[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 145 (Monday, October 14, 2013)]
[House]
[Page H6580]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            ODD COINCIDENCE

  (Mr. POE of Texas asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I received the following email from a 
constituent who forwarded me comments from a former government worker:

       As a former government employee, I have worked for the 
     government for over 40 years. During that time I became 
     familiar with requisitions, bidding, and awarding contracts. 
     It is time-consuming with bean counters and pencil neck 
     bureaucrats. A request takes months, not days or even hours. 
     In less than 8 hours of the shutdown, miraculously 
     professionally printed 3x4 signs--with logos--appeared all 
     over the country in the 1000s saying: ``This park facility 
     closed due to government shutdown.''
       There has not been a government shutdown in 17 years. Signs 
     had to be designed, requisitioned, and bids had to go out, 
     approved and contracts signed; then the signs were made and 
     distributed. Either this is the most efficient thing the 
     Federal Government has ever done, or this quick shutdown was 
     planned and determined months ago.

  Mr. Speaker, if the writer is accurate, this is an interesting and 
odd coincidence, don't you think?
  And that's just the way it is.

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