When the Citizens decide to remove even a teeny tiny amount of their hard earned money from Government, the reaction is generally swift, vindictive, and done in a way to say “go ahead, and we will hurt you by taking away stuff that we really don’t have to – but we can, so we will”. That is the Washington Monument Syndrome – let’s deprive all those families to whom a trip to DC might well be a once-in-a-lifetime moment, or a school year ending trip. The Government turned into the Soup Nazi: no <interesting thing to visit> for you!
Now, on one hand, I don’t have ANY problem with this Washington Monument moment – or days!
The IRS will shut down entirely for five days this year in order to try to meet its slimmed-down budget under the sequesters, a labor union that represents Treasury Department employees said on Friday.
The IRS will close its doors on May 24, June 14, July 5, July 22 and Aug. 30, and employees are being told there could be two other days as well.
“On those days all public operations of the IRS will be shut down, leaving taxpayers without access to information and assistance from frontline workers,” the National Treasury Employees Union said.
Right – completely closed. Waiting for a return?
Be prepared to wait longer. Need to get a question answered to be able to file other IRS paperwork that have deadlines? You are screwed (because I am betting that even if THEY are shut down, you are still responsible (you aren’t allowed to pull your own Washington Monument minute).
Now, does shutting down completely make sense? Of course not – if you and I were running the place, we wouldn’t go all in, we’d stagger / overlay when who goes out for a day. We would say “shutting down is stupid – we are supposed to service customers not make this political.” But, such is the way with Government and Citizens’ money.
But for this at the tail end of the spot?
“Like all federal employees, those at the IRS are well into the third year of a pay freeze,” said NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley, “and now they face the unwelcome prospect of a pay cut resulting from unpaid furlough days.”
You are not entitled to a job (believe it or not) – if you are unhappy, you still can look for a different situation with a package that might fit your personal needs better.
(H/T: Washington Times)
