Episode 55: A Service Considered Essential, Banning Recreation at Recess, and Name That Quote!

Summary: Of all the services that the government performs, which ones are considered "essential"? Which ones stay operating even during a shutdown? Here's an example of one, and in fact, it's a service that is active only during a shutdown. What if they held a recess and nobody played? A school is banning baseballs, soccer ball, basketballs; basically anything that might give you a boo-boo. That may seem silly (and it is), but there's some other silliness that's prompting it. And we have another round of "Name That Quote". In the continuing saga of the debt limit, I have an outspoken critic of raising it. See if you can guess who it is. Mentioned links: #MillionVetMarch assembles peacefully, pulls down Lincoln Memorial #barrycades. Media Targets Million Veteran March Spite: White House reinstalls barricades at World War II Memorial Long Island Middle School Bans Footballs, Other Recreational Items Ceiling Whacks [Snopes.com] You can listen to “Consider This!” on the Blubrry Network if you like. You can find podcasts and save them to your MyCast list, and come back anytime and listen to the latest episodes. Similarly, Player.fm allows you to subscribe to podcasts and play all the latest episodes from your browser. The Stitcher Network is another possibility. Again, you can find podcasts, add them to your favorites, and then either listen to them on the web site, stream them to your smart phone, or to some snazzy GM, Ford, and BMW car. If you do download Stitcher to your phone, please use the promo code “ConsiderThis” to let them know where you heard about it. Of course, you can always subscribe via iTunes as well. And please leave a comment letting them know how you like it. I really appreciate listener ratings on iTunes, which can also lead to having more listeners, and more ratings! Keep the ball rollin’! And if you have some other podcatcher or RSS reader, click here to get the direct feed and paste it wherever you need it. I would love it if you would spread the word about the podcast! Click the Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Digg or LinkedIn icons below (or all of them!) to recommend "Consider This!" to your social media audience. Show Transcript This past weekend, veterans and their supporters protested in Washington, DC. They took down the barricades surrounding the open-air World War II memorial, and dumped some of them half a mile away outside the White House. It seems like spending money, during an alleged government shutdown, to close something that doesn’t actually require opening was a bridge too far for an administration bent on making sure you feel the pain, even if the pain is manufactured. Speaking at this protest were politicians of all stripes, standing with and supporting our vets. Ted Cruz, Mike Lee and Sarah Palin were there, they spoke to the crowd, and… Hmm, just a minute. Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, Sarah Palin… Aren’t they all Republicans? Why yes; yes they are. What should have been a bipartisan show of support, was partisan only because every available Democrat either supported this manufactured pain, or dare not cross his party leaders with a show of independence, or support the troops. Is the question of this manufactured pain --  shutting down things that have never been shut down during a government shutdown – a partisan issue? It shouldn’t be. And I do understand supporting the President who happens to be of your party. Generally, you don’t want to be the one giving the other side an easy target. I get that. But aren’t there some things beyond the pale? For some, it appears not. Oh, and on Monday, the barricades were put back up. Now there’s an essential service for ya’. Seems the World War II Memorial is more secure than our borders. --- There’s concern over safety, and there’s paranoia. You decide which this is. It seems that officials at Weber Middle School in Port Washington were worried that students were getting hurt during recess.