(FYI:\u00a0 This is not a sports post.\u00a0 I promise.)<\/i><\/p>\n
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In an epic shootout, neither team seemed able to miss.\u00a0 Each was continuously on the offensive.\u00a0 They would sling the ball down the field, seemingly with ease, with previous rumors of solid defense having eerily dissipated as the game continued to unfold.\u00a0 Fans in the stands, proudly donned their colors, cheering loudly and only for the team they\u2019ve become devoted to via passion and habit…\u00a0 habit and passion.\u00a0 Yes, the fans have been rooting for their team for so long, so loyally, so blindly,<\/i> that it did not matter the epic effort both teams were putting forth.\u00a0 It did not matter the significance of the moment nor any semblance of ethical play.\u00a0 The reality is that the play of the other team did not matter regardless of how historic or unprecedented.<\/p>\n
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It also did not matter what the other team said \u2014 before or after the game.\u00a0 They are, after all, the other team.<\/i>\u00a0 The other team always talks trash… right??<\/i>\u00a0 Or so we perceive.<\/p>\n
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The bottom line is that the fans and the team only want one thing.\u00a0 They want to win.<\/i><\/p>\n
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Our culture\u2019s prioritization of winning unfortunately often allows foolishness to fall under the guise of something it\u2019s not.\u00a0 We want to win.<\/i>\u00a0 And so we quit listening and considering and offering one another the respect each man deserves in order to form that more perfect union.\u00a0 As opposed to looking for the best, most effective solution, we instead focus on winning.<\/i><\/p>\n
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Friends, regardless of how often the President and congressional Democrats and Republicans examine their internal polling data, no one is winning<\/i> the current government shut down.\u00a0 Regardless of the cyber space status updates by the fans in the stands, no one is winning.\u00a0 <\/i>In fact this game is not about winning.<\/i><\/p>\n
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There is a problem that needs to be solved more than the scoring of any political points.\u00a0 The problem with the current shut down and debt ceiling debate is that Democrat and Republican congressmen and presidents have kicked the budgetary can down the road for far too long.\u00a0 They have each utilized a politically expedient approach to fund their party initiatives instead of responsibly fund the federal government.<\/p>\n
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Let\u2019s face it… our elect have been arguing (and yes, the so-called mature are arguing)<\/i> over a \u201cC.R.,\u201d a \u201ccontinuing resolution.\u201d\u00a0 Continuing resolutions are only necessary when no budget exists.\u00a0 No federal budget has existed for the last 5 years.\u00a0 Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has even said there\u2019s \u201cno need\u201d to have one.\u00a0 Every financial entity, my friends \u2014 from our minute households to major corporations \u2014 operates on some kind of budget.\u00a0 Our federal government has avoided crafting and passing a budget for 5 years.<\/p>\n
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Budgets let us know the specifics of how much we\u2019re spending and what we\u2019re spending our money on.\u00a0 They provide a framework for fiscal accountability, financial prudence, and future planning; they thus allow us to ensure entitlement spending doesn\u2019t exponentially \u2014 and unsustainably \u2014 expand.\u00a0 Without a budget, there is little to no accountability, prudence, and planning.<\/p>\n
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Hence, the bottom line of the current issue is not about Obamacare nor about the Republicans or Democrats holding anything \u201chostage\u201d (geepers).<\/i>\u00a0 The bottom line is that the stalemate exists because our elect continue to kick the fiscal can down the road and neglect dealing with an unsustainable pattern of deficit spending.\u00a0 CR\u2019s are not budgets; they are only provisions for continued spending.\u00a0 The debate over more unsustainable spending \u2014 without accountability, prudence, and planning \u2014 is the bottom line of the current shut down.<\/p>\n
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Back to the epic shootout… I was actually thinking of Sunday\u2019s Broncos-Cowboys game, the 4th highest scoring game in the history of the NFL.\u00a0 Each team was playing to win…\u00a0 unfortunately, for far too many of us, just like them, just like the elect, winning is often more important than recognizing the significance of the moment and any semblance of ethical play.<\/p>\n
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Respectfully,<\/p>\n
AR<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
(FYI:\u00a0 This is not a sports post.\u00a0 I promise.) In an epic shootout, neither team seemed able to miss.\u00a0 Each was continuously on the offensive.\u00a0 They would sling the ball down the field, seemingly with ease, with previous rumors of solid defense having eerily dissipated as the game continued to unfold.\u00a0 Fans in the … <\/p>\n