The Bright Side of the Government Shutdown

Fear is in the air as the October 2025 U.S. government shutdown becomes the longest in history at a record 35+ days. These shutdowns happen when Congress can’t agree on the federal budget, leaving federal programs unfunded and nonessential programs shut down.

Essential workers continue without pay and are eventually reimbursed.

We’ve noticed a few things, good and bad. The first is the talking point that Americans will starve because federal food benefits remain unfunded. Originally known as food stamps, the SNAP program provides food assistance to lower-income citizens.

And now 40M Americans will lose out on those benefits, leading some to speculate there may be looting and violence.

Although things aren’t great in America, we can’t jump to the fear state of violence. This fear comes from the inevitable desperation after three days of hunger.

Even though states are beginning to fund their local food banks and aid programs in preparation, what if we could prevent this from happening ever again?

If 40M Americans could revive local gardening, become self-reliant, and replenish community gardens across the country, it could transform agriculture.

Here are some resources to find local community gardens:

• https://www.communitygarden.org/garden
• https://millennialcities.com/want-to-start-a-community-garden-check-out-these-maps-first/

And here are some places to get seeds—for FREE—with or without making a donation.

• freeheirloomseeds.org

What I love is the A to Z list of seeds available, everything from asparagus to zenias.

Your TBOT Assignment

I want our viewers to get acquainted with your local community gardens. Step one will be to find your local community garden using one of the websites listed above, go visit, and find out what’s available there. Typically, community gardens will have garden beds for rent, along with memberships, food shares, and access to tools and resources.

Geo-Engineering is Nonessential

In more positive news, the #TBOT community observed an important phenomenon during this government shutdown: geoengineering seems to have ended almost overnight.

Last week I asked for pictures of the skies from the #TBOT community, and people all around the world reported in. Could it be possible that the trails we usually see in the sky are funded through the federal budget? These clear skies indicate that it may have something to do with it.

These are just some of the pictures I received. Despite mostly clear skies, we did notice some areas that had temporary spraying, suggesting geoengineering is on a shoestring budget. Geoengineering pollutes our skies with harmful chemicals and heavy metals. It’s a technology that enables weather manipulation and the dimming of the sun.

To understand geoengineering, watch this presentation from Dane Wiggington and Geoengineering Watch, a group raising awareness of the science and dangers of geoengineering.

The Fragility of the TSA

After making a few trips this last month and interacting with TSA, I learned that TSA agents were not being paid (they’ll be paid when a federal budget is passed). Although it’s an “essential” program, the TSA system is on the verge of breaking down.

I’ve overheard heated conversations, grumpy demeanors, and complaints that staff couldn’t make ends meet. If you travel, I’m sure you’ve noticed it too.

A Forbes articles estimates about 1 in 5 agents are calling in sick, causing major delays at airports around the country.

The TSA found 6,678 guns being carried in carry-on or checked baggage, out of 904M total passengers. That’s 0.0007% of passengers that are a potential threat to anyone’s safety.

Are the millions of dollars spent on training, equipment, and lost time from hassling everyone worth the minute security benefit?

Conclusion

The record-breaking government shutdown gives us an inside look at how many industries are completely subsidized by federal dollars rather than the free market or common sense. Programs like geoengineering and the TSA would simply cease to exist.

Perhaps we should shut down more often!

This is a segment from #TBOT Show Episode 17. Watch the full episode here.

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