Fire the Police, and Make it Hurt

I read today that a group of WWII veterans went to Washington DC to see the WWII memorial. This trip was arranged by the Honor Flight Network. Some of these veterans have been planning these trips, at great expense, and sometimes at some risk, for years.  For many, it will be the last chance they may get to see the memorial. They were met with barricades barring access to the capitol mall.

Many of these veterans gave limbs and friends, as well as their own service to the cause of freedom, and have a legitimate claim to a sense of "ownership" of that mall.  They reportedly ignored the barriers and "broke in".

You would expect the president to treat these veterans well; to find a way to work around the "shutdown" and ensure that they are honored. After all, they are voters, too.

Not so.

News reports suggest that the administration knew this visit was coming, and was asked to help. Rather than trying to accommodate the veterans, they deliberately made sure that no exception was made.  It appears that the politics of maximizing the pain of the "shutdown" trumped everything else. There is irony in the fact that in the case of this memorial, it costs more to keep people out than to let them in.

Fans of Big Government love this cynical tactic. Mark Dayton used it to advantage in Minnesota, and Obama used it in previous budget fights. If they threaten to cut the budget, start by firing the police.