The 2013 Government Shutdown:

Modern Day Fort Sumter?

The good news is that some level of sanity has temporarily returned and the U.S. Government is finally back open for business… The bad news is that our economy was once again wounded by bullets fired from Tea Party sharpshooters that came within inches of the heart of U.S. and world markets that would have brought much more devastating financial injury had they been successful in refusing to raise the debt ceiling. The would-be assassins claimed they were aiming at ObamaCare but this law was well protected and never in any real danger so the damage done was entirely collateral as in a drive-by shooting. Financial experts and political pundits are still assessing the negative consequences: estimates as high as $24 billion in lost revenue, potential downgrades to our credit rating, and the loss of confidence in the U.S. government’s ability to conduct business in a rationale manner.

In More than Name Only

Come Senators, Congressmen,

Please heed the call,

Don’t stand in the doorway,

Don’t block up the hall*…

I understand that Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid represents a small, mostly rural state that is traditionally pro-gun and typically leery of any type of legislation that can impinge on “the right to bear arms.” However, I was shocked and disappointed to read of his objections to Sen. Feinstein’s bill to greatly reduce availability of assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines. In doing so, he may be attempting to please a small number of constituents in his home state but is

Tale of Two Countries

We spent several days visiting friends in Burlington, VT – the fourth state in the nation to legalize same-sex marriage, a state where it’s common for employers to pay their workers for taking time off to help others in their community less fortunate, a state where billboard signs are illegal because they mar the view of the landscape, a state where one of their senators is a socialist and the other is a liberal Democrat. It is a living example of the potential for progressive government.