Burning List

Which is more important to the country: Snow blizzards or a jobs bill? For the short term, it would have to be the great snow blizzard of the 21st century (sponsored by Al Gore, of course), because our nation’s way of governing and progressing is literally stuck in a snowdrift and absolutely nothing is getting accomplished.

If you haven’t heard – and you would be hard-pressed to have missed it – the mid-Atlantic region, which happens to be the area of residence for our trusted lawmakers, was hit with a monster snowstorm over the weekend. And the hits keep on coming as another system is about to hit the region tonight, dropping another two feet of precipitation.

In anticipation of today’s storm, the federal government has decided to close for the day because the commute would be considered too unsafe for employees. And, for those keeping a tally, the federal government was also closed yesterday and will most likely be closed tomorrow.

Now, according to The Washington Post, it costs taxpayers roughly $100 million in lost productivity when the federal government closes, which I find extremely hard to believe. First of all, you have to be productive if you want to quantify the dollars lost when shuttering the building. Second, why can’t these people work from home??

My publisher, who lives and works in Baltimore – which was hit with even more snow than D.C. – still manages to work from home. As a matter of fact, the entire team of six is working from home until the snow is cleared. And, before I receive comments, yes, it does take a team of six to get this opinion piece to you. What do you expect for such a fine piece of writing?? Amateur hour??

Ah, but I digress. But, the reason why the team can still work, write and publish is because of technology. So, you have to ask yourself: Why is Uncle Sam unable to work from home? I realize that using high-tech equipment like a rotary phone and a Commodore 64 may be too complex for some working in D.C., but the act of governing should never stop.

There are some on Capitol Hill who are saying business is getting done, as if the statement is a way for those collecting a “free” paycheck to rid themselves of guilt. But, unless negotiations on a jobs bill are taking place between snowball fights at Dupont Circle, then let’s just say it is like nothing is getting done!

This is the exact reason why the public sector should never get mixed into the private sector, and it is even more reason why the government shouldn’t be involved with selling American made cars, dictating compensation packages, and entering the business of healthcare. Government workers have a steady paycheck with very little accountability, while private sector employees need to worry about profits, revenues, competition, strategic visions, core competencies, etc., etc., etc.

This week’s shutdown of D.C. should tell us one thing: There is absolutely no way the United States economy will ever grow if government continues to get involved with American business the way they are doing it today.

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