Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Still Furloughed...and Panicking

Well, it's me again. And yes, my dear hubby is still furloughed. And we're both still frustrated. I would like to say that we're making great use of this time taking a vacation, enjoying time off but that's the complete opposite of what we're doing. See, we don't have the money for that.

We have made some progress on some house projects (we were just in the middle of moving a few rooms around). But it's slow going. We've been working on getting caught up on laundry, which is always behind in this house. The kitchen looks nice. The real problem is this big black cloud looming over our heads, and I don't just mean the rainy, pacific northwest weather.

You see, all I've heard since the furlough is one thing. More arguing. There's a whole lot more blame going on now than there was before the shut down. This is seriously disappointing. I know everyone has their own political opinion and I'm not writing this to voice mine. Though I definitely have one. I am writing to voice my opinion on the effects this arguing has on the general public. Those that aren't deemed "essential". The one's that don't really seem to matter.

I am seriously disappointed in the President of the United States of America. He is supposed to be our Commander in Chief. Lead the people. Show everyone in this country, and the world, how Americans behave when faced with challenges. What has he shown? He has stood up in front of the country, and world, and said that this didn't have to happen. That it only happened because of one part of a political faction, in one part of the government...blah blah blah. Do you know what I hear? "It's not my fault! (waa waa waa)." When my children respond with this behavior and keep blaming one another, I make them stop the blame game and figure out a way to make each other happy. Let's try that in our government!

Let me be clear. I don't care what political party the President is a part of. I don't care what political party caused the shut down. I don't really believe it was one party, I think it was a combination of stubbornness, pride, and the next political election. What I care about is this:

How am I going to take care of my family?

So while the President, Democrats, and the Republican parties yell at each other and argue over who caused what, I worry about the longevity of this situation. I am in panic mode. And so is my husband. (And for anyone wondering, I do understand that the President is a Democrat, but as the President he's supposed to be able to rise above his political party, right? Is he doing that?)

My husband has asked the question that many Americans in this situation are asking. The one's living paycheck to paycheck only now they don't expect a paycheck, "When do I just go get another job?" Yeah...cause that's so simple in today's market.

It doesn't matter that I work from home pulling in a meager amount. That just supports what my husband brings home. What he's not bringing home now. So while politicians in DC are making exceptions for numerous parts of the government to go back to work, my husband won't be one of them. We don't live in DC, he's not part of NASA, he doesn't work for the National Parks. He has a job, an important job, but it's not on the list of exceptions. So...we'll be left in the dust with the rest of those that don't fall under those particular categories. Why doesn't our paycheck matter?

And seriously, it doesn't make me feel any better that many politicians are "donating their funds in solidarity". First off, if you have the money to donate this chunk of change to charity, or back to the US Government (yeah, I'm going to want to see the cancelled check on that one!), then you aren't feeling the hurt like the rest of us. And by the way, that's a tax write off. Well played.

You know what I'm thinking about? I really wish I'd stocked up on meat when I'd had the chance. Is it possible to feed my family one chicken breast for two meals and still satisfy their hunger?

What's your concern?

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