Shut It Down!
So, it really looks like the federal government will “shut down” at the end of the week. OK, shut it down.
Quit playing chicken with each other and pretending to yourselves that Americans are so dependent upon federal services – those that would actually be suspended in the case of what they call a “shut down” – and do it. Then, just maybe, an agreement on the 2011 federal budget can be reached – or not.
Tags: America | Congress | Conservatives | Democrats | Economics | Economy | Government | Liberals | Republicans
April 6th, 2011 at 7:09 pm
I heard they will stop paying military !I don’t know this to be true?but even third world countries are smart enough to pay the army!
April 6th, 2011 at 7:15 pm
That is true; if the government shuts down, the military doesn’t get paid until the budget is reconciled.
That just might cause the Dems to think about real compromise. It’s not like real Americans are going to be bothered that much by the military razing DC – as long as they call for new elections afterwards
April 6th, 2011 at 7:18 pm
Does the presidents pay stop?or congress.or is it just the men and woman fighting to protect us?
April 6th, 2011 at 7:24 pm
No; neither the POTUS not Congress goes without pay during a shutdown. the same is true for most of their staffs.
April 6th, 2011 at 7:32 pm
That’s messed up John!!if they were forced to work without pay ,this shutdown would never happen!sounds like a paid vacation?this country need a takeover!!I’ll be back there are some guys in black suites and dark glasses at the door lol.
April 6th, 2011 at 11:19 pm
The POTUS, nor his staff really care about getting their check from US.
They have plenty of other means of income to keep them happy, like, ol’ uncle George Soros or the unions, who’re paying them, anyway.
April 7th, 2011 at 4:14 am
Hi –
It’s not the ‘chicken’ game – but $33 billion or $40 billion either only represents about two weeks worth of interest on the $14+ Trillion National debt …
Who they kidding – $330 -$400 million – now that would be a budget cut of some note and suggest someone means business …
April 7th, 2011 at 5:49 pm
Correction – the $330-$400 milion should be Billion …
April 7th, 2011 at 6:02 pm
That’s OK, Eye Ball. Frankly, I automatically sight translated it into billions and never consciously noticed that you’d actually typed millions instead.
That, in itself, says a great deal about the state we’re in. 🙁
But it is a game of chicken though. Both sides are playing the other for the sake of the 2012 election when 100% of the House and a good portion of the Senate is up for grabs.
They forget that we’ve been through shut downs before and that this dilutes the fear factor.
But…the Feds spend approximately $20 Billion per work day. Let’s assume that 50% isn’t spent during what they call a shutdown.
By those figures the GOP is looking at cutting just over 1 week’s spending and your looking to cut about 2 months.
If they argue long enough, you might get your wish.
April 10th, 2011 at 5:04 pm
Stop the paychecks to Congress until they get this mess straightened out. I bet they’d reach some arrangement soon. Also I was appalled the other day when I heard the average paycheck to government employees was $1400 per week. Seems they could afford their own blackberries. I have never in my life made that kind of money! Can’t find a job now. And I am not on welfare nor food stamps yet, but possibly soon. Am 35 years old accepting help from my father who was in the military for 24 years. And when I go to an interview there are no less than twenty five people waiting for the same interview. And I blame a lot of that on the greed of the politicians. I think too much is payed to the government servants in the first place. Let them do without for awhile so they can feel it too.