Sedona AZ (October 5, 2013) – The following is a letter to the SedonaEye.com editor in response to articles covering the Federal Government shut down which began October 1, 2013:
Over 30 years ago the United States and the Soviet Union {as well as the World} came face-to-face with the possibility of nuclear annihilation due to risky political and military brinkmanship. So too today the country is now embroiled in yet another risky political, economic and social game of chicken and whistling Dixie; the likes of which bears a strong threat to the survival of our republic as well as what it means to be a government of the people, for the people and by the people.
The issues before the American People are clear; according to the United States Treasury the $16.7 trillion debt ceiling must be raised by October 17, 2013 to avoid a potential default on the U.S. debt. The ramifications of this would be a economic Armageddon for the entire planet. We are already witnessing the effects of this shutdown on our country whether it be through government furloughs all the way to the stoppage of government services not to mention the exponential effect on the private sector. The “sticking point” that appears to be the cause of the impasse between the President, Senate Democrats and House Republicans is the issues surrounding the Affordable Care Act also known as “Obamacare.” I don’t know if this is the first time that a government shutdown was used as leverage to challenge legislation {that is now the law of the land} at the risk of putting the country and the world in serious jeopardy but it certainly seems very foolish to do so.
In retrospect the goal of extending health care to all Americans should have been the result of expanding Medicaid and not this monstrosity of legislation to overhaul many parts of the health care system that simply don’t need fixing. The Affordable Care Act was not presented well from the beginning and should have been passed with bi-partisan agreement not rammed down the throats of the opposition party. Regardless of the pure intentions it should have taken second priority to what has been {and is} really ailing America; unemployment.
Job 1 for the President and Congress beginning on January 1, 2009 should have been developing the means to getting this country moving again by helping to unleash America’s most powerful machine; it’s economy. Bailing out Wall Street and the “banks too big to fail” was one of the dumbest policy decisions made by the President and Congress. The Federal Government should have seized control of these financial institutions {much like the FDIC did with banks that defaulted} and then facilitated the selling off of parts to medium size banks that did not engage in the behaviors that resulted in the “mortgage meltdown.” Too late now.
As for getting people back to work the solution is not as complicated as it may appear to be. We need to bring back a agency similar {but not identical} to the Work Progress Administration {WPA} which should take a two-pronged approach. One is the most obvious; hire people to perform the very services {and more} that the private sector will never engage in simply because it is not profitable to do so.
The second approach is a wee bit more complicated but can be successful by utilizing private-public partnerships. Let the governments {at all levels} develop a plan to share {temporarily} in the salary expense of unemployed people so that they could work full time, re-gain their lost skills and eventually retain a full time position paid by the private company. This would result in a immediate restoration of lost government revenues as well as help to “prime the pump” for the new found consumer demand. Increasing demand will result in the need for increased supply and hence a increase in production which will result in increased employment. You could think of this “stimulus” plan as a rocket booster that slowly fades away as the economy picks up. Isn’t this what government is supposed to do beyond providing safety for it’s citizens? Is it too late now? I hope not; but to continue to waste time over which side wins {while the rest of the country goes to hell} risks moving America’s dissatisfaction with government to the disbelief of the legitimacy of those who do govern.
The question before us all is this: how far down must this country sink before it becomes clear and apparent that current government officials have forfeited their right to govern? Time is running out folks; now do the job you were elected to do and end this shutdown before it reaches a point of calamity that breaks our country and unleashes total anarchy. It’s up to you. Let’s put an end to the whistles of October.
Joe Bialek Cleveland, Ohio“Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.” Bertrand Russell
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I am worried for our nation.
Burger King in California notified some full time employees that hours were being reduced to remove them from Burger King healthcare coverage to the government’s Affordable Health Care Act has employees furious. They will now pay more for less.
If we’re not careful we’re not going to have any savings in our accounts because the government and banks will confiscate them like Greece.
I’m 37 years old and plan to move to Germany because there are jobs and there is a sense of political and cultural cohesiveness that has been lost here. We are becoming radicalized by extremists and political manipulated by radicals. A great country on the decline. Thank you my parents generation for screwing America up big time and it’s time for me to do what my grandparents did when they left Ireland and Korea for a better life. Here’s an able bodied worker that you won’t have to fill your tax coffers catering to the shiftless illegal convicts that cross into our country and want to tear down our society. My grandparents came legally, my grandfather turned away once, came back through Mexico after learning to speak Spanish in 8 years of waiting to enter US and met in Colorado. They lived in abject poverty with no social support & wouldn’t have accepted it if offered out of pride and self sufficiency. Now my dad is a retired doctor and his brothers all professionals. My mom is a homemaker and her mother became a paralegal in her 60s. Never mind. You people don’t care. That’s why I’m leaving.
I care Margie. I am American woman who loves her country. Stay and fight for your liberty. If you must go, find a place where they are not implementing Agenda 21.
