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A bit of sarcasm
By Susan Olling
Be warned, this writer is a firm believer in the use of sarcasm on
occasion. If sarcasm isn’t your cup of tea, you don’t have to
continue reading.
Thirty-six hours before the end of the federal government’s fiscal
year, the POTUS signed a continuing resolution (CR) from the gang in
the big, domed building. What does this mean? Your federal
government will be open on 01 Oct. Shutdown averted. For
now. Why do the 535 in the big, domed building on the hill cut
things so close with funding deadlines? Can’t read a
calendar? Lose track of time? Perhaps they like playing
with peoples’ lives? Those would be all the federal employees who folks
outside the Beltway seem to like to malign. In any case, this
end-of-fiscal-year game has become an unfortunate, annual ritual.
The TWT (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) Club, so coined by a local
observer of the federal scene, will get to do another funding exercise
again in December. No doubt, it will be yet another
CR. By the way, TWT are the days the people you’ve elected
to “work” in the big, domed building on the hill are present in that
structure. Be still my beating heart, they were working this past
Monday.
The federal government’s been operating on CRs for years. Yearly
budgets used to be a no-brainer. What changed? Who
knows? I’m not certain any of the 535 elected ones could answer
that question.
If you’re interested in, or care why, government shutdown threats can
create an increase in stomach acid, you might want to read this
insightful commentary:
http://federalnewsradio.com/federal-report/2016/09/shutdown-jitters-again/.
Another local observer of the federal scene provided these timely
comments:http://federalnewsradio.com/tom-temin-commentary/2016/09/shutdown-returns-playlist/.
Our little subway system has been undergoing yet another massive repair
project that’s caused headaches for anyone who uses it.
Service disruptions have become commonplace. Ridership has declined.
I’ve avoided it like the plague. When the latest Smithsonian
Institution museum opened last weekend, a track fire caused
suspension of train service for a time on the three lines that move
under the National Mall. The system closes at midnight every
night so that more work can get done. However, these midnight
closures might cause problems for fans of the local MLB team.
This bunch seems to be in the playoffs and could be playing night
games. Yawn, yawn. The subway should be open later for all
of those baseball fans, some say. There won’t be any track work
done during the inauguration and during the weed fest, so this little
baseball tournament should be an exception, too. My question: if
the powers that be at our little subway system have already decreed
that there will be no early opening on the Sunday of an annual marathon
that draws thousands, why keep the trains running late for a baseball
tournament? A D.C. government official said that all eyes
will be on D.C.’s baseball team. I know two eyes that won’t be.
The quarterback for whom the local NFL franchise mortgaged so much went
to play along Lake Erie. The fans of the local NFL
franchise were looking forward to his return on 03 Oct. I
was quite amused to hear that there were fans who wanted the departed
quarterback to be recognized. News flash folks, he no longer
plays for Mr. Snyder’s bunch. There’s a new quarterback in
town. Move on.
Finally, the further adventures of the Washington Monument
elevator. The structure was repaired after the 2011 earthquake,
but there were no elevator repairs. Problems with the elevator
worsened this summer. There were a few times when tourists had to
walk down all those steps when the elevator stopped working. The
obelisk was closed in August after three elevator incidents in one
week and was supposed to reopen on 13 Sep. On Monday past,
with the obelisk still closed, it was announced that the monument will
be closed indefinitely. No one can figure out what’s causing the
elevator problems, but they apparently don’t believe the earthquake was
the cause. Closing this thing makes sense to me. This
machine operates 364 days per year and is not regularly
maintained. (Does anyone own a vehicle they don’t
maintain?) It should be closed until it’s fixed or repaired
properly. Then put it on a regular maintenance schedule. However,
the closure announcement brought the displeasure of a government
official. Tourists’ visits won’t be complete without going into
the monument. Wait just a minute. Did I miss
something? What’s more important, a picture or a safe
visit? Knowing that there are problems with the elevator,
do you really want to be in the monument waiting to take the elevator
down, or in the elevator going in either direction, and the elevator
becomes cranky? There are plenty of other places for
tourists to take pictures to remind them of their D.C. trips. For
those who must do that O-H-I-O thing, the monument can be the I.
Oh wait, that’s already been done. Too many times.
Only in America.
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