Many people thought that it was too risky, but by George, our man in Washington did it. Unable to get what he so ardently promised to his base, the man-child threw a temper tantrum and shut down Government.
It’s my party and I will sulk if I want to.
If I cannot have my way, I will ruin the shindig for everybody else.
For most Americans government shutdown is slightly inconvenient, proving one more time that the nation would be better off without most of the overpaid, complacent, and gutless congressmen.
But for some, it is a tremendous hardship. The shutdown means that many federal employees are “furloughed”. A nice euphemism for “you won’t get paid for your work”.
According to a new survey from CareerBuilder: “Almost 8 out of 10 American workers say they live paycheck to paycheck to make ends meet.”
This puts a lot of people in a very precarious situation. Not being able to provide for your family is one of the most heartbreaking situations anybody can face. If the government shuts down, then no congressman, including the president, should get paid.
Our president might be under the delusion that he has broad dictatorial powers, but it is not so. An American president is (fortunately) nothing like a Russian czar/president. He cannot dictate, intimidate or liquidate the opposition. A painful realization for somebody who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and used to always get his own way.
There might come a time when our Chief Executive Officer will curse the day when his vanity prompted him to run for the highest office in the land. Like the Sorcerer’s Apprentice he is woefully unqualified for the job.
To his sorrow, in his actual position he is under the constant glare of public scrutiny; as a private citizen, surrounded by a phalanx of lawyers, he could practically do whatever he wanted.
A president is normally surrounded by advisors. A good advisor is somebody who is not afraid to challenge his boss’s views. But obviously, there is an acute shortage of those in the White House.
Governing also means negotiating. Getting part of what you want is always better than not getting anything at all. Any diplomat worth his top hat knows that.
There is no shame for an honorable man to extend an olive branch to the other side but..
“An honorable man is fair even to his enemies; a dishonorable man is unfair even to his friends!” ― Mehmet Murat ildan
Somehow, this saying has a very familiar ring!
Alain