Governement Shutdown - A Silent Minority at Grave Loss

As of today we are in day three of the government shutting down and although many are affected, there are some that are affected that we don't even know about.  This article highlights those who are involved in clinical trials that have funding through the government.  In this particular case, the individuals who are mentioned in this article are cancer patients.

Many of the patients have already had a difficult journey with their treatments, and as the article identifies, many were looking to the clinical trials as their last hope.  With the government in shut down mode, there will be no treatments, no interventions, nothing for them.

It is rather frustrating, as I am sure many of us are, to have this outcome for our country occur.  Another journalist, Bob Greene, reports that as Americans we should get our money back.  He writes in the article that we have no choice but to pay income tax for the very manner in having our government operate and work for us.  When it refuses to operate, we should get our money back with interest.  He uses some humor in his writing and makes an analogy of the purchase of an airline ticket.  If the airline leaves you stranded in a city (not your final destination), the individual then has a right to ask for money to be returned as services that were paid for were not rendered.

My point with this article is for us to identify there are so many individuals who are being affected by the government shut down - many, of whom, are probably not highly visible to us.  Let's try to be cognizant that many individuals, families, and communities are being negatively impacted by this shutdown.