiling. The most troubling thing about this whole situation is that the Senate Democrats are thinking about using Republican Mitch McConnells plan to actually give our President the power to raise the debt ceiling himself. Yes, the Senate actually wants to give the President of the United States an essential power which should be a check on the administrative branch. More troubling is that some Republicans in the house might actually support such an idea because they wouldn’t be voting for a direct increase. If this happens it could be a catalyst.
The Dow finished a little south of 15000 today while bitcoin is at $137.
Day 7 10-7-2013 AM: Mirror Mirror on the wall, who’s the sexiest woman alive? Esquire Magazine says it’s Scarlet Johannsen, again… The Government is still #Shutdown , and the Republicans have enough votes to end it, but they won’t as long as a Debt Ceiling raise is demanded by the Democrats. They claim to want a “temporary” raise, LOL… We all know how good the Fed Gov, is at temporary. Do you know how many times the Debt ceiling has been lowered since 1981? ZERO… That’s right, once it goes up, it does not come back down, so Temporary is B.S. but hey, it does make for great Theater.
Do you want to know what really pisses me off. And this completely serious, No Sarcasm or Satire on this one. The Fracking Amber Alert website has been taken offline, Due to the shutdown, but Michelle Obama’s healthy eating initiative site is still online… FRACK THEM. Seriously.
Day 6 10-6-2013 Midday: Miley Cyrus has officially popped her Hollywood cherry by making fun of Republicans on Saturday Night Live, which is still on the air despite the #shutdown. Now that the little prude Hanna Montana is dead and buried, Miley can move on to bigger, better and nastier more adult things. Good for her.
Sara and I will be having dinner at the Possum Trot, a local supper club, which doesn’t actually serve Possum, which is still open despite the shutdow. Hopefully this experience is better than our unfortunate time at Five Star Restaurant. The Saints have scored first in the 2013 #MerrillBowl , So far it’s Saints 6 Bear 0. Meanwhile the Yankees have made Girardi a offer Cubs fans still waiting patiently.
Day 6 10-6-2013 AM: Six years ago today (seems like more) I married my lovely wife (baby mama) Sara and I would do it again today in a heart beat. I love you Sara. This brings up a good point. Despite the Government #shutdown, there were a lot of weddings yesterday weren’t there? Of course it rained and that was probably due to the shutdown, but the Federal Governments state of dysfunction didn’t stop people from tying the knot, did it? Amazing. Yet another facet of public life that doesn’t seem effected by the shutdown the least little bit.
Other news most people are interested in today; Harry Potter is going to go naked in his next film. Some vampire chick goes topless in order to support Obamacare, yes, Obamacare needs topless women to help sell it… And Sinead O’Conner ( I think I’m spelling that right now) has written another letter to the slutty tramp with the body of a 12 year old boy. The amazing thing is that most people in the country are more aware of these three headlines than they are of the fact that U.S. Military forces invaded Somalia yesterday while going after some other Terrorist a-hole.
Day 5 10-5-2013 Midday: Many articles being posted talking about how Government websites are not working due the #Shutdown . Since I’m an IT tech, I work with folks who are not what we would call “tech savy” on a regular basis, so I know that there are many folks out there who do not fully understand what goes into a making a website actually come onto your screen. I think it’s important to note that once a website is designed, uploaded and running, it does not require a person to actually make it work properly since this is done by web servers and ISP’s internet connection. So if a website that worked fine on 9-30-2013 is not working now, it’s not really due to the shutdown, it’s due to someone logging in and taking it offline in order to piss you off. Of course I’m sure that it’s probably a TEA party member who is responsible for this, and they radical probably logged in with an AR-15 Assault computer.
Also, if you happen in live in Danville, IL and you go to eat at Five Star Restaurant, be warned, their Beef ribs are severely lacking, due to the shutdown, I imagine. Notice how they painted the bare bone with BBQ sauce in order to preserve the illusion of meat on the bones…
Day 5 10-5-2013 AM: Sara and I attended the Farmers Market this morning. I’m sad to report that this will be the last market of the year, due to the #shutdown , Of course. It’s nice to see and take part in local commerce. So many yummy products to choose from.
