Shutdown Blues

Over the last several weeks, I began having some difficulty on what to write about for my next blog.  So I looked back at what had been happening to me, and lo and behold, the answer was staring me right in the face. 

All this talk about the Government shutdown and reaching the country’s debt ceiling limit. . .whether you’re a fan of Government or not, the current situation is quite disconcerting. For the time being, every facet of our lives that is even remotely touched by the Federal Government is on hold until things get settled. 

The shutdown has a direct impact on me. I haven’t been to work at the Department of Veterans Affairs since October 7. And I’m not exactly looking forward to all the work that will have piled up once this is all over and done with. 

Even though there’s talk that all Federal employees will get paid when it’s all over, that doesn’t help me or anyone else who’s in the same boat that I’m in when you have no paycheck coming in until after you all go back to work.  No one knows when that will take place or how. I can only imagine how much more in taxes will be taken out when that check does come in the mail (or via direct deposit). 

I’ve always prided myself on being steadily employed – no breaks in my resume. With the exception of the two years after I graduated from college, I’ve always had a steady job. Even when I wasn’t working after college, I was employed part-time, deejaying at the Bar Bombay and working my summer job at Monmouth Park Race Track until I started working up in the city back in April 1983. It’s been non-stop ever since until now. 

A few years ago, I was on a panel at Camp College, a weeklong trip for underprivileged high school juniors and seniors that was held at Monmouth University. I emphasized to the kids there that education was the key to their lives, and that when one becomes educated, one can become steadily employed and change jobs if necessary without any fear of having one’s family’s lives disrupted. I knew this from experience, because I went through it several times. 

Most recently, when the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission announced in 2005 that Fort Monmouth was going to be closed down in 2011, I started looking for another job right away. It took me a little over four years, but another job came along at an Army base in northern New Jersey back in 2009. I drove 75 miles one way to work by car every day. I had resigned myself that I’d work for about 8-10 years and retire from there. Even though the commute was tedious, I did what I had to do for my family. 

Three months later, I was offered a job in the VA in Eatontown, and I’ve been there for almost four years now. My commute went from 75 miles one way to about 4. 

So now I sit at home, trying to be positive and upbeat about this Government shutdown. I have been using my free time constructively, cleaning out the basement and a few other parts of the house that I normally wouldn’t have had the time to do if I was working. 

I have my own opinions as to who’s more at fault in causing this situation than not, but I’ll hold them to myself for fear of blowing up the Patch’s comments section. 

But in the meantime, I hope and pray that the politicians in Washington DC settle this thing soon. . .or at least only make it last long enough until my house is spotless. 

(The entire Jersey Shore Retro Blogography can be found at http://longbranch.patch.com/blogs/kevin-cieris-blog .You can also follow Kevin Cieri's blog on his Facebook page, "Jersey Shore Retro" as well as on Twitter @jsretro).