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Show Viewpoints The A-11 Park Record. Wed/Thurs/Fri, January 16-18, 2019 editorial Mayhem awaits, but Parkites will survive with sanity intact T guest editorial The public should reject the sham of government shutdowns JIM GRIESEMER University of Denver Almost everyone these days is thinking about government shutdowns. The most recent stoppage of public services is about funding the expansion of the border wall with Mexico. But shutting the government down is hardly a new idea. Just 11 months ago, there was a several-day shutdown over childhood immigrants (Dreamers). Five years ago there was a 16-day shutdown over the Affordable Care Act. The previous record for shutdowns was a three-week period where President Clinton and House Republicans led by Speaker Newt Gingrich couldn’t agree on a government spending bill. In total, over the past 42 years there have been some 20 government shutdowns ranging in length from a few hours to 21 days, averaging nearly a week long. The media sometimes covers the battle over government shutdowns like a sporting event. It’s President Barack Obama’s strategy in the battle with Speaker John Boehner, or creating fear on the opposing side, or changing the playbook and adjusting the game plan. Sounds a lot like a football game on TV. Exciting, entertaining, bold — you can practically see the X’s and O’s and curved sweep lines on the playboard. The players — Congress and the president in this case — often seem to treat shutdowns as a tactical event, an exercise in one-upmanship, a battle to prove who is king of the hill. But it’s not entertainment for regular Americans who are suffering increasingly significant inconvenience or furloughed government workers trying to make ends meet without a paycheck. While it’s hard to estimate the total cost of a government shutdown in terms of money, economic growth and impact on citizens, the Office of Management and Budget made a serious attempt to do so in a study of the 16day closure in 2013. The report is extensive, but here are a few highlights: • Federal employees were furloughed for a combined total of 6.6 million days costing taxpayers over $2 billion for public services that could not be performed. • The closure reduced U.S. economic growth, costing the economy between $2 and $6 billion during the period of the shutdown. • Public services to citizens and businesses were dramatically affected. They included: delaying almost $4 billion in tax refunds; preventing hundreds of patients from enrolling in clinical trials, delaying home loan decisions for 8,000 rural families, and slowing small business contracts with the Department of Defense by 40 percent — and that is just a very small sample of the impacts detailed in the study. The thousands of U.S. citizens and federal workers denied important services or their economic livelihoods during a government shutdown may just be collateral damage in the minds of some in the political class. But those impacted are citizens, voters, taxpayers and public employees — all fellow Americans — so they should count for something. The budget brinkmanship that spawns most government shutdowns is nearly always wrapped in high-sounding phrases relating to important issues. The battles are purportedly about “securing the border,” “saving taxpayer money,” “protecting the unborn,” “helping business grow,” “creating jobs” and so on. But, when the shutdown finally ends, the outcome is predictable: The big, important issues are almost never resolved. That’s because most such issues are not, at their cores, budget issues. The budget battle serves as a symbolic skirmish — creating smoke, sound and fury to impress the political base — while avoiding deeper issues. However, halting public services is not merely a symbolic act to American citizens. They are the ones who actually pay the price in wasted taxpayer dollars, economic decline and personal inconvenience. So perhaps it’s time to stop punishing the public for the sake of greater party power, political bragging rights or the gratification of congressional or presidential egos. Government officials exist to solve public problems not transfer them to citizens through shutdowns. Voters have every reason to demand genuine performance from public officials and reject the sham of shutdowns. Jim Griesemer is professor and dean emeritus at the University of Denver where he directs DU’s Strategic Issues Program. He can be reached at Jim. Griesemer@du.edu. The Park Record Staff PUBLISHER ....................... Andy Bernhard Editor ................................... Bubba Brown Staff Writers ......................Jay Hamburger Scott Iwasaki Angelique McNaughton Ben Ramsey Carolyn Webber Alder Contributing ............................. Tom Clyde Writers Jay Meehan Teri Orr Amy Roberts Tom Kelly Joe Lair Copy Editor ............................ James Hoyt Engagement Editor..Christopher Samuels Photographer .........................Tanzi Propst Office Manager ..................... Tiffany Piper Circulation Manager ............. Lacy Brundy Accounting Manager ......... Jennifer Snow ADVERTISING Advertising Director ........... Valerie Spung Administrative Assistant . Jessica Burlacu Advertising Sales ................... Jodi Hecker Erin Donnelly Lindsay Lane Sharon Bush Production Director ..................Ben Olson Production ........................Chelsea Babbitt letter to the editor Little things make a difference Editor: Mr. Dean’s somewhat tongue-incheek letter, “None of us will be able to reverse climate change, so don’t waste time talking about it” is not entirely wrong. Climate change is too far advanced to avoid disaster. The seas are rising; weather patterns are changing. People will suffer and people will die (as well as other species) as a result of climate change. The question is how many and how soon. This is where the little things that each one of us does to reduce green house gases make a difference. Robin Filion Park City he countdown to the Sundance Film Festival is on. And the FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships is right on its heels. Before they arrive, spend the next week soaking up the relative peace and quiet while you still can. Get out on the mountain. Go cross-country skiing at one of the many venues around Summit County. Catch a movie without having to buy tickets in advance, wait in line or brave the Sundance crowds. Recharge your batteries. You’re going to need them. When the festival kicks off Jan. 24, it’s going to be bedlam in Park City for two and a half weeks. We’ll share our town with tens of thousands of festival-goers and winter sports enthusiasts. Driving will be a nonstarter, particularly during peak hours. Grocery stores will be packed. Want to grab a bite to eat on Main Street? Better