Desperate Citizens in a Government Shutdown — An Un-American Tragedy

When someone gives a "pitch” they better have the ability to say what the story is about in a single line.

Photo: wikimedia.org by David Maiolo, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

US Senate

If you begin, "This boy meets this girl and…” — No.

If you commence, "On the last day of summer…” — Nope.

If you launch with, "It starts by a comet hurtling toward…” — Nyet.

Don't tell me what happens…tell me what it is ABOUT, Sonny.

An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser

What happens is a killing. Just like a thousand other stories, both old and forgotten. Thus, so what?

Far more important, and the reason Theo's novel resonates one century and a million murders later, is what it is about…which, in a line…conveys thusly:

It is a story about each character doing what they believe is the proverbial "right thing” at every juncture only for all of those actions to result in disaster — the tragedy being there is no villain.

Good people, attempting positive decisions, making staggeringly wrong choices, resulting in starkly negative outcomes?

That genuinely is a Tragedy in senses both American as well as Greek.

And you're living in the same right now, Sportsfans.

Cut to the Slow-Motion Train Wreck

Depending on when you drifters manage to get around to reading my admonition, we are likely about five days from a national crisis.

Being Your Humble Correspondent is The Most Evil Man Alive who generally despises everyone I will now excoriate each Player in this mess.

The lead players, for Good or Ill, are nowhere to be seen:

• President Trump — Went galivanting off to Asia on Friday, October 24, 2025, in Malaysia Sunday, October 26, in Japan Monday, October 27, then in South Korea Tuesday, October 28, with Thursday, October 30, as his scheduled return, so he can Trick-Or-Treat on time.
• House of Representatives — Will not be in session from Monday, October 27, 2025, until Sunday, November 2, and on a "District Work Period” during same. No legislative activity is planned.
• Senate — Is set to reconvene the week of Monday, October 27, 2025. Thus far, the body has failed in Thirteen Attempts to approve funding legislation. No other votes scheduled this week.

Meanwhile, some Details of Disaster you may have Dismissed:

• Federal Reserve — Meets on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, and Wednesday, October 29, where the body is widely anticipated to lower Interest Rates by one-quarter of one percentage point.
• Virginia State — Governor Glenn Younkin on Thursday, October 23, 2025, declared a State of Emergency owing to SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) funds running out.
• Louisiana State — Governor Jeff Landry on Friday, October 24, 2025, declared a State of Emergency over a lack of funds for the SNAP program in his jurisdiction.
• SNAP Benefits — Will be exhausted in many States beginning this week unto the first week of November. Specific examples include Maryland on November 1, Indiana on November 5, with Arkansas, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Texas all running out early November according to Officials.
• Federal Workers — On Tuesday, October 28, 2025, or Thursday, October 30, depending on Agency and Processing System, will begin missing their first full paycheck since the Shutdown.
• Hurricane Melissa — On Saturday, October 25, 2025, the gale was forecast to become a Category 5 storm. Thankfully, not on a trajectory to America; but bears watching.

No Bill Is 'Clean'

This week Everett Kelley, President of the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents approximately 800,000 workers, made the call for a "clean” bill to end the Shutdown.

(Specifically, a "clean” bill is one limited to providing funding to reopen the Shutdown devoid policy.)

He too is not a "bad man”. Kelley wants his constituency paid, which is commendable.

The problem with such a demand is it miscomprehends the situation.

No "clean” bill can be passed because:

• Democrats, and others supporting Health Care reinstatement of funds, then lose all leverage
• Republicans, who have already destroyed SNAP and the ACA, would then not likely hold a vote
• Even WITH a vote, absent some agreement there is then no chance of funding restoration

Thus, while everyone wants the Shutdown to end, any "clean” bill would only serve to solidify the massive cuts to Social Services that Republicans passed, without any Democratic support, this Summer.

A "clean” bill is the same as a Health Care Defunding Endorsement for the next decade.

Some Minor Factoids You Also Need To Know

Important to understand about what happens with reductions is what it is about in terms of The Public:

• 1 in 8 Americans rely on Social Services
• For every 1 Meal provided by Charity (Food Banks, Churches), the Government provides 9 Meals
• In terms of WIC (funds to Poor Women, Infants and Children) almost 7 Million are served

The Food Benefit system, by whatever moniker, began in the 1960s and has been going over 50 years. Are there oversights? Definitely!

