Quick Hits 2013.10.03

A collection of random observations concerning the ongoing government shutdown:

Darrell Issa gets it right.

Speaking of obama, the  California Republican said "I think he's nonessential personnel..."

Harry Reid gets it wrong.

CNN reporter Dana Bash asked Reid if he would consider passing a bill that funds the National Institute of Health:

BASH: But if you can help one child who has cancer, why wouldn’t you do it?

REID: Why would we want to do that?

The National Park Service runs amok.

More personnel sent to WWII memorial than Benghazi; Park Service closes park it doesn't run

-- At the World War II Memorial on The Mall in Washington, where veterans have been staging protests to keep it open, Washington Examiner's Charlie Spiering reports that at least seven officials were dispatched Wednesday morning to set up a ring of barricades to block tourists from the memorial. That is two more than the State Department had in Benghazi a year ago on the night of the terrorist attack that killed four, including the U.S. ambassador.

-- National Park Officials closed down the educational Claude Moore Colonial Farm near the CIA in McLean, Va., even though the federal government doesn't fund or staff the park popular with children and schools. Just because the privately-operated park is on Park Service land, making the federal government simply its landlord, the agency decided to close it.

Pointing to Park Service claims that parks have to be closed because the agency can’t afford staff during the government closure, (Anna Eberly, the managing director wrote: “What utter crap. We have operated the Farm successfully for 32 years after the NPS cut the Farm from its budget in 1980 and are fully staffed and prepared to open today. But there are barricades at the Pavilions and entrance to the Farm. And if you were to park on the grass and visit on your own, you run the risk of being arrested. Of course, that will cost the NPS staff salaries to police the Farm against intruders while leaving it open will cost them nothing.”

She added: “In all the years I have worked with the National Park Service, first as a volunteer for six years in Richmond where I grew up, then as an NPS employee at the for eight very long years and now enjoyably as managing director for the last 32 years — I have never worked with a more arrogant, arbitrary and vindictive group representing the NPS. I deeply apologize that we have to disappoint you today by being closed but know that we are working while the National Park Service is not — as usual.”

Cutting Off Your Nose To Spite Your Face

Cancelling the military academy football games this weekend, as threatened by the obama administration, is not only unnecessary, but costly. The games don't use federal funds. They are paid for through the athletic associations at the academies, which are privately funded. In fact, cancelling the games will result in a revenue loss of around $4 million.

The potential revenue loss to the Naval Academy Athletic Association would likely exceed $4 million, he said. That money comes from ticket sales, sponsorship, parking and concession revenue. The largest revenue stream is the payout NAAA receives from CBS Sports Television…

The Naval Academy Athletic Association is a private organization not funded by the government...

But the Naval Academy and its sister schools report to the Defense Deprtment, which obeys the orders of its political master - obama.

This is nothing but cheap and transparent grandstanding at its sleaziest. But it's what we've come to expect from obama and the democrats.