Unfortunately, a 17-Percent Shutdown Might Well Elude Us

   Another opportunity is going to pass us by, I suspect. We have a chance to shut down about 17 percent of our government, but I suspect we are going to pass it by.
   I haven't seen any polls, but it seems obvious Americans are overwhelmingly against the shutdown of a portion of our government. Part of it, might be the spin. It is referred to as a government shutdown, period -- as if the whole government comes to a grinding halt.That is misleading. Last time, only about 17 percent was put on hold.
   Another thing, I suspect some of money that wasn't spent during the shutdown last time, was spent, anyway, once the government reopened. I say that because we were continually told that the shutdown cost us big bucks. Now, if government was really not being financed during the shutdown, there should be a savings, not a loss. I find it clever salesmanship if it is true that they went ahead and after-the-fact paid for things that weren't even being done, then incited the public to indignity that the whole thing unavoidably cost us a lot of money.
   Fiscal fiasco, then, I just wonder: Was it a fiscal fiasco because they made it that way? They arranged, that if they were going to shut down, they would make sure it didn't come at a savings? Clever salesmanship, indeed. And, we fell for it.
   We have an $18 trillion debt. Sooner or later, we should realize we have to scale back our government. When a chance comes to cut it back 17 percent, we should take it. Of course, it will only last a couple weeks, perhaps, but take what opportunity there is, run with it, and push to get a little bit of it to stick.
   Oh, and correct the mistakes made last time. One, was shutting down the national parks. Inasmuch as visitations to the parks brings tourist dollars to restaurants and gas stations and hotels near the parks, leave the parks open.
   But, don't spend a dime on them. Let local law enforcement officers step in to man the national parks.
   And, the people whose jobs are on the line? What about them? Do we simply let them go unemployed a couple weeks without any reimbursement? They have mortgages to pay, the same as the rest of us. Do we say, "Tough luck, buddy. Suck it up"?
   I wonder if we could place them in jobs. I would even like to think there are companies that would step in to employ them simply to be doing a service.
   We need to cut the size of our government. No, it isn't an easy thing. And, if the overwhelming majority of Americans find it horrendously unpalatable that we cut the size of our government by 17 percent for just a couple weeks, what hope have we?
   What hope do we ever have?
   We are addicted to our government. We complain and complain about our national debt, but when it comes time to make just a little inroad against it, then we shout and shout so loud, that I cannot help but wonder if we shouldn't be truer to the notion that something has to be done about the national debt.