If you were planning on visiting the Smithsonian museams this weekend, you should go sometime in the next… 5 minutes.  The museams close at 5:30 this evening, and they may not open tomorrow.


At this point, it’s hard to believe that “leaders” in Washington are actually working toward making a deal.  It seems like they are more interested in pointing fingers and politically “posturing” for a blame game.


The Wall Street Journal reports:



Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) said Democrats have agreed to $38 billion in cuts-close to the Republican proposal and enough that a deal is in place on spending levels.


House Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio) offered a different picture. Mr. Boehner said the size of spending cuts remains the key area of dispute. “We’re still in discussions,” Mr. Boehner said after a closed-door meeting with House Republicans in the Capitol. “Most of the policy issues have been dealt with. The big fight is over the spending.”


Of course the big fight is over spending.  I’d caution lawmakers on this point, and encourage them to look at the results of the most recent Rasmussen numbers on a possible shutdown:



A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 57% of Likely U.S. Voters think making deeper spending cuts in the federal budget for 2011 is more important than avoiding a partial government shutdown. Thirty-one percent (31%) disagree and say avoiding a shutdown is more important. Twelve percent (12%) are not sure.


We’ll keep watching and waiting to see what happens.  But one thing is sure – Americans want the Beltway on a diet.