DOOLEY Observed: New York’s Tourists Are Laughing at Us

Thomas Jefferson said in 1802: "I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies."

"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not."-- Thomas Jefferson

"When in danger or in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout." .... jbd

"When once a job you have begun, do no stop till it is done. Whether the task be great or small, do it well, or not at all." .... Anon

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. - Albert Einstein

Television is one daylong commercial interrupted periodically by inept attempts to fill the airspace in between them.

If you can't start a fire, perhaps your wood is wet ....

When you elect clowns, expect a circus ..............

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

New York’s Tourists Are Laughing at Us

That's what some tourists in lower Manhattan were saying on Tuesday as they mulled around figuring out what to do instead of hopping on a boat to the Statue of Liberty. It's closed, by the way. So is the American Museum of Natural History. So are many other federal buildings in the city, putting an estimated 72,000 workers out of a job in New York state alone.

But while the country seems gripped by shutdown fever, many tourists from here and abroad had no clue it would affect their plans. Their reactions ranged from outrage to despair—but mostly they had a good laugh at our expense.

Shopping for an “I Love NY” T-shirt to take home to a friend in Brazil, 36-year-old Mario Pereira seemed unfazed by the news. “I’m more or less sad, but it’s OK,” he says smiling. Pereira said he and his mom had already made other plans—visit the 9/11 memorial (which is still open because it’s not a federal building), then take a walk around town. When I asked if he thinks people in Brazil care about the shutdown he reveals a huge smile: “No.”