This is what it is all about, you see. Global control. This is happening in Arizona as we speak.
http://www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo/countr/germany/inst.htm
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has announced it is placing more than 7,000 employees on furlough, effective Oct. 8, a move that will eliminate public access to all 56 of its Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) regional offices.
As a result of the furloughs, VBA can no longer conduct personal interviews and hearings, process GI Bill benefits, offer educational or vocational counseling, or provide outreach activities and programs — including VetSuccess on Campus. The reduced work force also means that American Legion service officers are unable to use office space allocated to them at the regional offices.
Daniel M. Dellinger, national commander of The American Legion, expressed outrage at the latest impact of the government shutdown on veterans.
“Because Congress and the White House refuse to speak to each other, our country’s veterans are suffering more with each passing day of this extremely dangerous impasse.
“Now we’ve reached the point where VA can’t even process benefits claims for our men and women who served in uniform. Our nation’s leaders need a reality check. Do they really think they are serving the best interests of our veterans — or the best interests of all Americans — by forcing government agencies to shut down?”
On Oct. 4, Dellinger held a press conference at the World War II Memorial in Washington, a memorial that was initially closed to World War II veterans and is still closed to the public. He told reporters that the House of Representatives, the Senate and President Obama were all to blame for the shutdown.
Besides the 7,000 VBA workers furloughed, VA has also placed more than 2,700 OIT workers on furlough. This means that all development of VA software has ceased, including work on the Veterans Benefits Management System, which VA Secretary Eric Shinseki has repeatedly identified as a key component to eliminating the claims backlog.
In a statement, VA said claims processing will continue until funding is exhausted, “which is projected to happen in late October.” Mandatory overtime for claims processors, scheduled to continue until Nov. 16, has also been abruptly halted.
VA employees who staff the department’s compensation and pension call centers are still on the job. Veterans who want to file benefits claims or check on a claim’s status can still do so by calling (800) 827-1000 .
VBA also announced it will no longer be able to respond to congressional inquiries until appropriations have been restored.
Secretary Shinseki is scheduled to testify Oct. 9 at a House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs hearing that will examine the impact of the current government shutdown on VA operations.
Hello Local Veterans Service Offices,
Our next career fair for Phoenix area veterans and their spouses is on October 17th.
I’d really appreciate your help getting the word out about this FREE event to the veterans you serve.
Below are the event details as well as a link to download a printable flyer for distribution.
What: RecruitMilitary Veteran Career Fair – Phoenix
Where: U.S. Airways Center
201 E Jefferson St.
Phoenix, AZ 85004
When: Thursday, October 17, 2013 from 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Why: To change the lives of veterans and their families by connecting them with companies that value their talent and experience.
Please notify the veterans you serve and work with about this event and encourage them to pre-register for FREE here:
https://events.recruitmilitary.com/events/phoenix-veteran-job-fair-october-17-2013
Our Phoenix area events provide many great career options for veterans and their spouses. The companies attending have hundreds of positions they are recruiting for, and many more companies will be added in the weeks ahead. Some of the companies are below, and a full listing can be found through the link above.
· USAA
· Lockheed Martin
· Chesapeake Energy Drilling Division
· Humana Military
· General Dynamics C4 Systems
· DeVry University
· American Income Life Insurance Company
· G4S Secure Solutions (USA)
· The Home Depot Supply & Logistics
If you have space in your office, please print and post this flyer for anyone who might be interested in attending this event:
https://events.recruitmilitary.com/uploads/event/attendee_poster/522/10-17-13_Phoenix_EventFlyer_LOres.pdf
Thanks for all you do to support our nation’s veterans. I greatly appreciate your help in spreading the word about this event that connects veterans and their spouses with career opportunities.
If you have any questions, or if you’d like to have a conversation about the multiple ways we can potentially help the veterans you serve, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Best Regards,
Kim
Kim Figgins | Candidate Services
Recruit Military | Web: http://recruitmilitary.com/
Office: 513-677-7083 | Email: kfiggins@recruitmilitary.com
anybody else notice that it doesn’t bother us at all in sedona that the government is shut down??? we have our canyons our hills our trails our rocks & no government body has rule over us walking or driving on it. get out there & prove we can function w/o being ruled by idiots!!!!
and just how do we get rid of our local government in incorporated Sedona? have heard that business has been booming here w/closure of Grand Canyon. also heard that Jeniffer whatever-her-name @ the C of C is taking credit for that.
down local government aka chamber of commerce and the “grand madam” who appears to have taken over all local control
is it us noticing but we’re doing better w/o the feds, pay attn incorporation fans, we might get smarter
Employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs are working to resume normal operations as quickly as possible. Veterans Benefits Administration regional offices are re-opened their doors and resumed public contact services for Veterans Oct. 17.
“With the shutdown over, we are all very grateful that the Nov. 1 benefit checks will go out to approximately 5 million Veterans and other beneficiaries as scheduled,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “We at VA are working quickly to resume normal operations in order to fulfill our solemn obligation – to ensure that Veterans receive the benefits and services they have earned through their service.”
Not missed while dysfunctional, not worth paying attention while functional