Expensive Psychodrama On Capitol Hill

     Dear Members of the United States Senate,   
     For crying out loud, don't shut down the darned government again!
     Senators, if you're doing this high-noon budget drama just to impress your donors and your base, please know that we are not impressed and we're getting sick unto death of all the psychotheatrics rolling down from Capitol Hill. 
      At least I am.
      Not that that sort of thing is going to end any time soon as long as this guy's emoting around the White House between trips to Mar-a-Lago.

     And speaking of the budget, I don't appreciate the millions in tax payer money that was spent keeping Melania living in style in her Trump Tower penthouse for half a year,

...or the millions that continue to be spent so that Donald Trump can spend  time luxuriating in the fabulously comfortable digs of his palace by the sea,

...and golfing.

...instead of staying in the White House taking care of the People's business.
     Anyway, what I meant to say  - before I digressed  - was that even though President (and I choke on that word) Donald Trump's non-stop theatrics aren't going to end, ever, Congress doesn't have to put in their two-cents' worth, which is what they're doing with this budget/shut down circus.
     And I don't only say this because I have skin in the game - or had skin in the game back when my hubby Tom, here with us all back in the day,

...worked for the Federal Government.
     I recall that first government shut-down, orchestrated by Republican Speaker Newt Gingrich in an effort to stick it to Bill Clinton, when Tom was furloughed for work and we were so nervous about how long he'd be off work and whether he'd be paid.  We had beaucoup mouths to feed back then, not mention a passel of expensive music lessons to pay for.
     But after four-and-a-half days Tom was called back to work and was paid for the days he had off and we wished we'd known he was going to get paid for the furlough, as he could have enjoyed it as a paid mini-vacation.
     My point being that the government shut down will simply inconvenience millions of people - except maybe government contractors, who will lose income that won't be made up and people who planned vacations to national parks, which will be closed during the shut-down - and will cost several billion dollars in start-up costs.
     Not to mention all the national angst and weltschmerz  these sorts of Congressional shenanigans cause the American public. At least me.
     Democrats, it appears that the ball is in your court. The House has passed a temporary budget, good for four weeks and not including a resolution of the DACA issue.
      Democrats, take it. Bend. Give in. True, it's not the budget of your dreams or the dreams of any of us liberals, but it does finally finance the Children's Health Insurance Program for the next six years. And though you and we all balk at having the fate of the Dreamers kicked a few weeks down the road -  and believe me, no one's more concerned about the plight of the Dreamers, now in limbo, than I am - if the budget doesn't get passed and the government shuts down that won't improve their situation any.  Whether you allow the government to shut down or agree to the current budget
deal, DACA won't get settled today. 
      So, Democrats, vote in the budget, keep the government running, save us billions in otherwise wasted tax dollars and the grief. 
       And then go back to bat for the Dreamers tomorrow.     

References:
http://www.newsweek.com/government-shutdown-latest-all-you-need-know-negs-go-limit-785236?utm_source=email&utm_medium=morning_brief&utm_campaign=newsletter&utm_content=read_more&spMailingID=2806757&spUserID=MzQ4OTU5NTk2MzkS1&spJobID=950881208&spReportId=OTUwODgxMjA4S0

http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/19/politics/shutdown-latest/index.html

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