Republican Senators: ‘The Top Ten Reasons The Government Shutdown Isn’t All Bad’

A group of Republican Senators posted a top 10 list of what they see as upsides to the ongoing government shutdown. The list, which is a mix of political shots at Democrats and sarcastic observations, seems designed to further divide opinion on the nation’s ongoing congressional impasse.

The list was posted to the website of the Senate’s Committee on the Environment and Public Works. The committee has long been a launching pad for missives from the office of Oklahoma Republican James Inhofe, an outspoken critic of global climate change initiatives. David Vitter, who himself today became an Internet meme of sorts, serves as the ranking Republican on the committee.

No. 10 on the list notes that 15,000 employees from the Environmental Protection Agency have been furloughed in the shutdown, “making it less likely fake CIA agents at EPA will be ripping off the taxpayer.” In September, former EPA official John C. Beele plead guilty to charges of theft , including impersonating an agent from the Central Intelligence Agency.

No. 2, a more sarcastic entry on the list, says, “President Obama has a temporary excuse for his stonewalling on FOIA and other transparency demands of the Administration.”

And No. 6 makes reference to the shutting down of national landmarks, including the World War II Memorial, “World War II veterans have stormed the Normandy beaches again. (Sadly, they had to, in order to gain access to their own memorial)”

What do you think? Are there some silver linings to the federal government being partially shutdown while Congress and the White House negotiate toward a solution? Or, are the Senate Republicans who compiled this list picking a bad time to score political points?