Oooooooo – scary shut down looms
Of course the Washington Post uses a picture of John Boehner to personify the impending government shut down.
In the meantime, federal agencies began preparing workers for what would happen if the federal government does shut down for the first time since the mid-1990s, and D.C. residents and tourists considered the possibility of a spring weekend without Smithsonian museums or the National Zoo.
What? No zoo? No one can see Archie Bunker’s chair or Fonzie’s jacket? Really?
I noticed that even Fox News ran the federal employee as the victim of political wrangling this morning. Of course, private sector employees haven’t had much job-angst over the past few years what with 10% unemployment, right?
Most of the federal employees I know are looking forward to a shut down – a little time off while the weather warms up. Of course, they’ve done this thing that they call “saving” which smart people do when they have work. Apparently they put aside a little bit of money every pay check instead of burning through the lot in two weeks.
The media claims that the Democrats are “only” separated by $7 billion of cuts, hinting that the GOP should capitulate. If “only” $7 billion, why can’t Democrats make the leap. Nancy Pelosi
Boehner says that the Democrat proposals are smoke and mirrors – like $10 billion in one time cuts to Pell Grants. I agree – cut the whole Pell Grants program. Seeing the quality of college students these days who needs to throw money at them? They can go to their local community colleges and get a better education than those Art History and Wymyn Studies morons coming from Harvard.
Besides, it’s the fault of the Senate and the White House that government may shut down. The Republican House has passed budgets – something the Democrat House couldn’t do in 2009 and 2010 – and the Senate and White House are standing in the way over “only” $7 billion.
Category: Barack Obama/Joe Biden, Congress sucks
Removing Pell grants will also put downward pressure on the ridiculous salaries too many university profs get.
You say Wymyn, I say wombin’…
I support the GOP’s position on the budget, but this post is pretty flip. I doubt that you are cool with the idea floated in today’s Stars & Stripes by an unnamed official that troop pay would also be held up in the event of a gov’t shutdown, even though savings accounts are available to members of the Armed Forces, too.
http://www.stripes.com/news/official-troops-pay-would-be-withheld-until-shutdown-is-resolved-1.140090#dsq-comments
buster;
Like I mention in the above post, the military doesn’t get paid until the 15th anyway. Same with government employees – they’ve been told they’ll get paid on their regular pay day – next Friday – even if the government gets shut down Friday because Friday, April 8th, is the last day of this pay period.
So the real scare is the following pay period. Think it’ll be two or more weeks without a budget? Especially since the public blames each side equally at this point.
I’m with Jonn. I think they’re pushing it to the brink playing ‘I’m gonna shoot the hostage’ hoping the Republicans blink first. Boehner et al need to stand strong and call their bluff on this absolutely disgusting, embarrassing, and childish behavior. They may shut down, but it won’t last long.
I suspect the annointed one is in for a nasty surprise. If they truly shut down, there will be far more fingers pointed at him (and the Senate Dems) than he believes.