This morning as I was on my way to work - thinking about the possible (likely?) federal government shutdown and the ripples that will have across the economy, I had an epiphany.
The current Republican Party seems convinced that Obamacare will fail - is actually already dead-in-the-water. They have repeatedly voted to repeal it - and their efforts have been thwarted by the Democratic Party.
Here's a thought -- Let Obamacare - or specifically, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act - stand and take effect. Then sit back and watch it fail - as the GOP is convinced it will. There would be no question that the GOP were eminent sages with great foresight. They are clearly on record in their condemnation of that law. That would be the best campaign strategy for 2014 than anything else could be! The American people would flock to the GOP and rally to their support and weep with shame for their foolishness in supporting the President who signed Obamacare into law.
See! We told you! The Democratic President and Democratic Congress implemented Obamacare and it failed! It ruined healthcare in the US! Now, in 2014 - the only sensible thing to do is to elect a majority of Republicans in Congress so we can repeal this disaster and set the country on a course for true economic recovery!
Of course, I think the fear behind the bluster of the GOP is that the Affordable Care Act will succeed and they are frightened that they will look ridiculous because of all the time and energy they have wasted in fighting it.
Some might claim that this would be wreckless of the GOP stewardship of the Constitution. They would be risking our government over politics if they let such an appalling law actually take effect. But isn't that what they are doing with their grandstanding now?
And, while we are on the subject of a possible government shutdown, here's something I wrote over two years ago when Congress was threatening a shutdown.
Shut down the government - April 5, 2011
Yes - please, shut down the federal government.
Whenever Congress cannot find a way to resolve the federal budget they threaten to shut it down. But the only people who are ever hurt by this are the federal employees who may face a delay getting paid and face a backlog of work when they get back to work. Oh - federal contractors get hit as well - and some of them may not get paid if there is a shutdown.
But the general population gets a false sense that the government shuts down but their lives are not affected - so we must not need the big government.
So I say shut down the government for real for a week or so.
Close the National Parks and monuments.
Send the air-traffic controllers and TSA staff home.
Stop the research on cancer and other cures at NIH and the Centers for Disease Control.
Let produce rot on board ships because there are no USDA agents to check them.
Let grandma miss a Social Security check or two.
Let the FBI and CIA turn off their watch on terrorist activity.
Close the VA Hospitals across the country.
Turn off the satellites that monitor weather patterns.
End those loans to small businesses.
Don't process income tax returns or issue refund checks.
Let the military personnel cool their heels in sunny Afghanistan, Iraq and half a dozen other places.
Shut down the TVA and cut off the water supply in a few states.
But they never do that. So - the only people a government shutdown ends up hurting are executive branch civilian employees and contractors and their families. Congress has a separate budget as do the US Courts.
Honestly - I don't mean to suggest that there are no ways for the government to save money but we're punishing the workers who are only doing what Congress has mandated us to do - provide the services, rules and regulations that Congress has enacted.
Who's with me?