Miley and Shinad are still at it. Apparently the women who attacked the Whitehouse with her car and her child was actually delusional. (Really?) I love this time of year, the weather is all over the place. The Shutdown can’t even take credit for it. It’s hot and humid in the Midwest, It’s Snowing up Northwest and the South is getting hit with a storm. Some days in Chicago are like that, even when the Federal Government isn’t shutdown…
The Cubs still want Girardi, they’ll find out today if the Yankees will let him talk. I’m still really not sure why they think he’s the answer, with the Federal Government shutdown, there are plenty of people who need a job right now, I’m sure at least one of them would love to move to Chicago and coach the team.
Day 4 10-4-2013 PM: Government still #shutdown 😦 😉 A Louisiana Tropical Storm is brewing, could they be looking at another shutdown fueled disaster? Can you imagine Obama on Television talking about not being able to send FEMA out because the Republicans won’t let him have any money? The Stock market ended 76 points higher, back above 15000 and bitcoin is up again currently at $136
Day 4 10-4-2013 Midday: 17 Previous times the Federal Government has been #shutdown and never before have barricades been put up around the National Monuments. Makes for a good photo op though. It’s curious how National Parks are closed, I never knew how important it was for the Federal Government to be open just so we could walk in the woods, it’s so nice they are all keeping our safety in mind during this time of “Devastating Consequences”. I guess some hotel “The Pisgah Inn” which is located on Federal land, is rebelling, by not complying with the Shutdown order, don’t they know it’s for our own safety? (I know where I’m booking my next trip) Despite the shutdown, UPS was able to get me the parts needed to fix my Central Air, and Fedex was able to get me the oil pump I needed to fix my Electric Chainsaw. Also, the internet seems to working pretty well. Al Gore must be working for free in order to keep that going during the shutdown, he’s such a nice man.
While at a client location I overheard the T.V., something about a man who had not one or two but three government jobs and he was furloughed buy all three of them. Can you imagine working THREE Non-Essential Jobs? And then he was crying about it on National Television. I actually heard him say, “Now what am I supposed to do”? The thought of getting an actual “Essential” job probably didn’t even cross his mind.
One thing is for sure, the Shut down is not slowing down Miley Cyrus. Another day, another opportunity for her to take off her clothes. This time we get crotchless top shots, or was it topless crotch shots, which ever… The Cubs have a better chance of getting Miley Cyrus to dance naked during the 7th inning stretch than getting Joe at this point.
Day 4 10-4-2013 AM: Government #Shutdown still in effect. Some people are really super excited that Tina was finally allowed to win something. I don’t know who Tina is or what she won exactly, but I think it may have been Prom Queen??? All I know is that this news seems to be larger than anything that happened in Washington yesterday as far as pop culture is concerned.
While scanning the News Feed this morning I’m mostly irritated. I wish people would stop commenting on Congressional Pay, and how they are all still being paid during this shutdown. If All 535 members of Congress forfeited 100% of their pay that would help recover about 1.5 hours of Federal Government operations. Also, I don’t like seeing all the posts from folks saying, “We the People”. I hate to break it to you, but some of those “people” are the folks who actually want Socialized medicine. Some of those “people” believe in taxing the rich more, so the poor can be subsidized. “We the People” means all of us, not just those of us who believe in freedom. The difference is that some of us understand the rights secured to us as citizens of our Republic, while others actually worship the concept of Democracy.
The Cubs Manager who was fired on Monday has another job already in Kansas City meanwhile the buzz in Chicago is still about Joe Giaradi. The Cubs threw a whole bunch of Ron Santo Memorabilia into a dumpster and the kind folks at Murphy s Bar fished it out for them to give to the Santo family. That’s nice.
Day 3 10-3-2013 PM: Man, after driving around Chicago and the suburbs for an entire day, coming back to Danville feels like being stuck in the mud, literally. Everything is slow, I found myself driving 60 down Vermilion St, before I realized where I was. Oh well, I can still get anywhere in 10 minutes so I can cope. Is it just me or have any of you iPhone users realized that Siri sounds happy when she’s barking orders at you but when you stray from her per-approved route, she sounds irritated when she’s trying to get you back on track and then sounds happy again once you choose to comply? I’ll bet this is due to the fact that it makes her work more difficult to report your actual location to the NSA, since she needs to continually figure out why you turned, when she said to stay straight. But seriously ios7 is great (I hate iphones) And the I’m sure the $500 people dropped on the iPhone 5 couldn’t have been put to any better use, but that’s one of the beautiful things about a free market, even during a #shutdown people can blow their money (Or maybe your money) on anything they want. Groceries are not nearly as important, (especially when you have a little blue card) as having the latest apple phone product.
