Joke: What did the sadist do to the masochist? Punch Line: Nothing! Get it?

See, the sadist likes inflicting pain will the masochist likes receiving it, so if nothing happens everybody loses. Like right now. In Congress. Currently, and not for the first time, Republicans and Democrats in Congress — between vacations and breaks — are doing what they do best. Spending a lot of time getting nothing done. Trying to inflict pain, and blame, on the other side.

Last year, it was a series of furloughs, which cost impacted workers 20 percent of their weekly salary. That resulted in a massive number of appeals that the government had to hear and process. It cost a lot of time and money and in the end nothing happened, which is often the way government works.

The furloughs were followed by a governmentwide shutdown in which many feds were locked out of their offices — with pay — while others were forced to come into work. Since everybody paid, the shutdown was costlier than when everybody is working.

The furloughs were triggered by the sequestration process. Some agencies had them, others didn’t. Republicans accused Democrats of causing it. Democrats said it was the GOP-led House that was to blame.

In past shutdowns, Republicans more often than not have lost the PR battle with much of the public and most of the media. Whether that is right or wrong, it’s a fact.

This year, sequestration seems to have all but disappeared. Now the political battle is whether, when, and if, to fund the Department of Homeland Security while repealing a presidential executive order on immigration.

Republicans say making the immigration changes by EO was wrong and they want to eliminate them as part of the DHS funding package. Democrats say no, that the issue of the appropriation process.

DHS was supposed to run out of money last Friday at midnight. But the House and Senate extended the deadline through this week. And they may do it again.

Taxpayers — plus federal workers who have both starring and bit part roles — have seen this movie before. Unless director Woody Allen takes over with a surprise ending, the DHS will eventually be funded. If employees are locked out, about 30,000 to 40,000 will be sent home. Another 200,000 emergency or essential employees will be told to report for duty. Everybody, if the script holds, will be paid. But there could be some problems and, if there is some kind of natural or man-made disaster (can you say terrorists attack?) during any shutdown, that will provide fodder for the blame-game, S & M gang on Capitol Hill.

So we pretty much know what is going to happen. The question is when?

The only real question about the shutdown dance is when it will end, and which party represents the S and which is of the M persuasion?

NEARLY USELESS FACTOID

By Michael O’Connell

Donatien Alphonse Francois was the birth name of the Marquis de Sade. He assumed his more familiar title after the death of his father in 1797.

Source: Fun Trivia

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