If any propose legislation to enforce Healthy Options for applicants, I will support such a bill. If someone proposes a GRADUAL reduction in Services, I would neither be opposed to that legislation.

Yet curtailing Food Assistance and Health Care MORE THAN HALF in a period of a few months is cruelty.

Even in the BEST CASE, independent researchers average an additional 5,000 American Deaths a month due to this breathtaking unkindness…making it over 50,000 American Deceased a year…all for Tax Cuts.

Who IS The American Grifter?

These are only a few realities in the Sacred Cause of Capital Gains.

• As high as 60% of Americans have ZERO disposable funds after paying bills each month
• For SNAP (Food Assistance), of 40 Million on benefits, 20 Million will lose them already under the Republican Big Beautiful Bill, no matter when the Shutdown ends
• Average "No Tax On Tips” Savings will be around $1,400 ANNUALLY, while Average Health Care Premium increases will be about $300 MONTHLY for those EXACT SAME BENEFICIARIES

These are the Americans worried out of their minds this evening. Not Noble. Not Evil. Merely People.

Some Notes On Those Health Care Thieving 'Mexicans'

This claim is patently FALSE. And that is coming from someone who loathes Illegals. Except, it is not true.

Illegals are forbidden BY LAW from accessing the ACA or other Health Care programs. Do any do so?

Obviously. A system which serves TENS OF MILLIONS will have some Fraud. It is juvenile to expect otherwise. But to the extent the ACA "offers” Health Care to Illegals…That is a LIE.

— Mexicans, and other Illegals, are not receiving Health Care under the ACA or other Programs

Do Mexicans, and other Illegals, abuse the EMERGENCY ROOM for Health Care? Indubitably so. Except this is allowed under Federal Law as decided by the Supreme Court in the 1980s.

MOREOVER, if you disagree, "Welcome to the World, Buttercup!”, because those of us around DURING earlier days were aware SEVERAL horror stories of American patients dumped on a sidewalk or shuffled from facility to facility when they could not pay. Seriously. That happened. FREQUENTLY.

Broken, desperate, poor CITIZENS were PHYSICALLY shoved onto the street. NO EXAGGERATION. THAT OCCURRED. MANY TIMES. No, chil'uns, you DO NOT WANT a return to such abuses.

If you are incensed with Illegal Invaders taking legitimate American resources, I'm right there with you, Chum…Only you remove them by making it Illegal to Rent and Illegal to Employ those individuals, with accompanying LENGTHY prison sentences for even minor infractions by Plutocratic American Traitors.

What you DO NOT WANT is to allow the FOR-PROFIT Health Care System to sacrifice indigent American Citizens because they can not pay by tossing people outside in the Winter snow. That's how Revolutions are born…and I would be first to fight alongside upstarts in my Gucci loafers during such a happening.

The Endemic of Perfidious Contempt

Only the other day appeared a piece in a New York newspaper decrying those "Little Folks” upset over the loss of their Affordable Care Subsidies which "amounted to less than $300 a month!!!???!!!”. (Punctuation my own, because I seethe with rage over such commentary.)

Seriously speaking, half of Americans live paycheck-to-paycheck. That means there is no "new car every few years”. No "night at the multi-plex”. No "dining out”.

Certainly not at Bernardin in Manhattan…where Columnists noshing will pay $300 a person for supper.

Finally About Finding Good Fortune

The most astounding thing in modern America is its total disregard for the importance of good fortune in making your way in life.

To work hard and succeed, that is the American Dream; to believe you can do it without luck, that is the American Delusion.

There are a million industrious, honest, good Men and Women (some better than yourself) who did everything correctly to the very best of their ability and miserably failed in this realm. And so what?

As long as you retain the knowledge that ANY ONE OF THEM COULD BE YOU, then you realized something valuable from their experiences.

To the extent some individuals labor under misbelief it is impossible anything bad can happen at any time to any one of us?…It's a level of pomposity nearly impossible to fathom.

People can hold philosophies and that's fine. People can argue practicalities and that's better.

People that deny their fates are more closely bound to their fellow Man than ever they will appreciate is cosmically reckless…and you best never forget it.

Or, as shown in the film adaptation of the novel mentioned above, "A Place In The Sun”, you are only a single accident of encounter from going down a tragically Wrong road which in the moment seems for all the world to be the Right path.

Guy Somerset writes from somewhere in America