Maybe they've always been there. Maybe the bare trees of winter showcase kites to their best advantage. But the first thought that occurred to me was that maybe the person or people who ordinarily remove kites from trees are not currently working due to the government shutdown.
In an area where I'm spoiled for choices in activities, quite a few options are closed right now, namely the Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo. At this point, even the public restrooms on the National Mall are closed.
I feel terrible for the people who are either having to hold out waiting for back pay or who likely will never get paid at all for the duration of this shutdown. As someone who has worked both for the federal government and for a center that relied heavily on government contracts, I feel I can imagine the worries some people have right now. It's not easy to have your livelihood in the hands of people who don't care and are happy to make you a pawn in their power struggles. I'm sure for anyone who knows me, it will come as no surprise that I'm against the border wall, and have been since the first time I heard the idea. Giving financial insecurity to countless federal employees and contractors is not making me warm up to it.
At this point, it's hard to see when or how this shutdown will end. I hope it will be before this already bad situation becomes financially ruinous for too many people.
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