The Shut Down Looms
I've been watching the news to see what the status is on our government shut down. It looks like the House passed another stop gap measure, which includes full 2011 FY funding for the military, but the President has promised to veto that, because he said it was a "distraction." I'm not a fan of stop gap measures, but I am a fan of paying the military.
Because in a government shut down situation, the government closes. Meaning government workers just don't show up to work. They get a day off. Some (excepted workers only) will receive pay for those days once the shut down is over. Non-excepted wont. Some excepted workers have to show up to work anyway, even though they won't get paid until the situation is resolved.
Who does that include? The military. Men and women serving in Afgahnistan and Libya and Iraq. Combat missions continue, but their families at home don't receive a pay check. I can not even imagine how AWFUL that would be, to be a husband and father, in Iraq, holding an M16, knowing that your wife and kids aren't going to have any money this week, because the federal government couldn't get their act together.
And for people living pay check to pay check, the promise of getting paid eventually is little comfort when the bills come due NOW.
And this isn't the Republicans fault. This is Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi's fault. This is their Congress's responsibility, and they couldn't get it done, so they left it. Unresolved.
Congress has one flipping job. One major responsibility, and that is to pass a budget for the President to sign. NUMBER ONE JOB. And they are failing to do it. And it's because the Democrats think that a government shut down is going to look bad on Republicans, not on them.
We shall see.
Harry Reid was on the Senate floor today talking about how they have reached agreement on everything but Title 10 funding. Which is a covert way of saying Planned Parenthood funding. HE says that women won't be able to get cancer screenings if that funding isn't approved. Sen. Kyl nailed it on the head when he took the floor after him saying that federal funding will still go to other clinics and hospitals that offer cancer screenings and cholestoral checks. And he said - I paraphrase - that in all honesty, women that go to planned parenthood aren't going for cancer screenings, they are going for abortions.
Honestly, I don't flipping care. Argue about that funding later and get a budget signed. IF that's all that's holding it up (which I highly, highly doubt) than take it out, pass it without it, and deal with their funding later. Debate it separately.
But they won't, because with the nation facing certain bankruptcy if things continue this way, the public isn't going to want to cut funding for roads and leave $300M going to abortion clinics.
I'm torn on this. I don't want the military to suffer. At all. I don't want them affected. But my husband made a terrific point, if you want to cut 10% of the nations budget quickly, just have the government shut down for a week.
I know it would hurt, and it would not be easy for a lot of people. But Congress doesn't get it. Harry Reid was talking about how his constitutents who work for the government want to know if they can take a vacation this summer, they need their money. I shook my head. He's so clueless.
They don't want to know if they can take a vacation. They want to know if they can pay rent and get their car fixed in the same month. THAT'S where the American people are right now.
Make the cuts, get it passed.
But seriously, if gas prices keep going up the Democrats (mainly the President) won't stand a chance in hell of gaining seats and keeping the Presidency, regardless of this budget. I have said all along, gas for cars and heating homes hits every single American the same, and if those things get bad for everyone, they will look to the government (rightly or wrongly) to make it better. If they can't, they will vote them out. No amount of "green" job promises will make people feel better about $100 gas expenses or triple digit home energy costs.
Fingers crossed for a deal that atleast keeps the military and essential personnel paid. I'm beginning to have my doubts though.
Because in a government shut down situation, the government closes. Meaning government workers just don't show up to work. They get a day off. Some (excepted workers only) will receive pay for those days once the shut down is over. Non-excepted wont. Some excepted workers have to show up to work anyway, even though they won't get paid until the situation is resolved.
Who does that include? The military. Men and women serving in Afgahnistan and Libya and Iraq. Combat missions continue, but their families at home don't receive a pay check. I can not even imagine how AWFUL that would be, to be a husband and father, in Iraq, holding an M16, knowing that your wife and kids aren't going to have any money this week, because the federal government couldn't get their act together.
And for people living pay check to pay check, the promise of getting paid eventually is little comfort when the bills come due NOW.
And this isn't the Republicans fault. This is Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi's fault. This is their Congress's responsibility, and they couldn't get it done, so they left it. Unresolved.
Congress has one flipping job. One major responsibility, and that is to pass a budget for the President to sign. NUMBER ONE JOB. And they are failing to do it. And it's because the Democrats think that a government shut down is going to look bad on Republicans, not on them.
We shall see.
Harry Reid was on the Senate floor today talking about how they have reached agreement on everything but Title 10 funding. Which is a covert way of saying Planned Parenthood funding. HE says that women won't be able to get cancer screenings if that funding isn't approved. Sen. Kyl nailed it on the head when he took the floor after him saying that federal funding will still go to other clinics and hospitals that offer cancer screenings and cholestoral checks. And he said - I paraphrase - that in all honesty, women that go to planned parenthood aren't going for cancer screenings, they are going for abortions.
Honestly, I don't flipping care. Argue about that funding later and get a budget signed. IF that's all that's holding it up (which I highly, highly doubt) than take it out, pass it without it, and deal with their funding later. Debate it separately.
But they won't, because with the nation facing certain bankruptcy if things continue this way, the public isn't going to want to cut funding for roads and leave $300M going to abortion clinics.
I'm torn on this. I don't want the military to suffer. At all. I don't want them affected. But my husband made a terrific point, if you want to cut 10% of the nations budget quickly, just have the government shut down for a week.
I know it would hurt, and it would not be easy for a lot of people. But Congress doesn't get it. Harry Reid was talking about how his constitutents who work for the government want to know if they can take a vacation this summer, they need their money. I shook my head. He's so clueless.
They don't want to know if they can take a vacation. They want to know if they can pay rent and get their car fixed in the same month. THAT'S where the American people are right now.
Make the cuts, get it passed.
But seriously, if gas prices keep going up the Democrats (mainly the President) won't stand a chance in hell of gaining seats and keeping the Presidency, regardless of this budget. I have said all along, gas for cars and heating homes hits every single American the same, and if those things get bad for everyone, they will look to the government (rightly or wrongly) to make it better. If they can't, they will vote them out. No amount of "green" job promises will make people feel better about $100 gas expenses or triple digit home energy costs.
Fingers crossed for a deal that atleast keeps the military and essential personnel paid. I'm beginning to have my doubts though.
Comments
I don't remember the last time the government that shut down(1995 for 9 days). I am sure we got paid I just don't remember if it was at the regular times.
The government civilians are going to be hurt the most. They can not take leave for the time, their pay checks are going to be shorter no matter what.
On a side note, the Commissary is going to be closed. What will I do, Oh the tragedy! Actually I am better off in ABQ then I was at Edwards.