Government Shutdown, Default! Again? NO!!!

A good friend asked me a question regarding near-term Republican election outcomes in light of the current government shutdown.  I responded to him,  and that is reproduced here,  with very little editing,  except for improved clarity. 

Bear in mind that my response is colored by being very angry with both parties,  just more so the Republicans in recent years.  Myself,  I am a die-hard independent,  so do NOT try to stereotype me politically!

My friend’s question (unedited):

“Do you think that the GOP will lose about 90% of their seats after this?”

My response (edits-for-clarity in red):

I wish,  but I don't think so.  There are too many ignoramuses around us who have been brainwashed into believing all the lying propaganda.  Classic Nazi and Bolshevik "big lie" technique.  Weak minds and all that. 

What's really going on is that our two-party system has been transformed into a two-and-a-half party system.  Those so-called "tea party" idiots are an extremist sub-set of the GOP who could not possibly get the votes to pass any of their agenda.  They are a very loud but rather small minority,  and they know it. 

Over the last several years,  they've effectively purged many non-tea-party GOP members from the party,  until they are somewhere close to half its membership.  Once they (the tea party extremists) comprised about half of the surviving GOP,  they could effectively blackmail the non-tea-party types into voting their way,  by mounting primary challenges when they (the non-tea party GOP) didn't vote for the tea party extremist agenda. 

Blackmail and extortion are crimes,  by the way,  in all other walks of life,  except apparently not in politics.  Maybe they should be. 

So,  with control of the House after that massive propaganda campaign leading up to the 2010 election,  they (the tea party extremists) can now force the entire GOP membership of the House to vote in a way that tries to extort the Senate into passing the tea party agenda,  by threatening either government shutdowns or defaults on government debt. 

The lesson of the 2012 election is completely meaningless to them (the tea party extremists),  because they now have a tool by which to extort their way.  Ted Cruz is the leading tea party candidate for 2016 now,  but he's a fake,  just playing the photo ops to get well-known nationally.

Cruz is not there to do the people's business at all,  he just wants to run for President.  That's deliberate,  intentional dereliction of duty,  and I think that is a crime,  too.  Or it ought to be. 

Considering that the Constitution mandates that Congress (House and Senate together) fund the government and pay its bills,  as part of their assigned duties,  it seems to me that threatening not to do its duty is a Constitutional crime being committed by the tea party-controlled portion of Congress.

And they didn't invent it.  Back in 1996,  Newt Gingrich and his "radical Republicans" invented using extortion in Congress,  with that government shutdown back then.  Leading that extortion back then is why I have never liked Newt Gingrich,  then or ever since. 

This tactic (a minority extorting its way) is a crime against the people. 

I'd just as soon see Obama send in the federal marshals and arrest the perpetrators of this travesty,  on charges of wantonly and deliberately failing to do their Constitutionally-mandated duties.  I might include the rest of the GOP for caving-in,  and not resisting this evil.  And I’m really that angry about it. 

Any time party agenda trumps the national interest,  we have the wrong people in office.  Period.  Applies to both parties,  but of late the GOP is primarily the culprit,  and very egregiously so. 

My grandfather told me back in 1965 before he died that the tools for good government are tar,  feathers,  guns,  and ropes.  He said that in his younger days,  folks still used them,  and they had fairly good government.  He also said that in my dad's younger days,  we let the judges and lawyers talk us out of using those tools.  And now look what we have!  (Really bad government.)

Maybe that (not using the tools for good government) ought to change,  too.

Guess why there's such a push for gun control?  We gotta have 'em,  in order to successfully use the tar,  the feathers,  and the ropes!  That push for gun control is what I despise most about the Democrats. 

They're (politicians of all types and parties) still at least a little afraid of us,  even after over half a century of no one policing their behavior.  They need to be very substantially afraid of us,  of what we would do to them,  if they don't do the people's business properly.  And we need to do it to them,  too.  Make a public example of one,  and the rest fall into line,  for a while. 

These "town hall meetings" that a few reps still hold are nowhere near as confrontational as they should be.  The rest of the reps are afraid to hold them.  Have you noticed that?

My friend responded thusly (spelling corrected):

“Obama should sign an E.O. stopping all congressional pay and benefits also.”

My sentiment:

Well,  that would be a start,  but nowhere near an adequate response. 

Wake up,  folks!  This crap has to stop!

GW