Happy Sequester Day

I hope you all have a good holiday.  Do you have any plans to get away?  Will you be taking a three-day holiday?  I only ask because it appears that Congress is.  Hey,at least this is the first federal holiday where it's completely understandable if there's no mail service...

I have more understanding on Congress being unable to work out a deal on sequestration (a level of understanding to me which is infinitesimally small) than I do for the members of Congress leaving for the weekend. 

For the past month, we've read dire warnings of problems to the national economy (which could impact the world economy), as well as to services and infrastructure and a potential loss of 750,000 jobs if the issue isn't resolved,  And they...leave?  The Republican lead House adjourned at 2:07 PM on Friday, and aren't scheduled back for four days!  At least the Senate stuck around until a little after 6 PM.  Not much better, but that lets them punch out without getting docked.  It seems sort of like if you're in the middle of a tornado warning and the river through town is rising from the early storm front and almost at the flood level, and then at the noon lunch whistle all the workers who've been frantically laying sandbags and building break walls and levees packed up their gear and headed away on vacation.  (Though without the "frantically" part.)

I know that the leaders seem to be sticking around, but that's small comfort.  You'd think that the very least and most basic part of the job of a Congressman or Senator is sticking around if there was even the risk of a national crisis.  Especially if it's one that you yourself caused by enacting a law.

(Mind you, not being to resolve the issue that they created all by their lonesome is a another matter.  While I grasp the concept of different political beliefs, I don't grasp when a proposal is made that basically says, "We passed a law creating the sequester, and we hereby rescind that very law we created," it got nowhere.)

Side note:  for all they fake outrage on the Republican side of the aisle that Democrats haven't proposed any solutions to resolve the sequester, it's worth noting that a Democratic-sponsored bill in the Senate with spending cuts and revenue increases passed yesterday, 51-49.  However, Republicans filibustered it.  On the other hand, no bill was passed in the Republican-lead House.

Upcoming efforts to reach a resolution will be...oh, wait, sorry.  Congress is off on vacation.

No worries.  I'm sure they'll fly back the moment they hear there's a measure to vote on.  I just hope they don't get backed up at airport security lines and miss their flights.

Hey, who knew that when they called the NCAA basketball tournament "March Madness" it turned out they were really talking about something else...