OPINION
October 25,2013
13
$3.1 BILLION
-GOVERNMENT SERVICES
$2,432 BILLION
TRRVEL SPENDING
$1,216 BILLION
-CLOSING OF THE
NRTIDNHLPRRKS
S13.7B BILLION
-FEDERRLGCONTRRCTORWRGES
$24,000,000,000 LOST
OVER THE SPHN OF 16 DRYS
BY NICOLE BARNARD
WRIf IR
After the shutdown. Congress played the blame game as
Americans tried to make sense of it all. But ultimately, this was a
Republican shutdown.
However, Republicans blamed President Obama and the
Democrats. No surprise there.
'This is part of a larger pattern: the president's scorched-
earth policy of refusing to negotiate in (a) bipartisan way on his
health care law, current government funding or the debt limit,"
said Speaker of the House John Boehner in his Oct. 2 USA Today
editorial.
In other words, Boehner blamed the president for apparent
lack of communication. Funnily enough, it was the Republicans
who refused to negotiate.
"We passed bills to try to deal with the underlying health care
problem as well as the underlying debt and deficit problem," said
Representative Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.) according to Mother
Jones.
The "health care problem?" Did he mean the Affordable
Care Act, the health care law that our government supposedly
protects?
'The Affordable Care Act was passed by Congress, signed by
the president and upheld by the Supreme Court," said Emily
Brown, president of Guilford County Young Democrats, in an
interview with The Guilfordian.
"Allowing the GOP to make a mockery of the democratic
process because they're particularly bitter about an argument they
lost regarding a bill that is already law would be an unbelievable
injustice."
Senior William Moore, president of Guilford College
Republicans, disagreed.
"The government shutdown (happened) because ... Obama
and the Democrats failed to show leadership," Moore said. "This
problem of the president's ... compromises for bipartisanship
with the other side has been a flaw since the beginning."
Obama has a problem compromising? How ironic; that seemed
to be the Republicans' weakness, didn't it?
And shouldn't our government be willing to compromise for
the betterment of the people?
"Republican leaders ... in the House of Representatives are
holding hostage necessary government programs and benefits
from hardworking Americans who entrusted them to make
responsible choices," said Brown.
Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science Robert Duncan
agreed.
"Everybody knows who's at fault hei«," said Duncan. "It's
(the Republicans) of Congress who have resisted this all along.
They're fighting to defund the (Affordable Care Act, which) is
going to help a lot of people."
Qearly, it's the Republicans who disregarded laws in order to
get what they want. It's the Republicans who shut our government
down and furloughed thousands of workers.
"It's not the Democrats, it's not Obama (and) it's not the
Affordable Care Act," said Duncan. "It's some petty members of
Congress. I'm not on the fence on this issue at all."
Still, Moore disagreed.
"Unfortunately, Senate Democrats ... deliberately shut down
the government for the sake of raising taxes on medical devices
and plowing ahead with the Obamacare train wreck," said Moore.
Really? I'd love to see the facts to back up that statement.
Oh! But here are some facts: after an estimated total of $24
billion lost due to the shutdown, Obamacare is still a law.
" And Americans are siding with Obama and the Democrats.
According to a CBS News poll, 44 percent of Americans agreed
Republicans are to blame. People are upset with Republicans
for blatantly refusing to compromise and accept a bill that has
already been passed.
The answer is obvious: the Democrats were more than fair, and
the Republicans, who tried to discredit our entire legal system by
refusing to fund a law, tried to pin the blame onto them.
Republicans forced $24 billion government shutdown
te Ms
Too much
Cheerwhine
at The Grill
How often do you gripe about The Grill or
Quakeria?
Be honest, we've all done it — but are we
making informed complaints? Do we know
‘ what is being done to bridge the communication
gap between the company, Meriwether Godsey
and the student body?
Chris Blain, retail and sustainability manager
of Guilford Dining, addressed major concerns
at the Guilford Dining Committee meeting on
Oct. 8. Nine students, two staff members and
the Meriwether Godsey management discussed
customer feedback, communication, education
and program improvements concerning the
college's food services.
One of the biggest concerns from the student
body is the occasional shortage of any particular
item at The Grill.
Blain explained in an email interview that the
truck travels from Virginia, and if the problem
occurs frequently, he strongly suggested that
students contact him directly.
"Food is ordered based on the average
number of an item sold, and orders are placed
two days out," said Blain. "We do our best to
keep everything in stock, but if everyone is in
the mood for chicken tenders on Monday and
we sell them Ml by lunch Tuesday, I can't get
more until Wednesday."
What about the smoothie station? Why do
students have to wait so long? Blain ahd his
team are working on making sure no one is left
waiting at the register.
"The best trick when it comes to smoothies
(or anything from The Grill) is to go to the
register with a cashier," said Blain. "You can
order smoothies (or any f(x>d) fix)m either
register. Once you've ordered and paid, we'll
make your smoothie, and that way we'll know
you're waiting."
What about when the ice or syrup in the
soda machines runs out? Students are expeciied
to inform employees, but there is some buzz
about staff attitudes. With new faces on the
downstairs dining team, students may wonder
about efforte to better customer service.
"You'll notice the signs by the registers
downstairs this week inviting students to apply
for a position in the grill," said Blain. "We
are looking for a few strong folks to join our
team and help provide a stronger bond to the
community."
It's a lot easier to whine than it is to be
understanding of limitations, so step up to the
challenge; try to communicate your concerns to
the staff instead, and then make the best of it.
"If something isn't available, use that as
an opportunity to try something new," Blain
suggested. "You might just discover a new
favorite."
Reflecting,Guilford College's core Quaker values,
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ADVISER OF The Guilfordian’s Editorial Board.