I keep hearing about the shutdown having “devastating consequences”. This must be the chosen talking point because I keep hearing those exact words.
Big news today, Miley Cyrus and Shanaid O’conner are having a cat fight. There was a Shooting at the White House, Capitol is on lock down because some crazy women drove an AR-15 Assault Vehicle through the barrier and got shot up pretty good. She’s dead, like many of the poor cows from Yesterday’s awful tragedy. The Dow dropped almost 1% dipping below 15000 while bitcoin is a little above $130.
Day 3 10-3-2013 AM: Santarosa (Jehadi-Date Cookies) for breakfast, yum. As far as I know the Federal Government is still #shutdown . I’ve seen some stories pop up in the news feed and its about time. Obama care is great but one problem (As if it’s only one) with it, is that there are no price controls. Yep, (You read that right) this is a problem, if you want single payer, you need price controls. Its almost like these people are coming right out now and admitting that all of us who were saying Obama-care is more about control than healthcare, were right. One headline suggests that Obama-care is all about Corporate welfare. When all else fails, cry racism and/or blame greedy profit seeking corporations, that always fires up the proletariat.
Is Obama-Care Corporate Welfare? Well, yes, it actually kinda is, but does that mean Price Controls are the answer? In case you’re new around here, let give you a little hint. If Price Controls are the answer, that it was a really stupid question. PRICE CONTROLS ARE NEVER AN ANSWER, if you believe in a free market. Are Health Insurance companies making some bank right now, yes? but they realize the writing is on the wall.
The real question I’ll be pondering all day. Why is it so popular nowadays to have your photo taken with Ronald McDonald in a position like your giving him a BJ? All the kids are doing it, why?
Day 2 10-2-2013 PM: A lot of driving today, Chicago was nice and the far north suburbs show no indication of slowing growth. They are building at a pace faster than ever, it’s almost as if they don’t even know a #shutdown is in effect. I had to break my vow of no news, Sara heard something on radio and forced me to listen, women… I guess a big truck hauling cattle got hit and overturned on the interstate. The driver is injured, no word yet on the cows.
Finally heard the shutdown mentioned on music radio, basically the message was just that we were in the middle of a temporary shutdown, and that if its not ended soon it will have “devastating consequences” on our economy. The sports guys also mentioned it, one man named Greeny (I think), said the Republicans and Democrats were behaving like little children in the sandbox. That might actually be the best Congressional analysis I’ve heard in awhile. Mayor deadfish has some budget issues himself and is talking about layoffs in Chicago. The Cubs still want their old backup catcher to coach the team, this seems to be a top news story in Chicago right now. I wonder what Damon Berryhill is doing these days, maybe he would like to come back and coach?
Olivia’s lip tie is all better now. Grandma is doing well. Her new apartment is nice, lots of great amenities in the building. However, Grayslake, IL is severely lacking in services for Senior citizens, this is probably because of the shutdown, I’m looking into this further.
Whenever Sara and I venture outside of Vermilion County, we try to eat well. We had Mediterranean for lunch, Jehadi-Falafil and a wonderful assortment of various grilled meats. Then we braved 45 minutes of actual rush hour traffic (not the same thing as being stuck on Vermilion street at 5:15pm) to go downtown because Sara was going to just die if she didn’t have wao bow for dinner.
Its been months since I’ve been to Downtown Chicago but one thing is for sure, they do not know our Government is shutdown. Restaurants, Shops, and Malls, all hustling and bustling like crazy. People from all walks of life running all over creation with little or no concern of the dire situation our economy is facing. The Stock market lost the gains it secured on day one of the shutdown while bitcoin dipped a bit.
