Gov shutdown

[Beebs52]

Both sides are assholes. That is all.

[flockofseagulls104]

Both sides are assholes. That is all.

That goes without saying. But one side can end it by 5 senators doing what they scolded the other side to do many times.

[flockofseagulls104]

It's over. Dems caved. So did pubs giving back the useless non essential jobs they cut. We had such a chance with Doge. They just can't stop spending our money for nothing.

[BackInTex]

Dems caved.

I wish everyone would stop using the most insulting, critical rhetoric to report what happens. This doesn't help

This is a win for everyone so why can't the headline simply be "Both parties agree on.....". And let's move forward without the "na na na na nah, we won, you lose you losers" middle school reporting.

[flockofseagulls104]

This is a win for everyone

I disagree. Call it what you want, but 'a win' will not cut it.

[BackInTex]

This is a win for everyone

I disagree. Call it what you want, but 'a win' will not cut it.

Win doesn't mean you get everything you want. A loss doesn't mean you didn't get everthing you want.

You can win 1-0 or lose 57-60. You can win striking out 27 time with one HR in baseball. You can lose even when scoring on every possession in football.

I don't want 4 years of everything we want then 4 years of nothing we want every election cycle.

[Appa23]

This is a win for everyone

I disagree. Call it what you want, but 'a win' will not cut it.

In a “government shutdown”, there are no winners, only losers. Unfortunately, the losers are millions of people who were not playing and don’t consider earning a living or feeding their kids to be a game.

Flock, you seem secure in your belief that the fired public servants were not doing essential jobs. I won’t tell you that federal service is not like the private sector, where there are some folks who do the minimum work for their pay, but I will tell you that I know that there are a substantial percentage who do feel a call to public service, willing to take less pay for a bigger purpose. I know this unquestionably because I work with them, I counsel them, and I am trusted to lead them.

I unfortunately have had acquired more expertise in leading governmental/military organizations through lapses in appropriation in the past 15 years than makes any sense. Each time, they get longer, and we make public service the one thing that it is not supposed to be — political.

[flockofseagulls104]

This is a win for everyone

I disagree. Call it what you want, but 'a win' will not cut it.

In a “government shutdown”, there are no winners, only losers. Unfortunately, the losers are millions of people who were not playing and don’t consider earning a living or feeding their kids to be a game.

Flock, you seem secure in your belief that the fired public servants were not doing essential jobs. I won’t tell you that federal service is not like the private sector, where there are some folks who do the minimum work for their pay, but I will tell you that I know that there are a substantial percentage who do feel a call to public service, willing to take less pay for a bigger purpose. I know this unquestionably because I work with them, I counsel them, and I am trusted to lead them.

I unfortunately have had acquired more expertise in leading governmental/military organizations through lapses in appropriation in the past 15 years than makes any sense. Each time, they get longer, and we make public service the one thing that it is not supposed to be — political.

I agree with your first point. Unfortunately, it is very clear that Chuck Schumer and the democrats felt shutting down the government WAS a game. They've FA and now they FO. They passed Obamacare without one Republican Vote. It was supposed to make healthcare affordable, but it did the opposite. All it accomplished was give a windfall to Insurance companies, eliminate competition and enable the insurers to raise their prices to the roof. Then, when they had all three branches during Covid, they passed enormous subsidies to keep it afloat and 'affordable'. Again, without a single republican vote. But they put an end date on it when they could have made it permanent, because they wanted to use it as a political issue. It came back to haunt them, because they were counting on making sure Trump couldn't win. But he did. They were somewhat successful in convincing their base, the dumb masses, that republicans shut down the government, but it was Schumer's deal, trying to look tough to the radical arm of his party. The losers should blame the democrats. Sorry, BiT, but that's the truth. This time the republicans held the higher ground. But they still have to share the blame for the harm to the country and to the individuals Appa refers to.

Appa, I'm sure there are some wonderful people who are in essential jobs that feel a calling to do them. But the government is not known for being efficient. And it does not need to be so big. I am a big believer in Ronald Reagan's philosophy that government cannot solve the problem. In most cases government IS the problem.

For awhile we had the smartest man in the world helping us to make the government more efficient and eliminate waste. He was held in contempt and vilified by the entrenched bureaucracy that is Washington DC.

You will not convince me that the federal workforce cannot be significantly reduced with no ill effects in the long run or that there's no significant fraud.

[Weyoun]

I disagree. Call it what you want, but 'a win' will not cut it.

In a “government shutdown”, there are no winners, only losers. Unfortunately, the losers are millions of people who were not playing and don’t consider earning a living or feeding their kids to be a game.

