Let it Snow

I understand that back in northwestern Pennsylvania the first big lake-effect snowfall of the year has blanketed the area.  Six or so inches near Lake Erie and over a foot inland.  We had snow here a couple of days ago, too.  A few flakes danced around in the whirlwinds between the buildings in DC when I was.  In the District doing grant research.  All of a sudden I looked up from the computer I was sitting at and there it was.  Snow.  In mid-November!  None of it "stuck."  I'm not even sure if any of it actually made it to the ground, it was so windy.  Maybe the few, tiny flakes just were whipped into a frenzy and swept back up into the clouds.

The few flakes did get people buzzing though about the winter and the possibility of Washington shutting down.  People looked at their watches to see if they should catch the Metro home before it closed down due to slick tracks.  One person called to his suburban home to see if the "storm" had hit there.  When I got back to my office, an email had been sent to everyone reminding them of winter shut-down procedures.

Meanwhile back in real life, I noticed that the number of homeless on the streets of DC seems to be increasing.  I would say on average on each block there were about two people bundled up against the cold and wind with their possessions around them for shelter.  No office shut-down procedures for them.  No worries about catching the train before it stops running.

If senators and congress people or their staff are walking or driving from the Capital down to K Street where the lobbyists work, the homeless are there to remind them of who they represent.   Most of the lobbyists trekking up the street the opposite way to the halls of Congress don't lobby on behalf of the homeless and hungry.  Some do.  A few.  But like the DC snowflakes their words don't seem to stick.