By Michael Woyton
Think about what has happened over the past three days and how each of us is reacting to the ensuing chaos.
We have a president who was, a few years ago, president for four years and seemingly didn’t care to learn even a little bit about how things work or how to do his job then.
Flash forward to today and there’s not much that’s changed.
Donald J. Felon prefers to obsess over present and past grievances, such as being asked by a leader of a religious order to have mercy and compassion on those less fortunate, continuing to hold a grudge against a political opponent over whom he was victorious in the November election and threatening to pull the plug on a cable channel that doesn’t offer up, except for maybe a couple of morning show hosts, the proper amount of respect.
Adding to the unsettling nature of the new administration is the felon-in-chief’s blanket pardon, and the GOPmaga’s almost total acceptance, of those accused and convicted of taking part in the Capitol Building riots that resulted in death and injuries to police officers just trying to do their jobs.
Meanwhile, a gigantic chaotic firehose was turned on the American government and public of executive orders the purpose of which is to erase not only the previous administration’s accomplishments but even those of Lyndon Johnson, i.e., forbidding employment discrimination based on race, color, religion and national origin by organizations that received federal contracting.
Can you imagine that in one fell swoop the adjudicated rapist-in-chief has completely solved discrimination in the United States — simply by saying it no longer exists? That will make all those insecure white men who complain about “those people” taking all the jobs feel better for sure. Not that those insecure white men were qualified for any of the jobs they didn’t get.
Thrown to the wolves in the EOs are also people who are LGBTQ+, especially those who are transgender, anyone involved with diversity, equity and inclusion, long-time federal civil servants, federal employees who work from home, migrants and humanity who will no doubt be affected by the U.S. withdrawing from climate change agreements. And that is just skimming the surface of the chaos.
The firehose of EOs is adding to the feeling of chaos by including a governmentwide hiring freeze, according to an article by Government Executive by Eric Katz.
Exceptions are allowed for jobs related to immigrant enforcement, national security, public safety and positions “related to distribution of benefits to veterans, Medicare recipients and Social Security recipients.”
Katz wrote that that will allow large swaths of the federal government to continue hiring.
However, there are fears among those at Veterans Affairs medical centers that critical health care specialties will not be able to be filled.
It remains unclear whether the EO even applies to those posts, Military Times reported, and the nominee to lead the VA, former Georgia Rep. Doug Collins, said he is still looking into the new rule but is optimistic it will not adversely impact veterans’ care.
So the felon-in-chief just throws something at the wall and sees what will stick or what his minions can make workable.
And because everything the Biden administration did, according to the felon and his supporters, was suspect and horrible, the new keepers of the flame have ignored any and all advice.
Officials from Biden’s administration warned that the VA would likely need several billion dollars more in its budget to keep hiring in order to maintain current service levels.
Alas, the hiring freeze could make staffing levels even worse, according to California Rep. Mark Takano, who is ranking member of the House VA Committee.
In a statement, he said veterans could face “significant wait times for medical appointments and reductions in access to care and benefits,” Military Times reported.
American Federation of Government Employees President Everett Kelley said in a statement that the freeze was not about making the government run more efficiently, but “rather is about sowing chaos and targeting a group of patriotic Americans that President Trump openly calls crooked and dishonest.”
There’s that word again: Chaos.
Lead art: Screen grab from Google Maps.
On Second Thought 