Let me first start by saying thank you to Congress for HR 3210, The Pay the Military Act. It was a piece of legislation long overdue and we are grateful. But, honestly. That is where my personal gratitude stops. Ya'll should have passed this years ago.
This... this shutdown. This collective goat rope. It is just a mess. A huge, viral, toxic, hot mess. And, I don't care if you're a right wing or left wing Congressman, it's partially YOUR fault. Why? Because frankly it is YOUR job to protect Americans from this garbage. It is YOUR job to get along with the other side, no matter how violent your disagreements. It is YOUR job to make it work for all of us, or at least the majority of us.
I don't care what your problems are, I don't care if you don't like Reid or Boehner, or Pelosi. I'm just not interested in who likes or doesn't like who. I don't care whether or not you believe in God. I don't care if you are gay, straight, bi or undecided.
Why? Because NONE of it makes any difference if you can't do YOUR job. Military are required to do their jobs -- pay, or no pay. And, if you can't do your job, I think you should be removed from office. No fanfare. Just pack your sack and go home. Home... where you JUST were when our nation was facing a potential conflict with Syria, a fiscal crisis (again) and a government shutdown (again X4). We (every day folks) were all glued to the TV. Waiting for action, watching as our sister nation The United Kingdom, recalled Parliament to vote on the Syrian matter. Where was our Congress? In recess.
In my mind, I actually visualized you AT the playground fighting over the slides and swings... arguing over whose turn it was. Because it seemed so, I don't know... JV? JV that you couldn't get off your collective rear end to ENGAGE with the crisis' facing America. It seemed none of you cared. You're too busy pointing fingers at each other to care about the people who are REALLY getting hurt here.
On top of sequestration, rounds one AND two, the military is hit with the added whammy of forced reductions, losing benefits, added stress on families with special needs, increases in suicides and PTSD, backlogs in VA claims. In the wake of announcing yet another wave of troops in Afghanistan, many are left confused since these wars are clearly NOT over. More importantly, our fellow Americans are left here stateside with reduced protection, and emergency and humanitarian aid, as our Guard and Reserves and Coast Guard are further gutted and less funded. What will we do if another Katrina hits? Or another Oklahoma Tornado touches down? Or another Boston Marathon needing our Guard happens? Will aid be delayed? Will there be anyone to help? Are we left vulnerable, a consequence of the inaction of our nation's leaders and their inability to make sound national defense choices?
As if we haven't been through enough. As if we could handle yet another let down of our great elected leaders NOT doing what we sent you to our nation's capital TO DO! As if this nation needs more division. And, in case there is ANY doubt whatsoever, we elected you. WE are the ones who put you...these now-seemingly JV linemen, in office to represent us, to act FOR us, to watch out for our national interests. But, at EVERY single turn, you fail us. This is not a Republican shutdown. This is a Congressional shutdown. This is the result of YEARS of continued failure to simply make things work for this nation. The shutdown was simply the latest consequence, but this was years in the making.
Do you realize how you all look the rest of the nation? To the rest of the world? This is not entirely Obama's fault. This is YOUR bag of rocks. EACH of you. I don't care if your cape says "R" or your cape says "D", each of you is to blame.
See, out here in the real world, if we don't perform at our jobs... if we don't do well in our annual reviews, we get fired. Demoted, reduced pay, counseled. And, there is a record of it. Which means, we can't go on to sidestep our horrible track records of inability and move on to bigger and better things. It doesn't happen out here in the real world because out here we are held accountable for what we do. And, what we do NOT do.
I'm not sure how all of Congress has skated by with not performing, not doing their jobs and still managing to get paid. In fact, you still get pay RAISES while the rest of us have had to agree to NO raise, or even in some cases, a reduction in pay just to keep our jobs.
None of this makes any sense to anyone. I'm so sick of the squabbling and spill over from a year-old election, I want to scream. Scream so loud everyone in DC hears me. Because you know WHO is suffering? It's not the Congressman making $174,000/year.
It's everyone ELSE. So, while I started off with a note of gratitude, I shall end with this: Congress needs to get their act together. EACH was sent there FOR each of us. EACH is expected to play with others. EACH is expected to listen politely and find common ground. EACH is expected to participate in class.
So, basically, they are expected to just act like your run o' the mill Kindergarteners.
It most certainly would be a vast improvement.