It’s now predawn on this fine day – September 15, 2023. My wife is still in bed, blissfully sleeping. I pray she is dreaming of our next adventure in life. I can only speculate as I watch her sleep. Whether it’s another beach trip, a cruise, or just another great day with our grandchildren, I may never know. I am sure that if she is having a good dream night, it is a time of quiet, peace, and joy. I’m sure it’s just a time to enjoy life. After all, that is what we hope we can do at some point. Oh, how I wish my brain would allow me such peace.
But I’m up too early because my brain woke me up and reminded me that we are less than two weeks away from more manufactured drama. We are less than two weeks away from the Children of Congress giving us yet another unwanted gift–another government shutdown. They are once again driving America over another cliff. They are heading the nation toward another created crisis, another self-inflicted wound. So it is that the Children of Congress have chosen to give America the middle finger once again.
As of October 1st, people will begin not getting paid. The government will stop providing services. Anything good the government does will essentially end until the Children of Congress come to an agreement. They will need to agree on who gets to play with which toys. They will need to figure out who is the weakling they can bully on the playground. They will need to seek out who they can kick sand in their face and get away with it. Yes, in the end, the Children of Congress will make a mess of the playground. The Children of Congress will then expect us, the Adults of America, to accept their childish behavior, tolerate their tantrums, and deal with the mess. Why? Because they know they are just children. They know we know the Children of Congress just don’t know any better.
In my 60-plus years on this earth, I have yet to figure out the Children of Congress phenomena. I realize it’s all about politics and the goal is to move the football of America a few yards downfield. Yet here’s the rub, the Children of Congress have one primary job. The Children of Congress are supposed to make sure they fund the government, and that it is up and running. Each year, the Children of Congress have, like everyone else, 365 days to get the job done. Yet the Children of Congress are habitually behind on their work. The Children of Congress continually miss important deadlines. The Children of Congress continue to be combative at work and disruptive in their workplace. The Children of Congress are a continual pain to their employer–the American people. The Children of Congress rarely achieve any worthy successes. So, the Children of Congress are the picture-perfect employees for the Adults of America to make a point – by firing them all.
The Children of Congress job description is simple–keep the government running. This is the absolute minimum requirement for the job. It sounds simple. It’s not like they are bringing together a new business. They are just tweaking and funding a long-established semi-functioning entity. And each year, the Children of Congress use the same process with the same expectation. Each year starts the same. Each year starts with the same goal–fund the government for another year. And if you don’t mind, “We the People” would appreciate it if you could please do it quickly, quietly, and efficiently.
One task. One job. Zero results so far this year. Zero. Not one funding bill passed. So even if they patch a last-minute solution, the Children of Congress will have once again not performed to any minimum standard. The Children of Congress will once again give America the middle finger. And like any entitled worker, the Children of Congress will demand more perks, better pay, shorter hours, longer naps, and our praise. After all, they are just children. The Children of Congress just don’t know any better.
Yet despite the Children of Congress careening out of control, I think we as a country have turned off most of the noise coming out of DC. There is just too much of it. With 24-hour news and the insanity of social media, there is no way to hear it all. There is no way to process even a small portion of the whines of the Children of Congress. We are too busy in our own lives to listen to it all. We are too busy trying to survive the morass that the Children of Congress continue to heap upon us. We are too busy to listen because even as part of a “democracy,” we know we are powerless to do anything about the Children of Congress–at least for today. Or maybe ever.
All we can do is duck and wait it out. “We the People” wait to see what suffering the Children of Congress will give us to contend with next. “We the People” can only wait, while once again the Children of Congress give us the middle finger. But maybe it’s time we think of how we can finally make a change — a genuine change. Maybe by the next election, if America survives to see it, “We the People,” the Adults of America, can and will finally return the favor. Maybe we can all raise all our middle fingers and sweep the Children of Congress and their mess out of the people’s house. Maybe it’s time for the Children of Congress to grow up or go home.