Data Flow Diagram Update

(Disco never dies - neither will Obamacare i'm afraid)

So yesterday while I was out hiking and doing stuff, Reid did the predictable thing and pushed through the stripping of the 'Obamacare de-funding' from the continuing resolution to fund the government. Then everyone, democrat and republican, lined up and did the kabuki theater vote, thus passing the bill back to the house for 'reconciliation'. That leaves us here with the data flow diagram I started a few days ago:

In the interest of full disclosure, while reviewing this I realized that there was a small error in the top right where processing should flow from "Obama lays off park rangers" to "House Caves" and corrected that. My apologies.

The absurd thing about this whole process is that the real outcome is nominal should the Republican succeed. The 'de-funding' would not stop the Obamacare roll out, as a great deal of the machinery necessary for that roll out is already funded or dependent on regulatory changes that don't have anything to do with direct funding. De-funding the IRS and HHS would probably be the only way to stop the Obamacare roll out, and even then the administration would simply ignore it. 

Ironically, a government shutdown will probably do more to hurt that roll out then this symbolic gesture. With a shutdown, the regulators who are responsible for the roll out have the possibility of being furloughed. Naturally, the administration will merely furlough other federal workers that are visible and doing real work, like park rangers, sailors, and soldiers. 

I fear the dominoes are being lined up for a very unpleasant future. This reminds me of an episode of the Bear Grylls survival show. I don't remember which one, but it made an impression on me as it reinforced what I have been taught in real survival courses. He diverged into a discussion about choices that you make in a survival situation. He noted that people that get in trouble in the wild rarely make just one bad choice. It is usually one wrong decision after another, each one reinforcing the next, until reaching the dire reality of a life or death situation. The trick in a survival situation is quite simply to never let it reach that point or if that is unavoidable, make choices that limit the harm.

What concerns me is that is where this administration has taken us. We are at a tipping point that has nothing to do with anthropomorphic global warming. It has to do with real decision made by real people. Pretending to control the actions of the Syrian dictator made us look weak. That has emboldened Iran to pretend to negotiate with John 'Chamberlain' Kerry's state department on their almost completed nuclear weapons. This sets the stage  for the very real possibility of a nuclear conflagration in the gulf. The monumental loss of freedom that Obamacare represents, along with the numerous congressional investigations into this administration's utter corruptness, will fade into the background in the horrible light of such drama. That is a flow diagram I am loath to draw.