It’s that time of year again when the weather is cooler, summer passes the torch to autumn, football fans become … fanatics, and the federal government shuts down again. As a relatively new federal employee in the 1980s, I remember shutdowns. What did that mean? Terminology from the government said, “close down non-essential operations, furlough non-essential workers, and only retain essential employees in departments covering the safety of human life or protection of property.”
The hyphenated word “non-essential” did a number on many of us! If any federal operations, workers, or employees really were non-essential, then why were we there? Scary! Until hearing these words I had thought the work my colleagues and I were doing was not only essential, but good, profitable, and necessary for Americans’ welfare.
Government shutdowns are nothing but politics. Nobody has been hurt during the filming of the latest sequel “Government threatens shutdown again.” Nevertheless, politicians rarely waste crises that give them more authority or power.
For example, during a press conference in February 2011, President Obama answered a question about a looming shutdown. In part of his answer he said, “We’ve got to be careful. Again, let’s use a scalpel; let’s not use a machete. And if we do that, there should be no reason at all for a government shutdown. And I think people should be careful about being too loose in terms of talking about a government shutdown, because this has -- this is not an abstraction. People don’t get their Social Security checks. They don’t get their veterans payments. Basic functions shut down. And it -- that, also, would have an adverse effect on our economic recovery. It would be destabilizing at a time when, I think, everybody is hopeful that we can start growing this economy quicker.”
At the time people were shocked! Was this really true? No Social Security checks or veterans payments? Many folks opined the government should begin a bit higher on the food chain if it was going to stop sending checks. Let’s start with Congress and White House paychecks. Needless to say, every recipient received his/her Social Security check and veteran’s payment. No federal workers lost any income.
Didn’t Rahm Emanuel say, “You never let a serious crisis go to waste. And what I mean by that it's an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before.” We’ve witnessed plenty of crises during COVID-19, and government will continue not to waste COVID-19 crises in the coming months.
Booster vaccines are already being pushed in nearly every media venue, though real scientific research has shown the vaccines did not fulfill the promises, or lies, from the government. Mask mandates are back, though paper masks are useless against preventing the spread of viruses like COVID-19. The problem is not so much that the government and complicit media lie and mislead the public. The problem is that the public believes the government and the media that censors alternative reports.
A
pending government shutdown will be a crisis point at least until the
end of September. If the two parties fail to agree on the budget, we’ll
see continuing resolutions “to keep the government going.” It’s just
another game politicians play in Washington. In the meantime prices of
goods and services including gasoline continue to rise precipitously.
19 comments:
Nobody hurt? Our entire military is set to go without pay, when quite a few of them at the lower ranks qualify for food stamps and live in crap housing already. And they will still be working. And worrying about paying the bills for no reason other than Congress and DC is a set of spoiled rich toddlers and their Lawyer/Lobbyist Corporate Masters.
IF the shutdown affected the working class stiffs by withholding their EITC check or wink wink disability check (EITC is a "refund" when they pay no FIT), or Rich had held up the Farm Welfare checks, or forced "wealth managers" to pay full income tax instead of CG rates, then maybe folks would hold Congress accountable.
But, predictably, you and this blog will HOWL over teacher's pensions, over Estate Taxes that only affect the filthy rich, and over Car Tags, as bait for the lower class to howl. The teachers, the soldiers, the air traffic controllers, the border patrol, you don't give one damn about except to claim they are "overpaid."
Billy Bob is well trained to regurgitate the "Cut Them, Not Me" about the Middle Class and they help out the Rich. Just like Fan Boy DL. That's WHY your political masters ensure that SS checks go out. That Tax Breaks continue. That Defense Contracts go through. So the corporation still profits even more and more, every year.
Only the few and the proud suffer. And you love that, DL. Yep. The janitors on Capitol Hill will be unpaid, but DL will still spew garbage. Never fails.
Don't worry. RINO Roger Et Al has a slick DOD servicemember pay bill already drafted so soldiers will have scared wives but they'll pass it or a CR "just in time" and pat their craven arses on the back. Instead of growing up and serving America, especially the Middle Class.
I hear a second from Wall Street Chuck on that one. Amen to Mammon.All hail hail Wall Street, unaffected and ready to take advantage of PFCs for benefit of the PRC.
After each and every shutdown the federal employees get paid - even though they didn't go to work.
The bill is being held up because it contains billion$ and billion$ of wasteful pork.
@2:18, Lemme hear you squeal, Lefty.
Ships and planes filled to the gills with Putin’s and Xi’s goons, a mighty invasion force, are waiting just over the horizon for Our Government’s GOP stooges to stop paying the American fighting men, women, and transgendered soldiers. Our Democracy without its Government may not survive the week.
All across Uhmerryca there's farmers in their trucks and tractors just itching to git-r-dun.
Shut off all those gubmint checks and the coal can't roll!
@4:03 my Air Force son will report for duty regardless of being paid. Their bills as a young married couple continue whether he is paid, or not. They were told to prepare for no checks on the 15th. Closest housing is 45 minutes from his base. I wonder if the gas station will wait to be paid until Congress who will continue to get paid gets their act together.
