Time Out
[Posted by reader_iam]
Call me twisted, but I think it's funny that Congress will be "off" tomorrow due, ostensibly, to a championship football game. But then, I thought it was sort of funny to describe a 5-day work-week as starting in the evening on a Monday and ending early Friday afternoon. Then again, that in turn was far less humorous to me than the idea that people can think of elected representatives as somehow being punch-clock wage workers, as opposed to holding the sort of job where you are what you are and do what you do pretty much all of the time. On the other hand, I didn't think the whole "five days in Washington thing" was amusing OR impressive to begin with, partly because I question and disagree with the premise, and partly because I think the idea itself is more destructive than not, in a number of ways. But that's an old topic, by now, and well--whatever.
While I'm up here wasting cyberspace, I might as well say that I've also gotten numerous chuckles out of all the shock, shock about the Democrats "dropping bipartisanship," and/or the Republicans "crying hypocrisy," and anybody obsessing in any way, shape or form about the significance of "100" anything (this time it's hours, another time it was days, next time--who knows?). And who cares how Nancy Pelosi and others on her team celebrated their taking of power--how many photo ops, or public appearances, or staged celebrations? Those trappings and ceremonies don't carry any more or less real meaning than those which took place when the other side acceded to power.
Like any of this stuff is new, unpredictable, or a symbol of anything out of the ordinary in any way whatsoever. I mean, jeez folks--what did you expect? And no, this isn't a Dems v. Repubs thing for me: It's a Washington thing, a politician thing, no more nor less than the same old song with a different soloist or two.
All this is not to say that I don't expect to see some real changes taking place, some for good, some for ill, some for both. But those things are part of the nitty-gritty, which will commence soon enough following the standard pomp and circumstance and transition-related showboating (from both sides).
For everything there is a season, after all. Much better to save one's energy for keeping an eye on those truly critical tides to which Shakespeare famously alluded.
Call me twisted, but I think it's funny that Congress will be "off" tomorrow due, ostensibly, to a championship football game. But then, I thought it was sort of funny to describe a 5-day work-week as starting in the evening on a Monday and ending early Friday afternoon. Then again, that in turn was far less humorous to me than the idea that people can think of elected representatives as somehow being punch-clock wage workers, as opposed to holding the sort of job where you are what you are and do what you do pretty much all of the time. On the other hand, I didn't think the whole "five days in Washington thing" was amusing OR impressive to begin with, partly because I question and disagree with the premise, and partly because I think the idea itself is more destructive than not, in a number of ways. But that's an old topic, by now, and well--whatever.
While I'm up here wasting cyberspace, I might as well say that I've also gotten numerous chuckles out of all the shock, shock about the Democrats "dropping bipartisanship," and/or the Republicans "crying hypocrisy," and anybody obsessing in any way, shape or form about the significance of "100" anything (this time it's hours, another time it was days, next time--who knows?). And who cares how Nancy Pelosi and others on her team celebrated their taking of power--how many photo ops, or public appearances, or staged celebrations? Those trappings and ceremonies don't carry any more or less real meaning than those which took place when the other side acceded to power.
Like any of this stuff is new, unpredictable, or a symbol of anything out of the ordinary in any way whatsoever. I mean, jeez folks--what did you expect? And no, this isn't a Dems v. Repubs thing for me: It's a Washington thing, a politician thing, no more nor less than the same old song with a different soloist or two.
All this is not to say that I don't expect to see some real changes taking place, some for good, some for ill, some for both. But those things are part of the nitty-gritty, which will commence soon enough following the standard pomp and circumstance and transition-related showboating (from both sides).
For everything there is a season, after all. Much better to save one's energy for keeping an eye on those truly critical tides to which Shakespeare famously alluded.
