Passport Update - End of 3rd Week

Today marks the end of the third week of waiting for my passport renewal and that brings us to the end of their general estimate going into it of two to three weeks for delivery.  Whether any delay from this point forward is a result of the government shutdown, the cost of fuel for transatlantic aircraft, or the Tralfamadorians interfering with world affairs to get a ride to their home planet is impossible to determine but there was an announcement at the onset of the shutdown that 'there may be delays.'

The limiting factor now is the raising of America's national debt limit and this limit will be reached on October 17, six days from today.  There is little question of a compromise being reached by that point as failure to do so results predictably in global financial chaos.  America's credit rating would get downgraded again, it's borrowing power would be reduced and more expensive, productivity would decline, etc, etc.  That decline propagates across the world and we all go to hell.  China would be enraged as it holds about a trillion dollars in American paper.  Write the rest of the hyperbole yourself.

It really doesn't particularly worry me that an agreement will not be reached but I'm greatly concerned about the political pandering that will take place between now and then.  It's making America a laughingstock but the people of America do not want that and don't deserve it.  The Washingtonian politicians are wilfully bringing this on themselves and the people be damned.

The biggest problem, in my view, is the myopic focus on the Affordable Care Act but it couldn't possibly be at the bottom of the current spending deficit problems as it hasn't even gone into full effect yet.

And so it goes.  They have six days to work it out so there will be another checkpoint next Friday to see where we stand.  Cross your fingers that the passport miraculously shows up between now and then and I can finally get into the air.


Note:  The Tralfamadorians featured in several of the novels by Kurt Vonnegut.  Some of them had crashed their spaceship on Earth and they interfered with events on Earth in causing the world wars, etc as this would send an interplanetary 'Morse code' to their home planet to signal their need for the equivalent of the Automobile Association to come out to fix their spaceship.  I love Kurt Vonnegut!