America held its collective breath yesterday as the clock ticked down towards a possible government shutdown. News organizations described the apocalyptic repercussions of 800,000 employees doing even less than usual, including the closing of museums and national monuments, and the nightmarish prospect of Senators being forced to shine their own shoes. Even worse is the possibility that the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade might be cancelled, presumably because even cherry trees in Washington DC refuse to blossom without a healthy taxpayer subsidy.
Barack Obama, doing his utmost to head off this catastrophe, demanded that Republican and Democrat representatives come to the Whitehouse for an afternoon summit to work out a deal. Of course, Mr. Obama wouldn't personally be in the Whitehouse to help, because he had more urgent business to attend to - specifically, attending a Black activism rally held by Al Sharpton.
When word of this got out, the president hastily called for a meeting later in the evening, at which nothing of any substance was resolved. Still, the fact that Mr. Obama supplied a meeting place, free coffee, and doughnuts was a very meaningful gesture.
And Hope n' Change thinks you all know exactly what that gesture was.
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26 comments:
Stilt, you always have just the right words. You should work for Hallmark. By the way, it's ironic that you found and chose that picture at the bottom. I feel the exact same way about him!!
1) pay the troops - NOT the people you want pissed at you
2) Shut the rest down - let people learn how much government they can live w/o...
I note that PrezBo is showing off his own doughnut holder. Cute, subtle even!
Closing national monuments? How does one "close" the Grand Canyon? Do we need a government worker there to tell us not to jump? And there's so many do-gooders for environment here, allegedly, then why don't they volunteer to man the parks to make sure the cuts and bruises are attended to? We're a volunteer nation in a lot of ways, why do we need paid attendants who can "shut down" Yellowstone?
Bureaucrats not at work? Can't they do it from home?
And the president not at his own meeting? He's the James Buchannan of our times. Let's hope there's a Lincoln awaiting.
But thanks for making it sound funny, Stilt.
Thank you Stilton. Today's comic gave me the first deep, honest laugh of the day.
It's all about spin, folks. I say let them close it down. It accomplishes several good things:
A) People will discover that the sun will still come up tomorrow without the Federal government's help.
B) Most people will go about their daily lives unaffected.
C) If it were actually to go on long enough, it would expose those who it does effect. That could be revealing.
D) The left in this country is overwhelmingly funded by the tax dollar feedback loop. I'm for anything that defunds political loops.
All I can think of at the moment, but I'm sure I'll think of more...
The way I understand it ... the Congress Critters and Senators, along with "key staff members they pick" WILL CONTINUE TO BE PAID! They are claiming it is "unconstitutional" for them not to be paid, because the constitution states they are to be paid directly from the treasury, without needing the budgetary process funding. However, our Military will not!
I hope they do shut it down, for at least a few weeks, so the people of our great country can see just how little the government really accomplishes with all of the trillions of dollars they are wasting! Then again, many of those on the "USA Free Living Entitleent Plans" will get upset because the money tree died, and probably loot, pillage and riot, burning down thier own neighborhoods again!
Hmmmm, what's the downside here? Reduced federal spending, people forced back to work so they can eat, and 'urban redevelopment' off to a good start ...
Anyone think maybe the meeting with Rev Al, WAS for "country shutdown planning"?? Maybe they were checking on the asthetic design and layout of the "Burn Baby Burn" signs? Ya Think?
Doc
The 1994 shutdown was, as I recall, like the Y2K crisis ... anti-climatic. Still, the left managed to milk it for what it was worth with made-up bleeding-heart tragedies and the Republicans were trounced in the November 1994 Mid-Terms.
Our only hope is that there are a few extra months (and another budget to be passed) before the 2012 elections. However, the left will do everything they can to obstruct that budget process as well, and then blame it on the right. With the Media propaganda machine fully behind them, it is likely that 2012 will not go well for the right (or the country), but wonderfully for the wrong.
This is blocked from posting at Facebook
@Anonymous (directly above)- We've had problems with that before. I've contacted Facebook, but never gotten a response. Apparently "Hope n' Change" is blacklisted despite the fact that I run a nice, clean little political website here. Maybe it's part of the package Facebook is offering former Whitehouse Spokesman Robert Gibbs to come work for them.
In the meanwhile, you can always copy the cartoon to your desktop (or click on it for the El Grande size!) and then post it as a picture to Facebook. And I hope you do!
Yes, I shortened my name. Muenster is too hard to spell.
C'mon folks! Let's give poor Barry O a break here. He is not giving us the finger, he is thoughtfully counting the number of people he believes should still get paid if the government shuts down. He's making the frowny face because he knows Harry and Nancy will be pissed.
Speaking of Queen Nancy, she is blathering on about all the old people and children that will starve without a big assed, bloated budget. Hell, I'll gladly eat dog food for a while. It will taste a lot better than the shit we've been fed for the past two and a half years!
Colby - go Firefox, it can remember for you
In Re Nancy's starving old people, who the hell does she think will feed them after the total collapse of the world economy? I mean, wtf, how about a sense of proportion?
When you select an overgrown spoiled teen-aged boy (don't give me the "racism" crap -- I taught Middle School. THAT is what we experiencing -- a boy as in 1. N. a male child) and make him the most powerful human on the planet you get this type of behavior. He doesn't want to be in that meeting and if the country could hear the snotty little fit he undoubtably threw when his handlers told him he "HAD TO" this time -- if the country could hear him they would never re-elect him. In fact, the derision would be so universal he might just take him basketball and go home. Problem is he can still order the destruction of much of civilization instead of going quietly. He never grew up, doesn't intend to grow up and no one can make him in his current position. Yes, a couple of days in a Texas Farm Unit or San Quentin would do wonders for his maturity level. Heck, a weekend in most county D-tanks would work well. In my county they don't just take your shoe laces. They take your shoes until you can get some flip flops from the commissary at your own expense. You think you can figure out how that cuts down on needless fighting.