Flock, you seem secure in your belief that the fired public servants were not doing essential jobs. I won’t tell you that federal service is not like the private sector, where there are some folks who do the minimum work for their pay, but I will tell you that I know that there are a substantial percentage who do feel a call to public service, willing to take less pay for a bigger purpose. I know this unquestionably because I work with them, I counsel them, and I am trusted to lead them.

I unfortunately have had acquired more expertise in leading governmental/military organizations through lapses in appropriation in the past 15 years than makes any sense. Each time, they get longer, and we make public service the one thing that it is not supposed to be — political.

I agree with your first point. Unfortunately, it is very clear that Chuck Schumer and the democrats felt shutting down the government WAS a game. They've FA and now they FO. They passed Obamacare without one Republican Vote. It was supposed to make healthcare affordable, but it did the opposite. All it accomplished was give a windfall to Insurance companies, eliminate competition and enable the insurers to raise their prices to the roof. Then, when they had all three branches during Covid, they passed enormous subsidies to keep it afloat and 'affordable'. Again, without a single republican vote. But they put an end date on it when they could have made it permanent, because they wanted to use it as a political issue. It came back to haunt them, because they were counting on making sure Trump couldn't win. But he did. They were somewhat successful in convincing their base, the dumb masses, that republicans shut down the government, but it was Schumer's deal, trying to look tough to the radical arm of his party. The losers should blame the democrats. Sorry, BiT, but that's the truth. This time the republicans held the higher ground. But they still have to share the blame for the harm to the country and to the individuals Appa refers to.

Appa, I'm sure there are some wonderful people who are in essential jobs that feel a calling to do them. But the government is not known for being efficient. And it does not need to be so big. I am a big believer in Ronald Reagan's philosophy that government cannot solve the problem. In most cases government IS the problem.

For awhile we had the smartest man in the world helping us to make the government more efficient and eliminate waste. He was held in contempt and vilified by the entrenched bureaucracy that is Washington DC.

You will not convince me that the federal workforce cannot be significantly reduced with no ill effects in the long run or that there's no significant fraud.

Sweetie, it’s an extremely flawed law, but it was better than the alternative, which is what we’re about to get, which is nothing.

It was only able to pass because there was no public option. That would radically change the dynamics of that law.

I’m thinking that this caving was set up intentionally just to show how big a mess the healthcare system is, and how much reform is needed.

While Trump is so erratic that anything is possible (he’s so free market that he’s demanding government ownership of multiple companies), ultimately, his base of mouth breathers like yourself does not want the government to pay for healthcare at all, and would prefer that people to die in the street. So one possible alternative is that when the whole thing blows up, Trump comes through and delivers something that is sensible. But I think more likely he’ll just tell everybody to fuck off and the Republicans get ass raped in the midterms.

So FAFO is absolutely right.

[mikehardware]

I am now being affected by the shutdown. I work for a government contractor, and my work hours for the current project are out as of yesterday. I have a new assignment on another project, but getting me officially moved over to that requires a signature from the government person. So I will be in Leave Without Pay status until the government folks can get back to work and catch up on their paperwork. I hope that doesn’t take long.

[flockofseagulls104]

not want the government to pay for healthcare at all

Yup. You got it. I'm not fond of the idea of people like Fauchi or you making decisions about my health. Keep the govament out of it.

[Weyoun]

not want the government to pay for healthcare at all

Yup. You got it. I'm not fond of the idea of people like Fauchi or you making decisions about my health. Keep the govament out of it.

Did you know the private insurers are the ones who actually do that thing?

[Beebs52]

not want the government to pay for healthcare at all

Yup. You got it. I'm not fond of the idea of people like Fauchi or you making decisions about my health. Keep the govament out of it.

Did you know the private insurers are the ones who actually do that thing?

Actually, you're right.

[Beebs52]

Just an aside-
I worked for Travelers in the 70s. Property/casualty/injury, etc. Our mantra was fair and equitable, and for the most part that was true. Always looking out for "equitable" payout. I don't recall trying to jack any claimants around. Mind you this wasn't health insurance. Just negotiations with peeps or lawyers.

With that said, I've always thought insurance companies are the cockroaches of business. They will survive a nuclear meltdown and rise up to cover the remainders.

[BackInTex]

Anyone find it odd that the media and Democrats were blaming the Republicans for the shutdown but now that it’s over, with the help of a few reasonable members of their own, they are furious its over and arises that voted to end it?

I don’t find it odd. Par for the course.