Home Alone

I'm home today. Here's why.

Today, OPM Director Berry announced that on Monday, December 21, 2009 federal agencies in the Washington, DC, area will be closed. Nonemergency employees (including employees on pre-approved leave) will be granted excused absence ...

The local jurisdictions have yet to clear the secondary streets of snow, and want to keep people off the roads. Personally, I could just take the bus like I always do, and no one would be the wiser. But that's not why I'm writing this. It's because I know what people outside the Beltway are going to say: "Hey, so they shut down the government. Nobody around here knows the difference."

And there's a reason.

Let's say the budget hasn't been passed, and they run out of excuses continuing resolutions, and Federal offices are forced to close. The truth is, about forty percent of the government stays open. That's the part that delivers the mail, processes taxation, oversees air traffic so you and yours can get wherever it is you and yours are going this week, and allegedly defends our borders. Believe me, if your Aunt Minnie doesn't get her Social Security check on the first of the month, you'll know the difference really fast.

On the other hand, her application for a new passport is going to have to wait.

Personally, I'd just as soon be at work today. There were two projects I wanted to complete before Christmas, and I'll have barely enough time for them now. It's times like this that it almost feels like a real job.

Don't you hate when that happens?
.