A 17% Shut Down is a Good Start

So, the government has been "shut down" for about 10 days now.  Well, not really shut down.  83% of the federal government is still operating as usual.  The remaining 17% is deemed "non-essential".

Ummm...if it's non-essential, why is the federal government doing it, and why are we paying for it, in the first place?  I am a simple girl, so this is a simple thought, but haven't we just discovered a way to cut 17% pretty painlessly from the federal budget?

I know, that 17% that has been cut includes real people who earn their living working in these non-essential departments.  There are other people in essential portions of the federal government retiring or leaving their positions every day.  Couldn't these furloughed employees be given first chance to fill the positions vacated by exiting employees?

The national parks, monuments and memorials are also really great.  It is important to have them.  They remind us of the history and preserve the beauty of our great nation.  Since the shut down began, the state of Arizona has offered to pick up the tab to keep the Grand Canyon open.  A mountain community in Tennessee has a plan to keep its nearby national park open without federal funding.  Wisconsin has said they can fund these areas in their state.  The point is, individuals and communities are willing to fund the things that are important to them.  They will not wither up and close if the federal government relinquishes control.  Further, the local communities are the ones that have the vested interest in these venues so they are likely to take better care of them and operate them more efficiently than Washington DC ever could.  The problem is that it isn't about where the money comes from, it is all about control.

The most repugnant thing about this so-called shut down is the fact that our veterans are being unfairly targeted with threats to cut their death benefits, trying to prevent them from visiting their memorials and, in general, making their lives more difficult.  Taking care of our veterans is not a budget issue, it is a moral issue.  Period.  Here again, private charities have stepped up and said that they will fund the gap.  We love our vets and they will not do without. Ever.  For an administration that is so conscious of "optics", they sure screwed up on this one.  The smallness, pettiness and stupidity of messing with our vets pulls back the veil of who these people are in a way that nothing else they have done to this point has been able to do. 

If it were up to me, I would keep this shutdown going.  In about 6 months, new plans and procedures will be up and running and everyone will have adjusted to life without government interference in these areas.  Then, let's shut down another 17% of non-essential services and repeat the process.  As the government shrinks and gets out of the way, the private sector will grow, bringing jobs, prosperity and pride back to our nation.  That's the change I hope for.