By Rita Cook
Correspondent
Texas Metro News
WASHINGTON D.C. – While travelers, including me, could cry about getting stuck away from home due to delayed or cancelled flights compliments of our illustrious politicians who do not know how to do their job, there is a bigger plotline evolving.
For one, it seems those we have sent to DC have forgotten politics is about compromise – not ego and greed.
This past Friday airlines had reduced flights by 10%.
I happened to be flying that day and several TSA agents told me on Monday United and Delta were decreasing flights significantly out of DFW. American Airlines was not taking as hard a hit in Dallas/Fort Worth momentarily they said.
Even so, TSA and Air Traffic Controllers were still stoically reporting to work, because unlike the government hired by “we the people” they were working unpaid with an integrity the people in DC should take note of if they want to keep their jobs.
And, while flying is a minor inconvenience let us talk about SNAP, an issue of even bigger proportion.
U.S. District Judge John McConnell ordered the Trump administration to issue full SNAP benefits for November using a $5 billion contingency fund. Instead, the administration asked the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to block McConnell’s order.
While the Justice Department said, “This is a crisis, to be sure, but it is a crisis occasioned by congressional failure, and that can only be solved by congressional action.,” my question is how long is the blame game going to be allowed before it is seen for what it is, hired “employees” voted in who are failing their constituents.
What is really rich is the nerve Vice President JD Vance had calling McConnell’s ruling “absurd.”
Wasn’t he on SNAP growing up? He of all people should know better.
Instead, he added “What we’d like to do is for the Democrats to open up the government of course, then we can fund SNAP and we can also do a lot of other good things for the American people.”
Hey JD, what we would like to do over here is see you all do your job.
Then we have Speaker of the House Mike Johnson who continues to play the blame game and are we tired of that narrative yet?
Meanwhile, the House continues to be out of session.
What are these guys and dolls getting paid for again? I want to get a paycheck for doing nothing while watching people struggle financially as the holidays approach.
Did you know the house was last in session on Sept. 19?
I bet if they are not flying around in private planes the House and Senate are expecting those at the airport to work for free so they can get where they need to go.
Last week Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., revealed a new blue proposal on the Senate floor to reopen the government. He said this would include a one-year extension of Affordable Care Act tax benefits, a clean stopgap government funding to allow appropriators time to finish full-year spending bills.
He thought it was a reasonable offer.
Apparently, the red team did not like the compromise.
Let us not forget this government shutdown is now, as of this writing, in Day 38, the longest in U.S. history.
While I personally think relying on a government that apparently cares little if their constituents eat or die is an issue that needs to be corrected, that will not happen during a time when people are going hungry and losing their health insurance.
It will be corrected when new politicians (not socialists or communist), who are fair-minded non-greedy Americans are voted into office removing every politician who has failed this county. And remember just because the Republicans have dropped the ball in this quarter of the game, that does make the Democrats any better. This is a bipartisan dysfunction and I hope the American people are paying close attention and will vote accordingly in the next election.
Rita Cook is a world traveler and writer/editor who specializes in writing on travel, auto, crime and politics. A correspondent for Texas Metro News, she has published 11 books and has also produced low-budget films.
