Where Were ‘Crippling’ Effects of Shutdown?

The Times Jan. 5 reporting on “disruption of lives” in the San Fernando Valley as a result of a partial shutdown of some government operations reflects the same disingenuous rhetoric that the White House has been guilty of. Your article speaks for itself.

Your writers reference crippling effects of the budget stalemate rippling across the Valley, but then offer no example that any rational reader would consider “crippling” or affecting the lives of the average person. You mention, oh my oh my, that FEMA is forced to postpone funding decisions on earthquake damage claims already two years old. You mention that agencies are concerned that vital service might be eliminated, not that they have been eliminated.

You quote a banker as saying it is “a tragic thing” that some SBA loan applicants can’t close a loan to get taxpayer dollars, but go on to admit that the bank is temporarily providing the funds. And you say Valley congressional offices have had a “flurry” (defined by Webster as a “short-lived outburst”) of complaints about not getting passports, offering the heart-rending example of a man who is unable to get to Taiwan for a bowling tournament.

Come on guys and gals, let’s get real! Not one example of any problem with services mandated by the Constitution or any evidence that the average Joe has yet to be impacted or even notice any problems from the shutdown. And I bet almost all problems created for the few will go away within a week when things return to normal.

MELVIN A. WOLF JR.

Burbank