Lake Mead property owners forced out until shutdown ends
By Jacqui Heinrich
CREATED Oct. 4, 2013



Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- The government shutdown is being felt close to home for some locals. They say they're being forced out of private homes on Lake Mead because they sit on federal land.

Joyce Spencer is 77-years-old and her husband Ralph is 80. They've been spending most of their time in the family ice cream store since going home isn't an option.

The Spencers never expected to be forced out of their Lake Mead home, which they've owned since the 70s, but on Thursday, a park ranger said they had 24 hours to get out.

"I had to go to town today and buy Ralph undershirts and jeans because I forgot his pants," Joyce Spencer told Action News.

The Stewart's Point home sits on federal land, so even though the Spencers own their cabin outright, they're not allowed in until the government reopens.

Park officials said property owners can visit only to retrieve belongings; they sent Action News a statement which reads in part, "Unfortunately overnight stays are not permitted until a budget is passed and the park can reopen."

Joyce Spencer said she's alright in the meantime, staying with nearby family, but the move was a lot to handle as a senior citizen.

"I had to be sure and get his walker and his scooter that he has to go in," Spencer said. "We're not hurt in any way except it might cost me if I have to go buy more pants."

The Lake Mead properties are considered vacation homes; one of the lease requirements to own a plot is people must have an alternative residence.

Regardless, the Spencers said it's their property and they should be allowed in, shutdown or not.

John Boehner’s order: Keep congressional gym open

Just because the government has gone into shutdown mode doesn’t mean members of Congress have to give up their exercise routines.

Per order of House Speaker John A. Boehner’s office: Keep the members-only workout facility open for use, the New York Post reported. The liberal group Think Progress initially reported the order.

The gym, subsidized by taxpayers, is an elite and secured club for members of Congress only. Most outside of Capitol Hill weren’t even aware of its presence until former Rep. Anthony Weiner photographed himself in the locker room in 2011 and those pictures went viral.

The gym door does not even have a sign on it, the New York Post reported, and congressional members must be buzzed in to enter. Still, the shutdown has hit the facility on a couple counts: Users won’t have paid trainers or gym staff to hand them freshly cleaned towels.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...ressional-gym/

The Blog
Authorities Tell Memorial Mower: Get Lost
12:51 PM, Oct 9, 2013 • By JIM SWIFT

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Earlier today, an unidentified bearded man took it upon himself to bring his lawnmower and a few tools to the Lincoln Memorial to provide free groundskeeping work to the closed federal monument.

It's unclear how much of the expansive lawn behind the memorial was mowed, but Park Police were alerted and three cruisers with multiple officers showed up.

THE WEEKLY STANDARD watched the officers observing the mystery mower from a distance, as he appeared to be packing it up for the day, carefully placing his blue South Carolina flag in a tube attached to his tool-toting dolly.

According to Park Police public information officer Sergeant Paul Brooks, there was no arrest made. "He was asked to leave, and he complied," said Brooks.

On Twitter, Brandon Morse shared a photo of the mystery memorial mower:

Since the election is over a year away, it is hard to predict how this will translate to future seat gain/loss. If the election were held today, Democrats would pick up around 30 seats, giving them control of the chamber. I do not expect this to happen. Many things will happen in the coming 12 months, and the current crisis might be a distant memory. But at this point I do expect Democrats to pick up seats next year, an exception to the midterm rule.

Note that in these calculations I did not even include the worst of the news for Republicans. In a followup series of questions, PPP then told respondents that their representative voted for the shutdown. At that point, the average swing moved a further 3.1% toward Democrats, and 22 out of 24 points were in the gray zone. That would be more like a 50-seat gain for Democrats – equivalent to a wave election. An analyst would have to be crazy to predict that! However, it seems like mandatory information for a Democratic campaign strategist – or any Republican incumbent who won by less than 20 points in 2012.