"Let's hope Republicans don't ruin the Cherry Blossom parade, destroy DC's tourism industry, and distract from relief efforts to Japan."
Republicans blocking the passage of the federal budget could cause a government shutdown this week. Washington, D.C. would be disproportionately affected by this shutdown. That's because DC is a federal district, meaning its budget must be approved by Congress, despite the fact that the District has no representation in Congress. Actually, DC does have a Rep., but she can't vote... she's awesome. Today she told the Congress to "Go straight to hell":
How will the shutdown affect DC? Basic services such as trash collection will be lost. The DMV will be shut down. The Smithsonian museums, typically free to the public, will be closed. And the national monuments administered by the National Park Service will be closed, too. That means a HUGE blow to DC's tourism industry. The National Cherry Blossom festival is supposed to culminate Saturday with a parade, but the parade might be canceled because it crosses National Park services land. Luckily, the Japan America Society of Washington, D.C. plans to continue with its event, the annual sakura matsuri on Saturday, despite threats from Republicans and Rain. Proceeds will go to disaster relief in Tohoku.
The cherry blossoms reached their peak in D.C. last week. Here are some pics from the District.
Let's hope Republicans don't ruin the parade, destroy DC's tourism industry and distract from relief efforts to Japan. I hope everyone will enjoy the cherry blossoms this weekend anyway.
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