Soapbox

    Republicans love to quote Ronnie the Reagan and say "Government IS the problem" because to them, government- not greed or corruption, oppression or lack of empathy for others- no, Government is THE problem. Taxes- those things that fix the roads and fund research and maintain the parks and pay congressional salaries- are the root of all evil!
    Heck,  Bill O'Reilly just wrote a book in which he (noted religious scholar that he is)  argues that Jesus's most important message to the world was "don't pay your taxes!". In a mind-set that seriously warped, government is worse than just about anything. (…say the people who work for the government… sheesh.)

    So now we have ourselves a scenario where, unless the President agrees to cancel implementation of health care reform, the Republican party is ready to shut down the government. And why not?  Government is the problem…. well, unless you happen to want your food inspected for safety, or your bridges repaired before they collapse or washed out roads rebuilt; unless you were going to buy food with your paycheck that now won't be coming because you work for the government, or in a business affected by all the government employees who now don't have any money to spend with you.
    For all his many (many many many) faults, Ronald Reagan recognized this. That's why Mr "Government is the Problem" Reagan raised the debt ceiling Eighteen times! Because, even with Alzheimer's, Reagan recognized that, once you have spent the money, you've got to pay the bills! And because back then, the opposition party, for all their many (many!) faults, believed that, no matter how much you oppose the actions of the duly elected president, you don't get back at him by threatening to destroy the economy.
    That's not governing- that's terrorism!

    But as bad- as STUPID as a government shut down would be, the potential default we are facing would be 100x worse. It's like comparing Influenza to Ebola. And right now, the Republican congress, with evil super-villain Ted Cruz apparently calling the shots, is trying to decide whether to deliberately give the United States of America influenza or Ebola…. or maybe BOTH!
    We have No clear picture of what a default would do, because up until now- up until the Joker+Riddler+Penguin Tea Party took over driving the bus- it was never even considered. It was a doomsday scenario that was something we worked feverishly to prevent, not threatened to detonate. Something that only a madman would even think about.
    Remember 2008? Remember how much fun THAT was? Well you ain't seen nothin' yet. If the US defaults on their Treasury bonds, most economists agree that it could plunge not just the U.S. but the entire world into a recession.

    And by the way, remember that all of this ridiculous, expensive and potentially dangerous melodrama is happening because the GOP is trying desperately to
          1) prevent YOU from getting health insurance (because if you can take your kid to a doctor when she gets sick, Hitler wins, or something) and
          2) get out of raising taxes on themselves and their millionaire and billionaire friends, like the Koch Brothers.
          3) destroy Barack Obama, even if they have to destroy you and the world economy to do it.

    Yes, Tea Party- getting control of the debt and the deficit is important. (Not important enough for you to tax a few billionaires over, but whatever) Yes, maybe the national family needs to stop spending money we don't have on  phone bills. But the solution is not to threaten to blow the house up with everyone inside if the kids don't stop texting!!
   You want to reduce government over-spending? You don't send a few meat inspectors home and delay paychecks to our soldiers. Government shutdown will increase unemployment and the need for food stamps and increase our debt! And oh yeah- it will potentially sicken or kill people!
    You need to pay your bills, you TAX THE RICH.

    But you know- maybe Reagan was right. You are the United States Congress. You ARE government!! And clearly, You ARE the problem!
     If you cannot get past this irrational hatred you have for the duly elected president long enough to just do the job we are paying you to do: if you cannot and will not govern… then go home. Furlough yourselves. That will save us a little money- and a LOT of misery. And unllike millions of other government workers, we have no worries about you paying your bills. I"m sure all your friendly neighborhood oil and tobacco and pharma and gun and weapons lobbyists will be happy to tide you over.

    The definition of 'friend' on Facebook is different for different people.
(For instance, anyone who has 2,000 Facebook 'friends' clerly defines that word differently than I do. I may be a bit of a recluse but nobody actually knows 2,000 people!)
     When I accept friend requests, I do it for several reasons: 1) I actually know, or have known the person or 2) We seem to share similar interests/views and I think I may enjoy and learn from the things they post.
    Being a person without a ton of friends, I am loath to lose them. I hate unfriending people- maybe because a few of those who have unfriended me have really stung. Also, it just seems judgemental and presumptuous. Who am I to say that this person is not worthy of scrolling past a status update on my wall? (I do make an exception for people who make blatantly bigoted statements. They are gone!)
 
   Rather than unfriend, I have hidden a few people whom I don't want to unfriend but from whom I just don't get anything. One woman I knew from church years ago is perfectly nice but all she EVER posts about is NASCAR. Literally all.
   And today I decided to hide someone else. He used to be a family friend long ago when we were all kids, and I made him a 'friend' because I wanted to get to know more about him after all these years. But that hasn't happened, and it's not going to.
    All he ever, ever posts about is his ministry. Nothing about how his day is going, how his kids are, what his dog did: there are less personal details in his posts than in a church newsletter. So I usually just scroll past, but out of politeness I sometimes read his stuff, as I did today with an article he assured me was 'amazing' and 'so loving!'.
    And it really wasn't.
    It was about loving Muslims 'without an agenda'.  First it pointed out that- poor Muslims!- their entire faith is based on a lie! And then it makes it clear that one is to love Muslims with all your might until you can bring them to Jesus. Not to verbally evangalize their poor miserable souls, but because through the power of your superior faith you can eventually show them that theirs is wrong.
    That sounds like an agenda to me!

    And I thought of saying something to that effect… but I also make it a point not to criticize people's religious posts. There's a woman I know from high school who posts these things that say (usually with an incorrect use of your/you're or their/there)  If you repost this post and prove your not ashamed of Jesus then God will bless you!
    I think is based on a mind-blowingly ridiculous theology, predicated that 1)You need to periodically 'buy' blessings from God and 2) God, the almighty creator of the Universe gives a s**t what you post on Facebook. But she is a genuinely sweet person who has a good heart, who paints and loves her dogs and actually interacts with me from time-to-time on FB. So I leave her to her theology as she leaves me to mine.

    So I"m looking at this post today and thinking,  All I ever get from this Facebook contact is religious stuff. Religious stuff that I either find utterly uninteresting or disagree with. Yet I feel compelled NOT to comment on religious stuff people post. So… why am I 'friends' with this person?
    I used to know him, 4 decades ago. But nothing he posts now will ever help me get to know him again- unless all he truly cares about is his ministry. In which case we have nothing in common and what's the point?

    So, I am hiding him from my wall. I guess I feel guilty about it or something- why else would I feel compelled to explain myself to my own blog? But there is just no there  there.