Have You Noticed a Government Shutdown in Idaho?

This is an opinion, and not a journalistic exercise.  Have you been impacted by the so-called shutdown of the federal government?  I’m sure some federal workers in Idaho’ve been impacted, but I need to mention I can only think of one guy off the top of my head.  He’s an acquaintance I’ve met twice, and we probably haven’t talked in three years.  If he’s working, he may not be taking a paycheck.  Some of these people are backed up by emergency funds put aside by public sector unions.

Air Travel is Going to be Snarled

I heard a smaller airport in Burbank, California, was shut down due to a lack of air traffic controllers available for the task.  The longer the so-called shutdown lasts, we’re told to expect more airline delays.

A friend had issues last year with the Social Security Administration and spent hours on hold.  I’m told it’s now even worse.  But I’m not yet old enough to collect benefits, I haven’t been to a national park in a few years, and I haven’t lately been stranded in the backcountry.  Which is to say that a lot of us have lived through multiple previous so-called shutdowns and not experienced any hardship.  It doesn’t mean we have a callous attitude about the people who are facing unanswered calls, missed flights, and a lost paycheck.  But the news media focuses on pain, because a guy who makes it through the day without any troubles isn’t news.

We'll Soon Be Hearing About More Tragedies

I’m writing this on a Tuesday.  I have a guest on-air on Wednesday morning who’s a Democrat.  You can expect she’ll have a list of tragedies to share and to blame Republicans for the so-called crisis.