Out of touch.
Simply out of touch.
I’ve done my share of reading about the federal government shutdown of operations approaching, and I wonder if the representatives even in my own districts clearly know the names and circumstances of many of the people they represent.
The government is one of the “factories” for this town. Many of our friends and neighbors go to work each day for agencies such as the Social Security Administration. They have kids in school, some in religious day schools, they are looking at a huge expense in our holiday of Passover.
And here we have many people, who aren’t familiar with the conversations happening in the living rooms and dens and indeed the bedrooms of married couples who are finding it difficult to make ends meet even when they are getting paid.
Yet, this select group of elected officials get to decide whether or not they might even be able to put food on their tables or make the mortgage or rent payment on time.
This isn’t right.
Why do you take the very souls of the people you represent and hold them hostage over issues such Planned Parenthood or funding public television when the budget is about to expire? Why aren’t these issues discussed civilly in the days, weeks and months when there isn’t such a treat?
And if you are talking about them, then why are you talking in this arrogance “above our heads” way.
This is not leadership.
You will all be coming to us in the next elections asking for us to vote for you, to keep you in the conversation, but more importantly to keep you in the world of Capitol Hill instead of the world you came from. Many of you on Capitol Hill aren’t living pay check to pay check. You are economically advantaged. You might not really understand the financial battle a family faces on any day of the week. But come election time, you’ll all of a sudden “represent the common man and woman.” Doubt it. This makes me doubt even more.
And based on what you’ve done in recent weeks, how you’ve behaved on both sides of the aisle, I’m not wondering who it is you aren’t listening to. I know very well.
It’s us, the voters.
Get this budget passed immediately!
Then be brave and work out differences.
If one person goes for one day without pay who is gainfully employed by the federal government, then you should be ashamed to even ask us for our vote, and that goes from the President to the House Speaker to our senators and congressman.
We’ve got people who are living in quiet desperation as it is. Walk a moment in their shoes, and you wouldn’t be dragging your heals on their pay and adding another layer to their financial angst.
Learn well about your constituents. Have them in mind when you make these decisions.

If anything this post shows how out of touch you are with reality .All those govt workers and govt aid recipients will certainly be a lot worse off with a bankrupt govt,which is what the heroic tea party is gallantly trying to prevent .This is inspite of the best efforts of the radical dems and media.Speaking of planned parenthood,what a tragic occurence American Jewry when Chuck Shumer took the lead in threatining a shutdown if the republicans cut of funding from this perverted organization!!

Great post, Phil.  The impending closure, representing the triumph of narrow partisanship and vested interests over reason and compassion, threatens to be hurtful, perhaps even catastrophic, to many in our Jewish and Baltimore communities.  Only the TEA Partiers and their venal and cowardly allies are partying now.