God Help America: some random venting

On top of the daily activities that bring their fair amount of stress, we have had the "opportunity" over the past few weeks to worry about whether or not we would continue to be paid for Zach's service to our country while waiting to see if our government would "shut down." This whole situation had me frustrated, to say the least.  I tried to remain positive and hopeful as the topic seemed to dominate the few moments I do get to share on the phone with my husband while he is deployed.  As the wonderful provider that he is, Zach was obviously concerned and stressed about whether or not our family would be taken care of.  We didn't want to be alarmist about the situation and get caught up in the sensationalism of the situation as presented by some of the media sources out there, but we needed to be realistic about the fact that we may receive reduced pay or cease to receive a paycheck at all for a while.  I have to believe that we are not unique, and that many, if not most, other military families felt the same.

There are many wonderful blessings and opportunities that come from being a military family.  We are honored and proud of Zach's service, and I also feel that I (and the kids for that matter) am serving in some capacity too, and for that I have an added sense of pride.  For those that know my husband, you know that he has a strong feeling of duty to country and enjoys being part of something that is far greater than himself.  He executes this through his strive toward excellence in being an officer (and a darn good one if I do say so myself!) in the United States Air Force.  As many of you also know, we are in the middle of a 4+ month deployment, so this news came at a particularly difficult time for our family.

I love this country and I feel that the United States is the best nation in the world, but what is going on?!  This behavior by our government leaders is absolutely shameful!  It is selfish and disgusting!  I am disappointed and downright angry that our politicians could do this to families, especially those actively serving at war!  I realize that they finally came to an agreement to make some budget cuts and salvage some programs at the same time that seemed to make both Republicans and Democrats satisfied, but the fact that they waited until the 11th hour to do so, is inexcusable!  The amount of concern that they provided during their "stand still" was completely unnecessary and avoidable.

But, in the end, what can we do?  Really?  Has Washington gone so far down the toilet that it is un-salvageable?  Is the corruption so pervasive that it is unrealistic to think that it can be eradicated?  I am not a very politically-minded person and, quite frankly,  usually follow politics so far as they relate to me or my family, but this situation has reminded me that I have a responsibility to get informed, stay informed, and make informed decisions when it comes to casting my vote(s) on election day.  I pray for our nation and its leaders, but I also need to pray for its citizens (including myself) that we will make wise choices when it comes to choosing (granted, sometimes from a very crappy selection) representatives at the local, state and national level.  I don't know what "the answer" is or if one even exists, but things cannot continue to go on this way.  God bless America and God help us too!