I keep wondering if these shutdowns aren’t a coordinated effort to increase attrition and reduce the federal payroll without having to downsize in a more aggressive manner.
On the other hand, maybe I’ve just been listening to too much AM radio.
Don’t the furloughed workers get backpay; i.e. the furlough becomes extra paid vacation? (Or is the furlough time subtracted from their normal vacation?) IOW, the GOP posturing to reduce spending actually leaves spending the same, but reduces government services. Google “Starve the Beast” to understand true GOP strategy: reducing spending in any but the longest term is actually counter to their goals.
(Yes, I do realize that The Congressmen who [del]Hate[/del] Love America the Very Very Mostest™ are prattling that government workers should be made to suffer financially, but they don’t have the votes.)
Odd, all their rings look redto me.
(Actually, though, brown would be more appropriate, to represent butthurt rather than proper rage.)
Last time federal workers got their back pay with no reduction of vacation time, so yes the American public gave non-essential government employees a paid vacation.
I think that may have happened eventually. If so, costs incurred as a result of the income interruption were not reimbursed.
In the shutdowns of 2013 and 1995-96*, the furloughed workers got back pay for their involuntary vacations. In both cases, it was part of the budget deal that ended the furloughs. So (a) there’s no guarantee that it’ll play out this way this time, since it takes ad hoc legislation to make it happen, but (b) odds are good that it’ll be part of the ultimate GOP surrender.
I agree with your reasoning, but the Teahadists have shown time and again that they will fight any fight until until the bitter end, past the point when they’ve won. The sequester cuts were a Tea Party victory and are the current baseline budget. Instead of savoring their success they want to fight again, despite not having the votes to acheive their stated goals. It will take the threat of crashing the world economy to bring the Teahadists to the table. Not all of them will come on board then. Several Tea Party Congressbeings said publicly and for attribution during the last shutdown that the US missing a debt payment would be so bad, because mumble mumble. Reminds me of this quote from Dr. Strangelove:
My opinion is that is if we go out, we’ll be out for the full 4-5 weeks. The Teahadists will stay in office no matter what, so why should they care?
Yes, they do get backpay, I made the previous statement fully aware of that.
I live in the DC region, so this area feels the effects of this more than the rest of the country, and when it happens it tends to be talked about in the local media a lot (as you would imagine).
Anyway, I vaguely remember reading somewhere that just being out of work for a couple weeks leads workers to start sending out resumes in numbers much greater than typical. I think a lot of them are just casually looking because they have all this free time and just don’t know what to do with themselves; even so, some will just happen to find a better fit.
If the GOP controlled house, defunds PP, and puts money into other Women’s Health Providers, and the Dems, who are in the minority ,( and elections count) refuses to allow money to go any where other than PP…
How is it that the GOP is the one who shut the Gov. down, why doesn’t the Dems share any blame?
I forgot to emphaisize in the last post the it was something I read in one article, and I believe it was in a local rag. I do not know where one would dig of valid statistics on this.
I doubt that anything will bring the Teahadists to the table. If we’re up against the debt ceiling, then Boehner will ignore the Hastert Rule, and he and >30 comparatively sane House Republicans will join the 188 House Dems to pass a clean continuing resolution, or something close enough for, um, government work.
I’m hoping this will happen sooner: that after the shutdown continues into the week of October 5, Boehner says to the Teahadists, “OK, you’ve had your fun, now we’re gonna end this thing,” and he and his 30 comparatively sane colleagues join the Dems in passing a clean CR.
Boehner can end this charade pretty much any time. It’s just a matter of how much of his caucus he’s willing to piss off, how soon.
And these “other Women’s Health Providers”, who might they be? Can we be assured that they have the experience and the established infrastructure of PP? What political or theological assurances would they need to provide to satisfy the Republicans?
And just to be sure, you do know that the basis for this…the allegations of profiteering on fetal baby brains and such…you do know that its a lie, right? Or does that even matter?
No I do not KNOW it is a lie, And no it doesn’t matter, if the majority of those elected in the house, that generates all spending bills, thinks it needs cutting then why should the minority fight it, and be free and clear of responsibility … Elections Matter… we’ve heard that one a lot.
And the other providers… they could be the clinics, that PP refers them to, so they can get the services that PP doesn’t provide… such as mammograms. Sorta cut out the middle man on that service.
But still… If the Dems decide that is worth not allowing the bill to pass… should they not at least share the culpability?
A paid vacation, during which they still had to pay food and rent, but had no income. Most supermarkets won’t let you “back pay” a frozen chicken. Things got pretty rough for a lot of government employees during the last shutdown, even if they eventually got paid.
An error is an error even if a million people think it is a good thing. One can not share culpability when in reality the representatives of the Republicans are following lies to make policy.
It does matter indeed because eventually once many more do become aware of the truth the people will have to realize that they had been had and they will then pressure their congress critters to do the right thing or to vote them out of office.
I think you underestimate the human capacity to believe whatever we *wish *to be true, regardless of the facts.
The good old stalwart of republican theology - the market will fill that void. :rolleyes:
The invisible hand can give pelvic exams.
It is. The GOP is motivating its gullible base with lies. They do this all the time. This is pretty much what FOX News does.
Elections do matter. Which is why giving the power to shut down the government to idiots in charge of the GOP is a bad thing.
You don’t just go to the mammogram store and order up a mammogram. You get screened and referred there. That’s what PP does. Someone else would have to do that if PP went away.
The Dem position is simple, Planned Parenthood does real good in the country and should be funded. The GOP position is simple as well,* pretend this lying video is real, get outraged, and allow us to fulfill the policy goal of reducing the amount of birth control options women have.*
You do know that the Hastert Rule is a Republican caucus policy, not a House procedural rule, and has no relevance to Pelosi’s actions?