US government shutdown

beautiful_seclusion · 04-10-2013, 03:58 AM

So anyone here in the US been affected by the shutdown? I don't know much about it, but it's a bit scary as I'm in science and a lot of our funding sources are up in the air currently. I also do not get why our politicians are getting paid while federal employees are not. Anyone have any thoughts? More informed opinions than mine? (Which wouldn't take much considering I was only vaguely aware of the shutdown threat before it happened)

little.ophelia · 04-10-2013, 06:33 AM

Not me personally (well, I won't be able to get my flu shot but no huge loss there) but I work in a childcare center where most of the moms are on WIC and are scared that they're going to stop getting it soon. It is a little bit scary I think just because of the unknown-ness of it all.

talaiporia · 04-10-2013, 08:05 AM

It seems crazy that just a few people can shut down a government. I think the queen has the power here to recall the government if they're too crap.

What is happening? It's hard trying to make sense of of from English papers.

snailonvalium · 04-10-2013, 11:00 AM

^^ the Washington post has a guide to what's going on and a breakdown.....i still barely understood (uk'er).

Basically its about funding and how to pay for stuff and no one can currently agree...which is screwing over lots of people.

beautiful_seclusion · 04-10-2013, 12:47 PM

Yeah from what I understand one party wants to defund something and the other party doesn't. Our government hasn't had a real budget in years but keeps renewing temporary measures. The party that wants to defund stuff won't renew the budget temporary measures or whatever unless they get what they want. And the other party is doing the same thing. And we have to have things pass in both the house and the senate. But each one has the opposite party majority right now. So anything that passes in one ends up failing in the other. And so nothing gets approved and there's no budget. That's how I understand it anyway; someone feel free to correct me if I've got it wrong. All I know is that both parties are crap and people need to start voting for candidates that aren't republican or democrat, but that seems like it'll never happen cause that's what people are used to. And somehow the politicians have managed to classify their pay as "essential", so even though federal workers aren't getting paid, they are. So they have no incentive to fix anything. I think no politician should be paid until this is fixed. And I think anyone on welfare will be affected within the next month (like said about WIC) if this isn't fixed by then, because there's no budget for welfare. I can't access a grant application I'm applying for, because the national science foundation can't keep their website up. And there's no new grants anyway til this is over. And eventually this could be very bad for professors at my university because of how much they rely on government grants. It's already been bad enough with the cuts to science, and now this. It just really makes me angry that politicians can do this because they can't do their basic job, which is to negotiate and compromise. And they get paid while middle class and low income people suffer. Yet not enough people will band together to vote for other parties that would keep the republicans and democrats from being able to do whatever they want and still get elected. It's so insane that we as a country vote in such a way that only two parties are essentially an option.

Mrs Sam · 04-10-2013, 04:44 PM

The scariest thing is if this doesn't get sorted in a few weeks then the US technically becomes bankrupt. Although I don't think it'll get that far!

The One Who · 04-10-2013, 05:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mrs Sam

The scariest thing is if this doesn't get sorted in a few weeks then the US technically becomes bankrupt. Although I don't think it'll get that far!

It will probably go down to the wire like last time, but neither side will allow that to happen.

Amaryllis · 05-10-2013, 08:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beautiful_seclusion

Yeah from what I understand one party wants to defund something and the other party doesn't. Our government hasn't had a real budget in years but keeps renewing temporary measures. The party that wants to defund stuff won't renew the budget temporary measures or whatever unless they get what they want. And the other party is doing the same thing. And we have to have things pass in both the house and the senate. But each one has the opposite party majority right now. So anything that passes in one ends up failing in the other. And so nothing gets approved and there's no budget. That's how I understand it anyway; someone feel free to correct me if I've got it wrong. All I know is that both parties are crap and people need to start voting for candidates that aren't republican or democrat, but that seems like it'll never happen cause that's what people are used to. And somehow the politicians have managed to classify their pay as "essential", so even though federal workers aren't getting paid, they are. So they have no incentive to fix anything. I think no politician should be paid until this is fixed. And I think anyone on welfare will be affected within the next month (like said about WIC) if this isn't fixed by then, because there's no budget for welfare. I can't access a grant application I'm applying for, because the national science foundation can't keep their website up. And there's no new grants anyway til this is over. And eventually this could be very bad for professors at my university because of how much they rely on government grants. It's already been bad enough with the cuts to science, and now this. It just really makes me angry that politicians can do this because they can't do their basic job, which is to negotiate and compromise. And they get paid while middle class and low income people suffer. Yet not enough people will band together to vote for other parties that would keep the republicans and democrats from being able to do whatever they want and still get elected. It's so insane that we as a country vote in such a way that only two parties are essentially an option.

The bill has already passed the senate, it did so well before the shutdown. Obama has said he would sign it. The speaker of the house in the house of representatives is refusing to allow them to vote on the bill. Enough democrats and republicans have said they would vote for it. They are just not being allowed to vote on it.

Isoverity · 10-10-2013, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beautiful_seclusion

So anyone here in the US been affected by the shutdown? I don't know much about it, but it's a bit scary as I'm in science and a lot of our funding sources are up in the air currently. I also do not get why our politicians are getting paid while federal employees are not. Anyone have any thoughts? More informed opinions than mine? (Which wouldn't take much considering I was only vaguely aware of the shutdown threat before it happened)

The media rarely gives the reason for the CR (continuing resolution). The reason we have to have these "emergency" funding votes is that the Obamna admim has failed to pass a budget on purpose. No president in the past 40 years has failed to pass a budget 2 years in a row except Obama - who has done it every year since 2009. Although he is legally obligated to create a budget on time he hasn't since his first year. This is intentional because it allows the administration to get more money due to "baseline budgeting"

When a budget isn't passed for a fiscal year the budget for the previous year is then used as the baseline. In 2009 Obama asked for and got a "stimulus" spending bill that was almost a trillion dollars including interest. The money was supposed to stimulate the economy but it didn't because most of the money was used politically and not economically. The Wall St Journal found only 22% of stimulus bill was actually stimulating.

Since the 2009 budget included the huge "one time" stimulus Obama intentionally creates (late at that) a bogus and irrational budget that gets voted down unanimously by both parties. That allows the administration to use the 2009 baseline. So the "one time" stimulus becomes recurring every year.

beautiful_seclusion · 10-10-2013, 02:54 PM

That's interesting. Do you have any links; I'd love to read more about that. I've never gotten political stuff and that reasoning for things does make things make a little more sense. Why does the 2009 budget give them more money? Is it because they'd cut it with the recent cuts? Also how have they had budget cuts I hear about more recently if there's been no new budget? I'm pretty hopeless when it comes to getting politics so sorry if that's a stupid question!