I can't stand to hear one more lie or spoiled brat statement out of his mouth, so I usually mute the TV when he's on. I don't really need the audio, his body language speaks more truth that his mouth ever did.
@Chuck, you need to go back over your history. The Republicans won big in the 1994 mid-term election. Slick Willie and the MSM managed to fool too many people with the total lie that the Republicans caused the gov't shutdown in 1995. Now the MSM will try the same thing.
@Colby- Never be ashamed of the proud Muenster name. When the Jarlsbergs came to Ellis Island, proudly, legally, and aromatically, there was pressure applied to change to a more "Americanized" name. But great-grandfather Roquefort Jarlsberg would have none of it!
Although after moving to the American west, he named his first male child "Monterrey Jack" Jarlsberg to prove that he embraced the concept of America's melting pot. Even if, in our case, it was more of a fondue pot.
@moronpolitics- Immaturity is, indeed, at the heart of many of Mr. Obama's problems. And I can't help but agree that it would be very instructive for him to do real work, face real challenges, pay real bills, and otherwise pull his head out of his...uh...ivory tower in order to see what this country truly is, what we really need, and how tragically far he is from being the savior he believes himself to be.
@graylady- Funny you mention the body language. Just yesterday I had a friend telling me that he gets pissed off just watching the jaunty little swagger Mr. Obama uses when approaching his lecturn (and teleprompters).
It's not how little those "800000" federal employees do but rather that what they do is most likely akin to driving your car with the parking brake on. Just unneeded friction...
@JustaJeepGuy - you are correct ... that's what I get for working from memory ... I keep forgetting that you have to have one to work from! Never been good with dates, but it was still anti-climatic (none of the doom and gloom the left was spouting - at least from my perspective).
I want to know howcome they'll stop paying the military but they'll keep sending welfare checks. Don't they all come out of the same account?
PS: And I agree, I cannot STAND Obama's body language...his swagger, his sneer, the way he tips his nose up as he speaks down to all of us "underlings". GRR.
@anonymous (9:49am) :why worry about who gets paid "according to the Constitution"? as I recall, the Constitution MANDATES that the Congress present a budget EVERY YEAR. apparently, Reid & Pelossi didn't read that far! besides, this entire administration seems to think that the Constitution is to be used to wipe their shoes.
I think every member of the House, Senate & Admin should pay back every cent of pay they've rec'd since 10-1-10. I'm generally against new laws, but, how's this?
If you can't do your job & pass a budget - YOU don't get paid.
Further more, I would love for the Govt to shut-down for about a month (except - the military & their support agencies) Look at it this way...if there is noone in the Treasury Dept to accept our tax $$, then, we could keep the money from our paychecks. I'd love it. And not to mention, the $$ we would save not funding the bloated govt for a month (it could be Billions)
@Readers- The GOP house members passed a bill which would keep the military funded for the rest of the fiscal year, and broke it out to be separate from all of the other issues. And Obama declared that he would veto it.
Why? So that Republicans can be blamed when the soldiers who Obama ordered into yet another war don't get their paychecks.
He's using our service people as political pawns in a way that infuriates me. We got a clear glimpse of the disdain he has for the troops when he did his "shout out" to Chief Running Gag (or whatever the guy's name was) before saying "Oh yeah, I guess a member of the beautiful religion of peace shot up a lot of people at Fort Hood today."
What a dreadful excuse for a man.
@Chuck, you're absolutely right about the memory. If you have one to spare, could you send it my way? I have some eggs I burned the other day.......
@ George / Alvin, TX
You are absolutely correct! It does. I was 'parroting' what the Congress Critters and Senators said to members of the MSM, when asked "if they would get paid if the government shut down?" Saying it was "out of thier hands" as "the Constitution mandates" it. We all KNOW they pick and choose what parts of the laws, including the Constitution they choose to follow and use for thier own benefit!
Our job, "should we choose to accept it" (old movie line) is to boot them all out on thier collective butts, regardless of party affiliation (ex. the now "polluted by the DC political machine" - 'Let's Make A Deal' Scott Brown)... and get the laws they have destroyed this great country with - REMOVED! FAST!
Then start over, with elected representatives that are not "locked in for life" on job, pay and benefits, as it was originally intended by the Founding Fathers.
THEN raise the military pay, and use them as needed, and trained, to start taking back the honor, strength and PRIDE America once had. We used to negotiate with despots by FIRST placing a strong American boot on thier necks - and then telling them how it was going to be! OUR forefathers made this country great ... I am sick and tired of us kowtowing to every tin horn dictator with a barrel or two of oil!
Radical thoughts? Yes they are. But you don't fight fire with a measly stream of luke warm (body temperature) water! You start a backfire in many instances, let it burn up what is in between and then go on to rebuild and plant new vegetation! We will NEVER WIN, until we start playing from the same rule book those that despise us use. They refuse to play by ours, so we must play by thiers!
Or we could always just fold up our tents and learn arabic, and bow to Mecca 5 times a day.
THIS American will never do that!
Off my soapbox now ... have a good evening!
Doc
Hey, how about a break for poor li'l Scott Brown - he was elected because he said he'd vote against O'Care, and he did. Other than that, he's still a Masshole Senator - what's the surprise?
I would hope after we replace the congress with CPACs then we not enforce term limits until we clean house completely and get back to governing with the Constitution including fixing the Supreme Court and getting out of the U.N.
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