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Originally Posted by Budda648
I got a little story for you all and I want a little feedback.
< yadda yadda yadda >
So my question is...
Why does the Vice President need to halt traffic for 2 hours? I mean, if someone wants to hurt him, then wouldn't that attract even more attention? I was getting pretty dang annoyed and mad.
I'm sorry if this is inappropriate but I thought someone might get a chuckle out of it or have something to say. I like to complain about the government.
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Excuse me while I stop giggling. I really am not trying to treat this lightly, but for some of us it is really hard to be sympathetic about this one.
If this little interlude had that much of an effect, then just be thankful that you don't live/work in Washington DC. For some of us, this sort of motorcade madness is a daily occurrence. My office window overlooks Route 395 as it winds its way past the U.S. Capitol on the way through Washington. During my commute each morning and evening, I pass by the White House. On any given week, I will see an average of five motorcades winding through the city, disrupting traffic and raising tempers on hot summer days. Every time an international dignitary comes to visit Congress, or another head of state drops by the White House for dinner, or some ambassador needs to quickly get to the airport, or the President wants to wander over to the Kennedy Center for a show, seventeen different branches of the local constabulatory get together to conspire how to create as many new ways to confound District traffic as possible. They shut down streets, change traffic signals, block traffic, put 45 cops on overtime duty, clear roads while the motorcade is still five miles away, block off three different routes while actually using only one "just in case," all while seemingly intentionally scheduling these things for the height of rush hour so they can cause the maximum inconvenience. The motorcade then takes 30 seconds to pass through a given area, but the affect on traffic can last for two hours. Just when they get the mess all cleaned up and traffic flowing smoothly again, they start all over as the next joker with a few extra big black cars and an inflated sense of importance decides he needs to stop traffic for a while. <sigh> Not that I am bitter or anything.
Yes, it is unfortunate that you guys had to deal with a back-up caused by the Vice President's visit, and his motorcade's affect on local traffic does seem excessive. But at least you don't have to put up with it every day, or even multiple times per day. It could be so much worse.
Now for the real kicker - just remember, your tax dollars are paying for all this insanity!
-dave