The Little Trickle of Pain Got Bigger

OK, it’s over! Right? But the issues and the dates have been postponed only by a couple of months. We have a new vocabulary, though. Furloughs are referred to by conservatives as part of the great “slimdown,” not a “shutdown.” There is no empathetic buzzword for the great default, and no way to explain to the international community what this threat of not lifting the debt ceiling entails. Even if a short-term solution is found, we’ve bought time but not credibility with the global interests staring down the gun-barrel of American political dysfunction. Kicking the can down the road is not the solution that will settle the international community.

There is still skepticism in the global markets. If they could get a bill done at the 11^th hour, why couldn’t they have done it earlier and rationally? If they couldn’t kill or defund the Affordable Care Act 42 consecutive times, why did they just keep trying? Isn’t one salient definition of insanity repeating the same behavior over and over again and expecting a different result.

They still blame the 2008 collapse on us and clearly see darkness in allowing the U.S. to lead the global economy. Even though we are now the world’s leading producer of oil and natural gas, the rest of the world is looking for sane leadership “somewhere else.” China? They don’t trust us, they don’t trust the dollar and they are seething with anger that America seems not to care about the global risks that its actions and inactions impose. How long do you think they will accept the dollar as the world’s reserve currency?

“The word many Mexicans now use to describe Washington reflects a familiar mix of outrage and exasperation: berrinche. Technically defined as a tantrum, berrinches are also spoiled little rich kids, blind to their privilege and the effects of their misbehavior… ‘It’s a display of American arrogance,’ said Raúl Silva, 40, an entrepreneur grabbing coffee at an upscale cafe here. ‘It’s a problem, and it’s going to affect us.’…

“How, many ask, did the United States become more like the rest of the world, and less of an obvious leader? ‘I think the U.S. is losing its place,’ said Osama Shawki, a shopkeeper in Cairo… Others agreed. ‘It’s strange that such a thing has happened there,’ said Irina Popova, 40, a homemaker in Russia, which suffered a financial collapse and default in 1998. ‘I always dreamed of going to America. It can happen to any country. It was us before, now it’s them.’…  On the streets of Greece, people seemed to be shaking their heads, stunned at what they saw as American political weakness corroding a country of obvious strength.” New York Times, October 15^th. We are become a big bully that the world is pushing down to a second level out of mistrust and necessity.

Even here in the United States, the shutdown hurt those of us who were the most vulnerable. And even in conservative farming communities, it seems that when disaster struck, there was no one in the federal government to listen or help. 36 hours after heavy rains and 80 degree temperatures settle on the state, a horrible blizzard slammed into South Dakota, whipping up 70 mile per hour frigid winds. Cattle, stunned by the weather shift, rushed to find some barrier against the unrelenting cold. There are five times many cattle as there are people, and at $2,000 a head, they form a basic economic bastion for the state; 25% of the state’s agriculture revenues. But the cattle were suffering from this storm. They froze in heaps, scattered across the plains looking for shelter. Estimated deaths rose to almost 20,000 animals. It was too early in the season for the cattle to have the winter coats.

Will this scenario reverse now that Congress finally did their job? “Ranchers looking for guidance on how to document their losses with the federal Farm Service Agency, whose workers have been furloughed, are, as some here say, ‘plumb out of luck.’ And the stalling of a farm bill in Congress has left many families skeptical about whether disaster relief will ever come…

“The blow comes a year after cattle ranchers weathered a severe drought that raised feed prices and forced some to shrink their herds. The recent losses only added uncertainty to their balance sheets, especially with Congressional leaders at an impasse on the farm bill.

“The legislation could include a livestock disaster program that provides assistance for producers in dire straits. Kristi Noem, a Republican who is South Dakota’s sole House member, was recently appointed to a committee tasked with hashing out the differences between the House and Senate versions of the measure… But ranchers, who are working to document their livestock deaths so they can submit the figures when the government reopens, are doubtful that help will come from Congress anytime soon… ‘They’re acting like a bunch of kids fighting over a toy,’ said Matt Kammerer, another South Dakota rancher. ‘They’re getting paid; they ain’t feeling any hardship.’” NY Times.

There is not the slightest justification, the smallest excuse or the tiniest rational to excuse this conduct. It is immature, ignorant and beyond selfish. There is plenty of blame for everyone in Congress to share. Delaying this crisis with the possibility of repetition in a few months is sinful!

I’m Peter Dekom, and I am ashamed of my country and its elected representatives!