Other events of major concern today; A jury determined that Michael Jackson is still dead, The Canadian Government (which is not shutdown) determined that Corey Montieth (I have no idea who the hell this man was) is still dead and the Author Tom Clancy died. Still no word on the poor cattle…
Day 2 10-2-2013 AM: Sara and I are taking out daughter to Arlington Heights, IL to have her Liptie corrected. Even with our insurance which costs over 100% more than it did a couple years ago this procedure is going to cost over $600 out of pocket because our deductible is $3000. Yay, Obama-care…
The roads appear to still be working ok despite the shutdown. Farmers are in the fields, no disruptions there, unless the subsidized Farmers are not allowed to work, I’m not sure how the rules work on that. Still no mention of Government Shutdown on music radio. I’m willing to bet there are many people hobbling along, not even aware their Federal Government is no longer working for them. They do however know all about Britney Spear‘s all new Leather Dominatrix habit and recent developments on Dancing with the Stars. It sounds like the Cubs are going to need to find a new Manager, the Yanks are going to offer the second string catcher a HUGE deal, and he doesn’t even like Chicago much anymore anyway, good for him. Hawks won their opener, good for them, yay Hockey…
If all goes well, we’ll be able to also visit my Grandmother, if She’s still alive, Shutdown and all, you know how it is. Seriously though, she’s getting long in the tooth and Obama-care isn’t doing her any favors, especially since they stole funding from Medicare, to help get Obama-care going, and then they’re going to decide who is too old to obtain essential care, but death panels aren’t real, Obama told us so after all and that’s good enough for Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore, so it’s good enough for me. I wonder how Bruce Willis feels looking at that? I’ll bet he has day dreams about kicking that little twerp off the roof of the Nakatomi plaza, HoHOHO motherf&%ker…
Day 1 10-1-2013 PM: Still shutdown, I know this from reading facebook posts in my news feed. The Republicans called the Senate into Conference to work on a deal, but Harry Reid and the Democrats didn’t even show up to the meeting. Congressman Peter King has sand in his vagina over Ted Cruz’s actions, he and the rest of the Neo-Con Republicans are ready to give up the fight on Obama care already after only a few hours of Shutdown. CNN is blaming Tea Parties and Libertarians for the shutdown which is funny considering we never got 10% of a popular vote during the last few elections cycles and now, all of sudden we have the power to shut down the Federal Government.
Some folks are crying about the 800,000 or so non-essential folks who are out of work. I feel bad for them but at the same time I can’t help but ask, if they are non-essential, why did they get hired in the first place? I heard someone tell me that the Non-essential workforce furlough forced them to “close” the national monuments in D.C.. They actually had professionally printed Signs, (no doubt created by the non-essential workforce prior to the shutdown) informing visitors that they would be closed due to the Federal Government shutdown. WWII vets actually went to the WWII memorial and reopened it themselves. Good for them. While they’re at it, I wish they would storm the Capitol and take back control from the tyrants who currently reside there 🙂
I drove around my town of Danville, IL and noticed that Trucks are still moving along. People are still hustling around getting to and from their jobs and running their errands. The Banks are still open, people are still banking. Township vehicles are out and about, County government is still working as is the City Government, no shutdowns there. My garbage was collected today on schedule as usual and the po-po are still pulling people over, asking to see their license and proof or insurance. The Stock Market was up today and bitcoin is trading at $140. Also, the crickets are still chirping this evening. So far a pretty normal day.
Day 1 10-1-2013 AM: The sun came up, as expected; the U.S. Federal government does not actually control the rising and setting of the star which provides our planets life. I have made a personal pledge to not listen to or watch any news during this Government shutdown. This way I cannot be swayed in my personal opinion one way or another. Instead, I’m going to log all the things I witness, which still function correctly, in an effort to determine if the “non-essential” Federal Government is really essential or not.
The time I spend in my car when I usually listen to the talking heads, I will instead listen to all the pop culture nonsense most people listen to. This will help me understand how the average person is getting along during this Federal Financial crisis. So far I’ve determined that the roads still appear to function normally. Cars and trucks cans till move about from place to place. Private industry seems to be working well, I noticed the McDonald’s drive through does not appear to be affected by the Federal Government shutdown. The Car detail job is still detailing cars and the stores still appear to have food, and more importantly, there does not appear to be a run on this food. So far it seems like most people are not even aware the shutdown happened.
HUD (Housing and Urban Development) sent out scary emails this morning warning their agencies of staff furloughs, but this does not seem to equate to any staff reductions at the local level. Property management still seems to function normally, people still have a place to live and regular maintenance still seems to moving along at a normal pace. The internet is still working, facebook is up, gmail works and as far as I can tell aside from a barrage of jokes in regards to the shutdown, mixed with a few folks who are concerned about family and friends who actually have Government “jobs” and are now not able to work, everything seems completely normal.
On the radio, (The Score and Some top 40 station) I learned that MLB wildcard games are still happening. Houston fans are upset and Cleveland fans are happy. Jay Cutler still sucks and the Cubs need a new Manager and are hoping they can get the ex-second string catcher Joe Garadi. Lady Gaga music is still weird and strangely popular and maybe more strange is the fact that I have not even heard the words, government shutdown once yet…
Is this really still our country? 