have a reservation. No doubt about it: It’s going to be exhausting. We are accustomed to Sundance’s 11-day sprint. We make it to the end tired — and sometimes with a nasty cough — but always with plenty of stories to tell and inspired by the filmmakers’ creativity and passion. This year, though, the World Championships, which run through Feb. 10, will be ramping up as the festival is ending. Of course, putting up with the mayhem is worth it. Park City relishes its role in fostering independent film, and Parkites are eager to attend screenings and rub shoulders with Hollywood. Likewise, we’re thrilled to build on our history as a winter sports mecca by hosting the World Championships for the first time since 2011. It means there will be eight more days of crowds once Sundance ends, but plenty of Parkites will brave them, given that the best winter sports athletes in the world will be competing at Deer Valley Resort and Park City Mountain Resort. Cities all over the country would consider hosting either event an immense honor. We get to do both. Is the prospect of doing it within the span of less than three weeks daunting? Sure. But Parkites will rise to the occasion, just like we always do. Most of us will reach the other side with our sanity intact. In the meantime, all we can do is buckle up and prepare. guest editorial As shutdown continues, corporate America should step up for furloughed workers JOHN WHITE Midway Greed by the financial institutions on Wall Street caused the recession of 2008. It was the American taxpayer that eventually bailed them out in order to restore their financial insolvency. Now is the time that corporations can come to the aid of 800,000 laid off or furloughed federal employees in a humanitarian manner. If a major financial institution like Wells Fargo were to introduce a procedure to delay without any penalty monthly mortgage payment requirements for federal workers, other institutions would inevitably follow its lead. If a major credit card company like American Express would delay without penalty their monthly charge bill, I am sure others would follow as well. If a major grocery chain like Kroger would absorb federal workers’ food costs, others would follow. If a major Pharmacy company like Lily would absorb prescription drug costs for the workers, I am sure other companies would soon follow its example. The logistics of this gesture would not be difficult to administer. The unemployed federal worker would simply submit to the institution(s) or company(s) a copy of a past paycheck stub or some other identification to indicate that he or she is a valid federal worker. Americans helping Americans during times of natural disasters are rather commonplace. But corporations coming to the aid of innocent victims caught between the politics of running a government would be unprecedented. However, there is a more expeditious solution to the federal workers’ dilemma and it falls completely in the hands of two people; Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell and President Donald Trump. As you know the Senate unanimously passed a bipartisan bill to keep the government from shutting down prior to the Christmas holiday. The bill was presented by Mitch McConnell to the president and he promptly rejected signing it. Since then, McConnell has refused to bring any new bill to the president for fear that he would reject it as well. The solution is simple: All Mitch McConnell has to do is follow his sworn oath to uphold the mandates as written in the Constitution by resubmitting the already bipartisan approved Senate bill to the president once again. If he vetoes the bill, it is then returned to the House and Senate for revision or Congress can vote to overturn his veto and the bill becomes law. Lastly, President Trump’s campaign promise to build a wall on the southern border of the United States touting that Mexico would pay for its construction with a resounding “mark my words!” However, he now wants the American taxpayer to pay for the wall holding federal workers as hostages in a government shutdown in order to get Congress to approve over $5 billion for its construction. This bullying tactic should mark the end his presidency. “Mark My Words!” The Park record Pulse Here’s a sampling of the conversation readers are having on our Facebook page. To visit the page, go to Facebook.com/parkrecord/. There are so many fantastic success stories of what transpired with motivated people after the last two Marches ... So much has been put into action and I see it continuing (albeit exhausting) keep voting, keep fighting the good fight!” Cindy Roy Levine, on article titled “Sundance 2019: no Women’s March on Main, no Respect Rally in Park City” Well written! I agree. This is a program that works for PC! It’s getting over the top there. Preserve what you have or face the consequences. There is plenty of land still near Heber and other areas to build some affordable housing. Not in town but close enough.” Sheri Lukas, on article titled “Amy Roberts: If we don’t figure housing out, J-1 visas will become J-none” I liked reading this. It’s so true! Sad, but true. I’ve been saying stuff like this recently too. Few people use public transportation we’re all spoiled rotten with cars that take us wherever we want to go. I don’t think people will change until they’re choking on the air. I happen to live in a 620 square foot home and don’t crank the heat. I try to be better, but it feels fruitless when so many don’t.” Esther Van Lent, on guest editorial titled “None of us will reverse climate change, so stop talking about it” Let’s see here wages have stayed stagnant for the majority of citizens for years and the cost of living has skyrocketed. Education, housing, healthcare are all ridiculously high. Many people now have the hard choice of buying an iPhone or a season lift pass or health care/ education. Pick your priorities you middle class rubes.” Jon Doebler, on article titled “For ski industry, replacing aging, loyal customers a challenge” We love Sundance FF! Bring it on! It helps support so many local businesses, houses get sold, people end up coming back in the summer time, and it’s really fun to to go the movies, see famous people, and to stay after the movie to partake in the Q&A. If you don’t like it, then go somewhere else during the time that makes the most $$ for out town. It’s a win/win situation.” Carey O’Malia Gross, on article titled “Sundance 2019: Park City drafts cheat sheet outlining the rules” Finding housing for the J1’s shouldn’t be up to the city it should be up to the employers — and/or ski areas or hotels that are employing them!” Lauren Keiser, on article titled “Amy Roberts: If we don’t figure housing out, J-1 visas will become J-none” The Park Record attained permission to publish these comments. |