Amid Government Shutdown, Republican help for Constituents, namely Veterans and Parks, fails
The House of Representatives, having their bluff called on shutting down the government, scrambled today to fund some Federal programs. Funds were voted for Veterans Affairs, National Parks, and Washington, DC. Media outlets commented on the rationale, as these are very visible symbols of programs most people like. And who could fault them for trying to help the parks, the vets, and the capitol? A sure way to embarrass Democrats who refuse to fund them.
But there was more to it. First consider the National Parks. You will find few folk who are greater fans of our National Parks than me and my wife. I've spent time in over 20 National Parks and hope to visit most of them before I die. But consider where many are, particularly those which produce much income for their surrounding areas. Grand Canyon NP? Arizona. Yellowstone NP? Wyoming. Zion, Bryce, Canyonlands NP? Utah. Glacier NP? Montana. Yosemite NP? Rural California. Smokey Mountains NP? Tennessee. These areas are very conservative Republican districts, with much of the population dependent on business from the parks, either as park employees or local business employees. Park officials estimate local communities could lose millions of dollars every day the parks are closed. Yes the summer season is over, but for some the cool weather of September and October draws more visitors than the heat of summer. The people in these areas were all for sequestration until it delayed the opening dates of parks last spring.
As the son of a disabled military veteran, I appreciate the work of the Veterans Affairs Department. My father's disability payments after WWII helped his family survive after the war and helped send my brother and me to college. As the volunteer military has replaced the broad reach of selective service, those joining and retiring from the military and receiving benefits tend to be conservative, Republican voters. Perhaps many were cheering on the conservatives in Congress, until their benefits and services, already a disgrace in recent years, were tightened by the shutdown.
Though DC is well known for the number of lawyers in town, it is also crawling with journalists, writing stories, taking pictures, recording video. Though the city intends to keep services running via emergency funds (I hope they don't use it all up and then have record snow falls this winter), the impasse between the House, Senate, and President seems so entrenched that the shutdown could drag on for a long time. Friends have told me their furloughs this week were through Friday. The expectation is this could last a long time, until someone is shamed into giving in, and, well, the Republicans have one of the three pieces on the game board and the Democrats have two. So the media would be full of images of trash in streets, people losing jobs, health care facilities shut down, all in the nation's capitol. Not an inspiring sight.
So, the Republicans in Congress are a little worried. Their bluff was called, and it could affect their re-election in even solid Republican districts. Primaries are the main contests in those districts, and people angered by lost of income, opportunities, and services may be quite willing to bounce an incumbent who got drunk while shutting down the government. So they're trying to take care of their constituencies, while the rest of the country can be damned. It wasn't to shame the Democrats. It was to give them an excuse that they cared when trying to convince people to vote for them, the same people they apparently forgot when they happily shut down the government. It seems that they will not be successful as it didn't even get enough votes to leave the House. It is interesting they didn't want to provide services to the poor that were turned off with the shutdown.
But there was more to it. First consider the National Parks. You will find few folk who are greater fans of our National Parks than me and my wife. I've spent time in over 20 National Parks and hope to visit most of them before I die. But consider where many are, particularly those which produce much income for their surrounding areas. Grand Canyon NP? Arizona. Yellowstone NP? Wyoming. Zion, Bryce, Canyonlands NP? Utah. Glacier NP? Montana. Yosemite NP? Rural California. Smokey Mountains NP? Tennessee. These areas are very conservative Republican districts, with much of the population dependent on business from the parks, either as park employees or local business employees. Park officials estimate local communities could lose millions of dollars every day the parks are closed. Yes the summer season is over, but for some the cool weather of September and October draws more visitors than the heat of summer. The people in these areas were all for sequestration until it delayed the opening dates of parks last spring.
As the son of a disabled military veteran, I appreciate the work of the Veterans Affairs Department. My father's disability payments after WWII helped his family survive after the war and helped send my brother and me to college. As the volunteer military has replaced the broad reach of selective service, those joining and retiring from the military and receiving benefits tend to be conservative, Republican voters. Perhaps many were cheering on the conservatives in Congress, until their benefits and services, already a disgrace in recent years, were tightened by the shutdown.
Though DC is well known for the number of lawyers in town, it is also crawling with journalists, writing stories, taking pictures, recording video. Though the city intends to keep services running via emergency funds (I hope they don't use it all up and then have record snow falls this winter), the impasse between the House, Senate, and President seems so entrenched that the shutdown could drag on for a long time. Friends have told me their furloughs this week were through Friday. The expectation is this could last a long time, until someone is shamed into giving in, and, well, the Republicans have one of the three pieces on the game board and the Democrats have two. So the media would be full of images of trash in streets, people losing jobs, health care facilities shut down, all in the nation's capitol. Not an inspiring sight.
So, the Republicans in Congress are a little worried. Their bluff was called, and it could affect their re-election in even solid Republican districts. Primaries are the main contests in those districts, and people angered by lost of income, opportunities, and services may be quite willing to bounce an incumbent who got drunk while shutting down the government. So they're trying to take care of their constituencies, while the rest of the country can be damned. It wasn't to shame the Democrats. It was to give them an excuse that they cared when trying to convince people to vote for them, the same people they apparently forgot when they happily shut down the government. It seems that they will not be successful as it didn't even get enough votes to leave the House. It is interesting they didn't want to provide services to the poor that were turned off with the shutdown.
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