Furlough Congress

Our government has completely failed us in negotiating a solution to the sequestration financial crisis. I say we furlough Congress.

Why should federal employees be the only ones who lose income? They will lose 20 percent of their paychecks for 22 weeks, which makes me rage. This is not some abstract problem that causes long lines at the airport or a closed national park, which are inconvenient but which people will get over. This is something that will hurt actual working people in this country and that is deeply shameful.

Let’s remove the legal roadblocks and let our legislative branch take a similar economic hit because I can guarantee they would all stop this pathetic posing and find a solution ASAP. Maybe they’d end their latest recess and sit down like adults and talk. I just don’t think most in Congress care all that much unless this problem affects their own bottom line.

We might as well cut Congress’ pay because they have abjectly failed the citizens in this country. Hell, cut the president’s salary, too. Nobody seems to be engaged in an actual dialogue on this issue. It’s yet another dick measuring contest so each side can get the victory for their own party, no matter what it costs the working people.

When you make a mistake at work and your boss calls you out on it, your boss doesn’t want to hear any excuses for why you failed. The boss just wants you to fix it and show results. We are the boss of our legislators and I do not want to hear any excuses. I don’t want to hear any of them cast any blame on the other party or say, “Well, I’m trying but the guy across the aisle isn’t.” That wouldn’t fly at your office so it shouldn’t fly here. They all share the blame. Just cut the crap and fix it. Compromise. Do something.

Self-manufactured crisis or not, Congress knew this was coming. This has been brewing since August 2011 and nobody took any steps toward a common sense solution. They just put a band aid on until the next deadline came up and then the next crisis began. I feel like a parent of a high schooler who hasn’t started a project until the night before. “How long did you know you had this due?” is what my parents would have said to me.

Congress is not a competent body and their pay is uninterrupted while competent workers in this country will start to wonder how they will pay their bills for the next 22 weeks. I have no faith in our legislators. We need leadership and what we are getting instead is a bunch of preening peacocks who, on an emotional level, have never left high school. I wish we could furlough them now and start over in November 2014. Our senators and representatives have nobody but themselves to blame for their record low approval ratings. Shame, shame, shame.