“So, are they going to do it again?” Splash was cranky this morning, and his question was stated as fact.

Loma was languid. “What do you mean by those two thoughts? You say “it,” and then you say “again.” What the hell are you talking about?”

Splash thought for a moment, or at least gave a pause to make it plausibly acceptable that he had done so. “I suppose that is fair, since you could argue that it is the budget thing, since the current Continuing Resolution of the Congress of the United States will expire tomorrow. So that could be the “it” we are talking about and that “it” has real consequences for everyone who draws a check from the government. “Again” would fit, too, since this is the second version of the CR that is about to expire.”

“Relax,” said Rocket. “Word on the media is that some members of Speaker Pelosi’s party are saying they have worked a deal out that will enable the government to continue to operate through the 18th of February. That is almost ten weeks of holiday fun before we have to look at the public checkbook again. But it was the Appropriations people that were talking, and you know about them.”

DeMille frowned. “But it actually solves nothing, and only allows the idea of a Fiscal Year 2022 to go on without an actual budget almost half-way through the fiscal year it is supposed to fund.”

Melissa looked particularly radiant under the mottled gray Piedmont sky. “As you know, this is not what anything is actually about. Most of us in the business will shrug, and go on, since we are now in a different system of taxation, regulation and spending not completely controlled by anyone specifically mentioned in any of our founding documents. Relaxing may be counter-intuitive, given the implications of all this fundamental change, but it might be the best long-term strategy.”

Splash seemed slightly mollified by her reasoned approach to something that actually needs to be done today or tomorrow by close of business, whenever that is. “But suppose I was talking about the plague? That is a big “it,” you know?”

Melissa dug in the classy Louis Vuitton purse she got on eBay at an unusually good price, though the shipping was naturally pretty steep. She produced a slightly used mask and a sheaf of papers fresh from her printer. “I have been following the new variant of the Covid virus. You know that the Omicron version is spreading and the first documented case in the United States was reported in California.”

“I heard the individual was fully vaccinated and is recovering nicely.”

“That is similar to what was reported in South Africa, that this version is relatively mild.”

“Records of infectious disease suggest many of these viral infections tend to get less lethal over time. That does not mean it is not serious.”

“I looked at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention website. They say it takes two years to compile accurate statistics, so there are no publicly available statistics on which to base a response.”

“We should take precautions,” said DeMille slowly. “But not not overreact. There was a ton of regular and quite routine medical stuff that was shut down during the reaction to Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta variants. The whole thing appears to be a mess in terms of reporting criteria, oversensitivity of test protocols, and co-morbidity issues.”

“But the emergencies offered a lot of opportunity for other stuff to get all rolled into one thing to make the panic more intense.”

“Which isn’t a medical emergency as a political one. According to the CDC, we got along with annual flu deaths as high as 50,000 without panicking about it.”

“It makes you wonder about why they would do a smash and grab at a Home Depot store. I thought they were after the high value stuff,” said Loma, looking at Melissa’s purse.

“Nope. They were stealing crowbars and sledgehammers.”

There were more than a couple smiles of irony around the circle. Splash got up, and we were not sure if he was going to head for the Mr. & Mrs. Coffee industrial size-dispenser or the keys to the pickup truck. “Assuming that something is done about the budget, and the plague isn’t an immediate concern, I should point out that as the dispute about Critical Thinking continues to rise, mostly about the peculiar institution that existed here a hundred and fifty years ago, we really ought to call that “it,” and the human trafficking they talk about means it is going on again. Shouldn’t we be at least as concerned about something happening right now as what happened when our great grandparent’s great-grandparents were alive?”

DeMille nodded, aware of the complexities of modern thought. “I think the keys to the pickup truck are the best solution at the moment. We can worry about the budget when we start thinking about money again on the 18th of February.”

“Why did they pick that day? Do some coupons expire?”

“Nope. It is the Friday before President’s Day and in the shadow of the Full Wolf Moon.”

“Thank goodness,” said Rocket, and lit up a Marlboro, and exhaled smoke toward what was still smoldering in the Fire Ring. “At least it all makes sense.”

Copyright 2021 Vic Socotra
www.vicsocotra.com