The shutdown didn't stop vets from seeing the WWII memorial
By Christopher Dean Hopkins, Digital First Meda
10/01/2013 10:15:58 AM PDT
10/01/2013 07:10:10 PM PDT
On the eve of the federal shutdown, a group bringing 91 veterans of World War II to Washington, D.C., was fretting about what they would do if closures meant they were unable to see the National World War II Memorial Tuesday.
FILE - In this Jan. 4, 1996, file photo the sun gleams down on the still-closed Washington Monument as the federal budget impasse continued in Washington. OK, gridlocked politicians we're used to. But why padlock the Statue of Liberty? You don't see other democracies shuttering landmarks and sending civil servants home just because their political parties can't get along. The potential for a shutdown is a quirk of American history. So if you're tired of blaming tea party Republicans or President Barack Obama, you can lay some responsibility on the Founding Fathers. Or blame Jimmy Carter. Or Newt Gingrich's temper tantrum. A quick history of government shutdowns, American-style. (AP Photo/Dennis Cook, File) (Dennis Cook)