Furloughed

JOSH:   “Tell me democracy doesn’t have a sense of humor.  …What do you say about a government that goes out of its way to protect even citizens that try to destroy it?“
TOBY:  “God bless America.”
SAM:  “God bless America.”
C.J.:  “God bless America.”
DONNA:  “God bless America.”
JOSH:  “God bless America.”
From the TV series:  “THE WEST WING” Episode:  “THE MIDTERMS” Season 2, Episode 3, Airdate:  18 Oct 2000 Written by:  AARON SORKIN Directed by:  ALEX GRAVES
[All views expressed are my own and do NOT represent the official position or opinion of any government agency – local, state or federal.
I am a Federal employee.  Today is the first day of the fiscal year.  I have been furloughed because a small group of political fanatics have commandeered one of the nation’s two main political parties.  As such, this group of fanatics have paralyzed one half (the House of Representatives) of our legislative branch (Congress), which forms one third of our Federal government.
Now, you will frequently hear about how “the people” voted for a majority of the Representatives in the House and that’s why the country is against Obamacare.  In fact, what happened was Republicans took advantage of an off-year election (one where the President isn’t on the ticket) to take control of the House in 2010.  This coincided with a similar dominance in many state legislatures and governorships.  Now, House re-districting occurs every ten years following the national census (last held in 2010).  Re-districting is normally controlled by the powers that be in the individual states.  The result of the state take-overs (Republican) and the census re-districting was the ability to “gerrymander” their House districts so that even if they lost the vote in their statewide elections in 2012, they would retain the majority of House districts in their states.  The practical result of this political maneuver was although Democrats outvoted Republicans for House seats by almost 500,000 votes nationwide, the Republicans retained more seats in the House.  For a clear explanation of how a political party can be out-voted but still retain the majority of House seats in the state , please click on the following link:
The House of Representatives – or how to win when you actually lost –  dtd 8 November 2012;  Washington Post article explaining how the Republicans “really” managed to maintain control of the House in 2012.  (For the record, the actual title of this article is:  “How redistricting could keep the House red for a decade“
I’m also including four links to prior posts of mine related to national politics:
Happy New Year!!  dtd 2 October 2010 explanation of budget faults.
Privatizing the TSA?  dtd  29 November 2010  Republican fear tactics in politics, limited government and the role of government agencies in a “free” marketplace.
View From Under The Bus  dtd 1 December 2010  Grading President Obama on various policies including health care, the economy and negotiating with Republicans.
Who Did You Say Signed Off On This Treason, Pat?  dtd 26 June 2011 Comments on Pat Robertson’s statement that Republicans have committed economic treason.
It is difficult to sort the wheat from the chaff when discussing politics these days.  This is all the more true because one side (the Republicans) is willing to tell the big lie repeatedly to promote its political agenda, and the other side (the Democrats) is too polite to just say “that’s a lie!” publicly to their opponents face.  One tool I use for evaluating political positions is to go back and see if what someone had to say about something proved either prophetic or correct (or both).  With the hind-sight of two-to-three years, I hope you (dear readers) will take the time to view some of these earlier posts and let me know if we’ve heard this song before.  And whether we (the American public) are about to sit through another encore…
Regardless of whether or not you agree with me, please contact your Federal representatives (Senate and House, Democrat and Republican) and let them know how you feel about the government shutdown and why.  This is no time to stand on the sidelines! —    kmab]
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On This Day In:
2021	Republican Big Lies On The Internet
	What Did They Say?
2020	We Are All Fish
	Should We Take Another Reading?
2019	A Dynamic And Adaptable System
2018	Speak Your Mind
2017	And I Thought It Was Just Me Getting Old
2016	One For Whole
2015	A Good Present
2014	And Your Point Is?
2013	Our Never-Ending Task
	Furloughed
2012	More Mature Than I Thought
2011	Outlaw’s Music
	Can Do!

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Our Never-Ending Task

Success may not come quickly or easily.  But if you strive to do what’s right, if you work harder and dream bigger, if you set an example in your own lives and do your part to help meet the challenges of our time, then I’m confident that, together, we will continue the never-ending task of perfecting our union.
—   President Barack Obama
[I am a Federal employee.  Today is the first day of the fiscal year.  Happy New Year, everybody!  —  kmab]
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On This Day In:
2021	Republican Big Lies On The Internet
	What Did They Say?
2020	We Are All Fish
	Should We Take Another Reading?
2019	A Dynamic And Adaptable System
2018	Speak Your Mind
2017	And I Thought It Was Just Me Getting Old
2016	One For Whole
2015	A Good Present
2014	And Your Point Is?
2013	Our Never-Ending Task
	Furloughed
2012	More Mature Than I Thought
2011	Outlaw’s Music
	Can Do!

Read Full Post »