Unnecessary shutdowns

[gunslnger.livejournal.com]

The federal government is shutting down a lot of things that are either don't need to be shut down (because they cost no money to operate) or actually cost more to shut down than they do to keep operating. These include both national parks and government agency websites.

http://www.ijreview.com/2013/10/84362-13-national-parks-impacted-government-shutdown/
http://reason.com/blog/2013/10/02/government-will-shut-down-websites-even

We're at the point where the government is just being petty and working on zooming well past that point.

For those who think it's justified because the Republicans won't budge on Obamacare, that just doesn't fit the facts.



As a libertarian, I'm fine with permanently cutting 800,000 federal workers and I think it's nice that they've identified the agencies we can do without, but I'd rather it happen with at least the standard 2-week warning for people. Pretty much all politicians in office right now are acting like children, but that's what happens when the electorate is also.

Comments

[cheezyfish.livejournal.com]

Ummm, a sidewalk? Maybe a decade or three.

[geezer-also.livejournal.com]

Dude, you are just not taking sidewalks seriously enough.

[cheezyfish.livejournal.com]

I know... what if like, a root grew and cracked it and there was no employees there to put a orange cone on it. Shut that shit down before it's to late.

[luzribeiro.livejournal.com]

Butterfly effect, man. Butterfly effect. A root protrudes through the cracked pavement; some guy trips over it; guy falls on the street; driver speeding up sees guy and hits the brakes; truck behind that driver hits the car at 50 mph; guy in first car goes to hospital for a month; he was on his way to an important meeting where he'd sign some contracts with the municipality that would've created 1000 jobs; 1000 people end up unemployed in a town of 5000 where unemployment is 50%; two of them end up as hobos on the street, another two have their marriages ruined and another one kills himself. Etc etc.

Ughh, I've been watching too much teevee!

[paft.livejournal.com]

ch: I know... what if like, a root grew and cracked it and there was no employees there to put a orange cone on it. Shut that shit down before it's to late.

Yeah, I see what you mean. It's not like the whole point of a sidewalk is to offer people a safe place to walk.

Look, I realize that little bump and crack a root causes in a pavement doesn't seem like much to you, but if you have elderly relatives and neighbors who have mobility issues, and for whom a bad fall can be a life or death matter, you'd be amazed how aware you become of those "insignificant" bumps.

They also become a lot less insignificant if you're attempting to navigate in a wheelchair.

[cheezyfish.livejournal.com]

Holy crap paft? You being serious? Never mind that a root damaging a sidewalk in a matter of a week or month is a unlikely event, it wouldn't even be fixed if there was no shutdown. Crap, the sidewalks here in Chicago aren't even cleared when it snows around many of the federal buildings. I've complained about it numerous times. But we are to believe that barricading a park because a root might crack a sidewalk is common sense?

[paft.livejournal.com]

ch: Holy crap paft? You being serious?

The more you emote, the less you convince.