Friday, October 2, 2015

Excuse Me While I Mop the Barn

by Pa Rock
Farmer 

The Republicans played "kick the can further down the road" earlier this week with the next impending budget crisis.  Some of their party zealots wanted to shut down the government immediately rather than fund a well-respected women's health organization - while others preferred to wait and let the next Speaker of the House, presumably Kevin McCarthy of California, try to straighten out the mess.  Ultimately they went for a short-term fix that would keep the government operational until December.

Or so they thought.

Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew announced today that our government is likely to run out of funds on or about November 5th, a full month earlier than expected.   Orange John Boehner will give up the speakership and stagger out of the Capitol for good on October 31st, leaving McCarthy less than a week before things start to get crazier than usual.  That would be a problem even in the new Speaker wanted to avert the crisis - which he may not.

But, hope springs eternal.

Today, the President's press secretary, Josh Earnest, who is obviously a son of the soil,  was quoted in a New York Times article by Michael D. Shear and David M. Herzenhorn as he waxed hopeful that the Republican Party might step up to the plate and behave in a responsible manner - for a change - and get the situation resolved on John Boehner's watch:

Citing Mr. Boehner’s recent comment that he is interested in “cleaning out the barn” before he leaves, Mr. Earnest said Thursday that if Mr. Boehner wants to work in a bipartisan fashion, “he’ll find partners at the White House willing to pick up their mops.”
Oh Joshie, please tell me that  you've never actually lived or worked on a farm!

I doubt that a barn even exists in the District of Columbia, but if one does, I guess that it could have a cement (or a tiled) floor - or even shag carpeting.  Politicians can get very creative when they are spending our money!

Small wonder the government is always perched on the precipice of bankruptcy.

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