Say Good-bye to Your Statue of Liberty Visit

The Statue of Liberty is under lock and key as the Federal government suffers a partial shut-down which officially began at twelve midnight. There will be no hiking at Yosemite, no alligator-watching at the Everglades National park, and no climbing the steps at the Statue of Liberty, until such time as the Congress becomes functional again. This sad state of affairs has deep roots. The depths of the problem are not being explored by the mass media. For instance, what has been the effect of big money on the development and rise to power of far-right Republicans, including so-called tea party members? Research has shown there was big money behind the funding of the tea party movement. And there was big money behind the effort to bring Republicans to power in state legislatures, which then set to work gerry-mandering Congressional districts in order to ensure Republican victories. So we have come to this sad low point in American history -- again. For this is not the first time Republicans have shuttered federal agencies. The last time was in 1995, and lost services and frustration were the result. I will continue to monitor the situation and will post here as time and necessity dictate.