What is it they say? The first step to overcoming a problem is to admit you have a problem.
Well, I have a problem. I can’t look away. I am obsessed with everything to do with the government shutdown in an almost train-wreck-fascination sort of way.
I can’t get enough of headlines like:
- Anarchy is looking better all the time
- Top 10 Things Ted Cruz did to the NSA that Edward Snowden couldn’t
- 5 Things to know about the shutdown today (yesterday it was the top 12 things)
- Good News/Bad News of the Shutdown
- Government Shutdown: Is Congress Acting Selfishly
- Couple Stalled By Shutdown Wed on Colbert Report
- White House on Government Shutdown: ‘We Are Winning’
- Why the GOP Believes They Are WInning the Shutdown Battle
And then, in today’s paper I read the headline from Utah:
Utah governor blames Obama’s lack of leadership for shutdown
Turns out our own Governor Herbert has had the solution all along. If President Obama was any kind of leader, he would have known that the only thing he really needed to do was to order a bunch of sandwiches, lock everyone in a room together, and make them get along.
Can you see the ridiculousness of this statement? I certainly can.
First of all, Governor Herbert leads a state that is essentially owned and operated by a single party that doesn’t care what the other party thinks or wants. And you know what, they don’t have to because when you have a super-majority, you get to do what you want. If Governor Herbert locked the legislature in a room together they’d throw a party. There would be funeral potatoes, and jello, and brownies, and they’d all sit in a circle and sing kumbaya.
Well, Governor Herbert, the situation we find ourselves in nationally is just a bit more complex. Our four–no, make that six representatives are not only part of the problem, our own Senator Lee is one of the leaders of the obstructionists that have brought this nation to its knees.
I could go into all the reasons why we’re where we are–Citizens United, the Tea Party extremists, no term limits, insufficient campaign finance laws, John Boehner’s tan, etc.–but for the time being we are stuck with what we have: A bunch of men who are stomping their feet and acting like petulant children.
So, I’m going to turn off the news, I’m going to step away from CNN, Fox, Al Jazeera, Huffington Post, and all the other “news” outlets that are consuming my day and I’m going to call every single one of our Utah delegation and I’m going to tell them all the following:
Stop. Stop obstructing, posturing and pouting, and do your job. Set aside the partisan rhetoric and gamesmanship and vote for a clean Continuing Resolution that will get this country back on track. Then commit to me and every other Utahn that you will sit down with your counterparts, that you will HONESTLY work towards a realistic and reasonable budget, that you will not waste your time and my money fighting to defund the ACA. And that you will ignore the moneyed influence of your corporate donors and actually concentrate on what is good for the country and good for Utahns, even if it doesn’t advance your divisive political agenda.
You should call them too:
- Orrin Hatch (202) 224-5251
- Mike Lee (202) 224-5444
- Rob Bishop (202) 225-0453
- Chris Stewart (202) 225-9730
- Jason Chaffetz (202) 225-7751
- Jim Matheson (202) 225-3011
Will it do any good? Probably not, but I’ll feel better for saying it and who knows what tomorrow will bring. Maybe Ted Cruz will be on Jerry Springer.
