The War on Wilky the Cockroach

by Peter Coyne

The war on terror... the war on drugs... the war on poverty... the war on savers... the war on privacy... the war on women...

...The war on cockroaches?
 

"It was the size of a small drone," Martha Joynt Kumar told the National Journal, referring to a roach. Kumar is a professor of political science at Towson University. Apparently, the White House press box, where she frequently spends time, is filled with them. She's been leading the effort to find them.
 

"I wanted to bag it so that the Government Services Administration would know what kind of issue we had..."
 

In the past, roaches and mice have been a problem for the commander in chief. The National Journal reported that President Carter had a mouse problem. One ran across the Oval Office when the Italian prime minister was visiting.
 

At that time, the GSA claimed that all the mice in the building had been exterminated. It insisted any mice seen had to be "outdoor" mice, and outdoor mice were the problem of the Interior Department.
 

Oy. There's your government in a nutshell.
 

Of course, the cockroach mystery is no mystery at all. That is, if you're familiar with the obscure children's cartoon Wilky, the White House Cockroach by Howie Schneider.

[Spoiler Alert] In the book, Wilky, the friendly neighborhood cockroach, lives in a D.C. pizza shop and has big dreams. Inspired by his explorer relative, Wilky resolves to go it alone in the belly of the beast. So he stows away in a pizza being delivered to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
 

But when Wilky pops up during a state dinner, the leader of the free world is out to get him. After waging a heated battle to squash Wilky, the president chooses peace over war and declares a truce.
 

But frankly... the president has more pressing issues than making war and peace with insects. The House passed a stopgap spending measure to avoid a government shutdown 230-189. The stipulation? Defunding Obamacare. But the House has never been the issue... it's already had more than 40 votes to repeal Obamacare. It's the Democrat-controlled Senate that has no intention of defunding the program. If some kind of deal can't be reached in the next 10 days, the government will face another shutdown. Once again... it will probably come down to the 11th hour.
 

"They're focused on politics; they're focused on trying to mess with me," Obama said in a speech at a Ford plant in Kansas City reports NBC News. "They're not focused on you." So far, the president has managed to keep his baby alive. He says it's for the good of the people... but we think failure is baked into Obamacare. In fact, one of our researchers believes that it's a stepping stone for something much worse and much more intrusive. If you know The Daily Reckoning... you know this has nothing to do with partisan politics, so check your "Rs" and "Ds" at the door. Then, click here to see for yourself what the President's next step is after Obamacare and the steps you can take to protect yourself.