The longest government shutdown in U.S. history means millions of people are not receiving federal funds for basics—you know, things like food. People employed by Uncle Sam are either furloughed or working without pay (and delayed only, hopefully). Don’t get me going about families who count on SNAP benefits and won’t receive them for November.
To the Congress, I say this: Do your job! Pass a damn budget. Stop pissing away days whining over line items like expiring subsidies for the Affordable Care Act. Agree to punt! Fund the damn government for X number of days and fight among yourselves meantime about a final budget. Don’t punish people while you bicker like kids in the schoolyard or, worse, an angry soon-to-be-divorced couple gouging one another in spiteful rages over splitting assets (or assigning child custody).
The collateral damage is immeasurable (although someone will try to calculate it). For example, businesses that depend on people to buy staples—food—at certain times of the month lose revenue and might be forced to waste overstocked meat or produce (which I hope will be donated to food banks rather than be trashed).
There are all kinds of other categories, like eating out, that directly remove expected spending from the consumer or business economies. What about all the companies that directly do business with government, where services are curtailed or payments withheld?
The FAA has cut back air traffic at some major airports, which is chaos in the making all over the place, Safety, security, and spending are the tip of that Titanic-sinking iceberg. I could go on, but you get it—right?
Why is this on my mind enough to babble about? The Featured Image, which I shot today using Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. One of my University Heights neighbors graciously put out canned goods and other sundries for anyone to take. I call it a makeshift food bank, and we could use a few more, particularly as the stupid shutdown lingers and before forecast rain drenches San Diego later in the week.
Thanks, neighbor.
Photo vitals: f/1.7, ISO 80, 1/8000 sec, 23mm (film equivalent). I deliberately blew out the highlights in post-production and applied a filter (not sure which one).