Happy Mid-October!

So here we are in the middle of the month, and for those of us playing along at home this marks the third week of the US government shutdown, and only a few days away from a possible default and possible tanking of the global economy.

I know, I used the word happy to describe this time period, but truth be told, I haven’t found the happy part yet. I’ll let you know as soon as I find it. In the meantime, let’s briefly note some of the milestones of this latest government crisis.

In one recent PS (post shutdown) interview, Senator Ted Cruz was asked if he believed his efforts to defund/delay/repeal Obamacare which led to the shutdown hurt the GOP brand. Cruz, with his ego bulging through the veins in his head, as expected said no, and I have to agree with him. Those of us who have been critical of the Republican Party have long believed that the party does not have the best interests of this country’s poor and downtrodden at heart; look upon the same as hopeless individuals content to mooch off the rest of us and who do not want to improve their lives; and, in more Ebenezer Scrooge type moments, even stoop to holding food back from children who had the audacity to be born to poverty-stricken adults. This, to us, represents the Republican brand, and Ted Cruz’s recent efforts in the Senate only served to reinforce our perception of the Republican Party.

Way to go, Ted! With people like you in the GOP, who needs liberals to bash their image!

The third week brought more protests to the mall in DC (Despicable Congress). Now, war veterans running barricades to view the memorials were joined by photo-op hungry tea partiers denouncing not the shutdown, not the Affordable Care Act, but their main target, the man in the White House! The protestors heard speeches calling for Obama’s impeachment, saw signs calling for the same, and witnessed the Confederate flag being unfurled in front of the White House.

Of course, tea party favorites also showed up to grab the spotlight. Ted Cruz was there standing behind Sarah Palin, who performed her impression of a politician exploiting the war veterans for political points while she condemned politicians who exploit veterans for political points.

If that last sentence doesn’t make sense, then you don’t fully understand the dysfunctional times we are living. Otherwise, Palin’s hypocrisy makes perfect sense.

So where was the man in the White House while all this was going on mere yards from his front door? Barack Obama was making sandwiches at the non-profit kitchen Martha’s Table for the poor and downtrodden. The news photo published of the event showed furloughed government employees working by his side. Compare these two events – the protest on the mall with the President’s photo op - and now we know why the Republican brand is reviled by three out of four Americans today. Today’s polls show that 74% of Americans disapprove the way Republicans have handled the shutdown.

So for now we will enter the second part of the month with this cliff hanger in the halls of Congress. Will they legislate or will they default? Will they govern or grandstand? For now, the uncertainty of their actions isn’t making anyone happy.

Okay, the happy part of the middle of the month is today is my birthday. It’s #54 for those playing along at home. My oldest friend Janey remembered my big day with the card pictured below. The inside description reads: “Your birthday, your fantasy, NOT MY BUSINESS!”

Thank you, Janey for digging up this photo of one of my old girlfriends. No, just kidding! 

(Thank you for reading. My goodness, Janey! Marilyn has definitely seen better days…but haven’t we all?)