The Weather
The view from my window this morning, looking over the
Wasatch Mountains, was of broken light clouds on high, with some dark,
snow-bearing clouds over the Wasatch peaks. Utah, like much of the country, had
a wet winter, with snow totals at one of the ski resorts exceeding 700 inches,
a new record. The sun was shining through, and I thought perhaps today would be
a break from 14 days of rain; however, that was not to be the case, and my grass
will have to wait for another day to be mowed.
It seems that our Capitol is mired in pettiness; with both
sides blaming the other for refusing to act like adults. While the country
waits for aid to assist with natural disasters, our roads and bridges continue
to crumble beneath us, and our allies wonder if we are still their friends; our
government battles, not along lines of ideology, but instead on personal picks
and grievances. It appears to me, and I think to many Americans, that “our”
elected officials and governing body have traded what is good for America for
what is good for them, personally. Even today, an infrastructure bill that was
bipartisan in design and approval was halted, because one representative, Texas
Republican Chip Roy, got upset about what wasn’t in the bill. (Money for the
border wall.)
This has become all too typical of Washington today.
Bills that should pass, like this one that would help not only our infrastructure,
but our job market and the economy in general, are held hostage for the
President’s pet project. The value, or not, of the wall was not in question in
the legislation, in fact, it was not mentioned in the legislation. So why hold
up money for needed work? Would it be so hard for Congress to pass needed
legislation and then, in an appropriate manner, discuss the funding of the now-infamous
wall? Will this Congress, and this Administration, go down in history as the
Congress that couldn’t get anything done for the citizens of this great country?
I had hoped this bill would pass, all seemed in order,
and then perhaps Congress could take up other meaningful legislation and begin
to move our country forward; but that was not to be the case.
Instead, like my lawn waiting for sunshine, America
will have to wait even longer for Washington to clean up it’s act.