@4:26 PM - Mr. lefty, the GOP has holding up the bill because of the billion$ and billion$ of earmarks and other corrupt spending.
We are broke! We are borrowing from China to pay the bills!
It has to stop!
$33T and growing exponentially, even if just for the interest. Thank God Matt and Arge and 19 others tried to save us from wastrel spending, but alas the swamp passed a CR anyway. Gaetz for Speaker!
Gaetz, yeah right . We lucky they came together , the only way we will survive is if they continue to work together!
Term Limits Now!!! Throw the rascals to the curb!!!
Democrats are the only ones who have lower the debt since Carter and the have had smaller deficits. Trump increased it 33%, Biden is less than 9% to date .
As painful as it is for me to write, America, as you, and I, believed it to be, has never existed. It was, and is, a lie perpetrated by the thieving banking families under the guise of the international "central banks". The "big steal" is complete.
While yours, and mine, concerns are limited to the country that we call home, the scam is global. Only nine countries of the world, with a population of less than five million are not under the control of a central bank.
One of the post above mentioned the supposed borrowing of money from China. China has no money to loan, but its central bank does. The Chinese people are debt slaves, as we, and the rest of the worlds citizens are. What passes for currency in the world economy is useless paper in a pocket, or meaningless digits on a computer screen.
Those useless, and meaningless objects have been used to seize control of the political class of every country in the world, including the good old USA. The USA has been used as the enforcement arm of these central banks for years. That's why the Pentagon is at the forefront of every global conflict carrying out the wishes of the central banks.
It's almost time for the foreclosure process to begin. We passed the point of no return a few years back. What I mean by that is, that there isn't enough known resources, in the world, to pay the debt that the world owes to these central banks.
What do you suppose will happen when these banks demand their due? What happens when the good old USA can't service the interest on the debt that is owed? Why has the USA been under an emergency declaration since FDR in 1933? What happened that caused this declaration? Is this another conspiracy theory?
To find these answers, Google is not your friend. The answers will frighten you, it will enrage you. You don't own anything.
After reading all the posts, I have decided to award 10:16 with the plaque for "Shortest With Most Time Wasted Post".
And, no...I can't win since mine is longer.
@8:30 Fractional reserve banking is your friend, friend!
Term limits can't work, there's too many rascals!
Would some of you please bother to know the facts about the subject, starting with DL, before you chime in!
First, there is a difference between types of government shutdowns. One can happen with raising the debt ceiling and this one is about the budget.
Congress will be paid in both cases. Some government employees will get paid and some will not. You should look up who does and doesn't get paid in both kinds of shutdowns.
That you didn't notice in the past is only because the dummies who showboat rather than learn their job, think making ridiculous cuts is the same as a rational, long term budget plan had their office phones ringing off the hook.
But, the worst to me is that none of you bother to look past your party loyalty and know how this hurts us in the world. WE LOOK STUPID AND VULNERABLE with CRAZY people in charge! Those who love freedom and hate dictators can't believe we don't "GET" that if Ukraine falls, then Russia will try for ALL their former territories. PUTIN actually said that in his diatribe about MOTHER RUSSIA...which ,by the way, included ALASKA. So while you play politics in ignorance, you are enabling China to take Taiwan and Japan and the Phillipines while Russia isolates Europe and Scandinavia and comes to Alaska. And South Korea falls. Have you not been paying ANY ATTENTION to Chinese and Russian diplomacy? Do you NOT know the resources in Africa and Taiwan we depend upon? Do you not know that we are no longer protected by oceans? That NOW there's the SKY to be concerned about? And the whole reason Putin attacked in Ukraine is the same as Catherine the Great's, more access to the seas! Only this time add control of grain and nuclear power. And, he got away with because YOU voted for an EGOTISTICAL IDIOT for President because you believe being rich means being smart about everything. IT DOESN'T!
I know I've probably wasted time because you are folks who do not read even the entire article before you OPINE and it's obvious!
“@8:30 Fractional reserve banking is your friend, friend!”, and they all lived happily ever after. Ain't that how it goes.
@12:57 PM, Get a hold on yourself. There is no "if Ukraine falls"; Ukraine has fallen, and it fell months ago but continues to stagger about like a zombie owing to the influx of US fiat currency and weaponry.
Please link to this diatribe of Putin's about Mother Russia. I do see one point you made: Putin continues to place his troops near US military bases in Poland and the Baltic countries. What kind of megalomaniac tyranny-loving dictator does that?
Overall, I didn't quite get your meaning. Perhaps you could use more uppercase letters in your subsequent posts.
12:57 - Calm down. You do realize Alaska is a US state, right? And you think I'm stupid enough to think Russia is 'coming for it'?
While Uncle Joe would no doubt let Russia occupy Alaska, Trump will not.
" That NOW there's the SKY to be concerned about?", chicken little, is that you? Hang in there baby cakes, I believe the sky will hold.
Post a Comment