Shut Down

[Aloha_Shooter]

Short form for understanding "essential": would someone be working at that position if there was a 4-6 foot snowfall and 35+ mph blowing winds outside? If you'd have to go in under those conditions, you're essential (at least for that day). If you'd stay home under those conditions, you're not. Biggest laugh of my life was seeing how many people considered themselves to be "essential" on the first day of furloughs under the Clinton-Gingrich showdown.

[buffalobo]

There is a little Butler's pantry between the Oval Office and the President's private office. It is very small, but apparently just big enough for two people and a cigar.

, don't call him Slick for nuthin.

Probably bammy and the goat boy know it too.

But what about the door from the Rose Garden?

[Aloha_Shooter]

That message was lost months ago. The "radical tea part faction" has been holding the house hostage while pushing their agenda.

This one of the big reasons they really should not have let it get to this point. (R) is going to take all the blame for any downside.

That's a load of equine manure. The "radical" Tea Party faction has been pushing the House and Senate to do the jobs they are assigned under Article II of the Constitution. Their agenda is quite simply to restore a balanced financial picture and planning to the federal government. The Republicans are certainly horrible at messaging; part of the reason for that is that most of the people good at spinning senseless crap with no basis in reality are liberals. Republicans are certainly going to get the blame for any downside but they've taken that for the last 50 years even when the pain was caused by Democrats.

The worst thing that could happen is continuing to cave to the demands of the toddlers following Obama and Reid.

[BPTactical]

There is a little Butler's pantry between the Oval Office and the President's private office. It is very small, but apparently just big enough for two people and a cigar.

If your cigar tastes like crap, she's pissed.........


Like I said early on, imho this shows what a punk we have for leadership. A true leader can bring opposing views together to a beneficial outcome.
Instead we have an arrogant and petulant little man that sits like a spoiled brat in the corner saying "I won't do it!"
Not saying the other side is perfect, but at least they have put forth some viable proposals and with the other side saying they won't even consider them, well to me it shows who is willing to work for a solution.

Interesting how the media is totally grilling the Repubs.
Anarchists, Arsonists, Terrorists.....

[TheGrey]

I know plenty of government workers that have nothing to do with the decisions that politicians make. They're good people that are just like the rest of the communities that they serve.

Many of them are veterans that retired from the military and went back in as civilians.

Their pay and lives have been disrupted while the politicians play their spoiled, selfish games.

I really hope this isn't a long furlough.

[cstone]

I know plenty of government workers that have nothing to do with the decisions that politicians make. They're good people that are just like the rest of the communities that they serve.

Many of them are veterans that retired from the military and went back in as civilians.

Their pay and lives have been disrupted while the politicians play their spoiled, selfish games.

I really hope this isn't a long furlough.

Well, this isn't the first federal shutdown, and it likely won't be the last. While there is no guarantee that Congress will do what they have done in the past but... In every other shutdown, the essential workers were eventually paid for having gone to work and done their job just as if there never was a shutdown. The non-essential workers were paid as if they had gone to work because Congress decided that it would be wrong to penalize them for being forced to stay at home because the crisis was not of their own making. It has become a strange little irony that approximately 60% of the federal workforce is essential and they are a bit jealous of the 40% of non-essential federal workers who will be paid to stay home.

We have the government we elected. Obviously each of us made our own choices, however, we now live with the choices of the majority of our fellow Americans. If we find ourselves in a shit stew, we need look no further than ourselves. Congress is representing a divided nation and we are being lead by a man with little or no moral compass. These are the times we live in.

Be safe.

[TheGrey]

Well, this isn't the first federal shutdown, and it likely won't be the last. While there is no guarantee that Congress will do what they have done in the past but... In every other shutdown, the essential workers were eventually paid for having gone to work and done their job just as if there never was a shutdown. The non-essential workers were paid as if they had gone to work because Congress decided that it would be wrong to penalize them for being forced to stay at home because the crisis was not of their own making. It has become a strange little irony that approximately 60% of the federal workforce is essential and they are a bit jealous of the 40% of non-essential federal workers who will be paid to stay home.

We have the government we elected. Obviously each of us made our own choices, however, we now live with the choices of the majority of our fellow Americans. If we find ourselves in a shit stew, we need look no further than ourselves. Congress is representing a divided nation and we are being lead by a man with little or no moral compass. These are the times we live in.

Be safe.

I know. I do appreciate what you're saying; I'm just finding it especially worrisome in this economic climate.

I also know that the people that must stay home have work piling up- and they're going to have to frantically try to catch up and unbury their desks when things get going again. In the meantime, their bills do not wait. So not only will they be forced to try and catch up with the work piling up, but their bills as well.

[Danimal]

This is another situation where the people hurt have nothing to do with the problem. You bet your ass if congress, the senate and obutthole were locked in a room without pay and could not leave until the national deficit was $0 and a working budget was signed, they would be out by lunch. They have the power to fix this, they know what is right but they will fight the party line for whoever has them in their pocket. They suffer no real consequence or accountability for anything and with that their only real motivation is to make the other party look bad in an attempt to displace blame and win some votes.

[merl]

That's a load of equine manure. The "radical" Tea Party faction has been pushing the House and Senate to do the jobs they are assigned under Article II of the Constitution. Their agenda is quite simply to restore a balanced financial picture and planning to the federal government. The Republicans are certainly horrible at messaging; part of the reason for that is that most of the people good at spinning senseless crap with no basis in reality are liberals. Republicans are certainly going to get the blame for any downside but they've taken that for the last 50 years even when the pain was caused by Democrats.

The worst thing that could happen is continuing to cave to the demands of the toddlers following Obama and Reid.

The second sentence of my post is what is repeated everywhere, thats why it went in. That is the message and point that this is reinforcing.

If the goal is really smaller, lower budget government then a budget that has any hope of becoming law has to actually be passed. Everybody with half a brain knows that a bill with "defund the president's signature bill, the bill he'll be remembered for" Will Not Pass. Even if somehow it had enough sweetener to pass the Senate the president will veto any repeal of his signature bill. Even getting the government shut down didn't stop it as it is classed non-discretionary.
Put it in the first version to make a political point, fine. But when it comes back with that section removed send back something loaded with other cuts everywhere. Score a second round of points with all the other cuts. Beating the same dead horse doesn't reinforce your point.
You may well be right that nobody up there wants smaller government. The (R) side sure didn't when Bush was in office and they held the reins, they could have made a difference then. Nobody is willing to to deal with the fact that either there are going to be massive cuts to the entitlement side or massive hikes on the middle class to balance things out.

[Aloha_Shooter]

The President and Harry Reid are holding firm because they don't WANT a budget that is smaller. We went through this dance before. Heck, this budget was still enormous and only cut out the part that has the greatest chance of exploding into even higher debt and they wouldn't budge but you're calling the Tea Party faction "radical". That's pure idiocy -- and the Tea Party faction didn't even exist when Bush was president, it arose because of the extraordinary spending pushed by OPR (Obama-Pelosi-Reid) that made even Bush look fiscally responsible.

You want to say the GOP and Bush aren't blameless? Fine, I'm with you on that but calling the Tea Party faction radical when the obstinate radicalism is clearly sitting over at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and at the Senate is blindly ignorant and purely stupid.