# Trump's Shutdown **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 11, 2019, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-shutdown/827577 "2019-01-11T06:18:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 18
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2019, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-shutdown/827577/341 "2019-01-23T22:02:09Z")
> [@romansperson](#): > > Note in the article that the percentage of people who generally support building a wall at some point stays about the same as it has been (43 percent - I wonder how many of them only agree if Mexico pays for it??). But not too many people agree with the strong-arming going on here. Are you listening, Mitch?? I know it’s petty and superficial, but that schmuck looks more like Mason Verger every time I see him. All the power in the world can’t be worth waking up to that fucking face in the mirror every day. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2019, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-shutdown/827577/342 "2019-01-23T22:09:27Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > I thought this was Peter Schickele, but it’s Ezra Pound. I have been elucidated. Pound was a major asshole, and his one good joke got stole. Good! And the horse upon in which he rode! ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2019, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-shutdown/827577/343 "2019-01-23T22:12:25Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > That’s a good point. I didn’t know that, I thought they had good prices at base commissaries. Good prices don’t help if you have no money. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2019, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-shutdown/827577/344 "2019-01-23T22:21:47Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > I know it’s petty and superficial, but that schmuck looks more like Mason Verger every time I see him. All the power in the world can’t be worth waking up to that fucking face in the mirror every day. Perhaps that is why he is such a mean bastard. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2019, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-shutdown/827577/345 "2019-01-24T02:21:09Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > I know it’s petty and superficial, but that schmuck looks more like Mason Verger every time I see him. All the power in the world can’t be worth waking up to that fucking face in the mirror every day. Besides the power, he has an attractive wife and a ton of money. His external looks are the least of his worries. The ugliness on the inside is what’s affecting us all. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2019, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-shutdown/827577/346 "2019-01-24T02:28:45Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Pound was a major asshole, and his one good joke got stole. Good! And the horse upon in which he rode! Regarding Ezra Pound, I’m not really well-versed (did you see what I did there?:D). What was the joke? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2019, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-shutdown/827577/347 "2019-01-24T02:33:15Z")
“My dog has no nose.” ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2019, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-shutdown/827577/348 "2019-01-24T02:47:30Z")
> [@The\_Tooth](#): > > “My dog has no nose.” Poor thing. Especially if it’s a boy dog. Does he have to follow other dogs around to know when a nearby female is in heat? It must make it very difficult to find a spot to pee on. He probably gets in a lot of (unwanted) fights with other, more territorial, dogs. Anyway, not to Junior Mod, but your post is probably better suited to MPSIMS. I’ll report it to get it moved if you want… ---
**Author:** ![galen\_ubal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galen_ubal/32/4440_2.png) [@galen\_ubal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galen_ubal)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2019, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-shutdown/827577/349 "2019-01-24T04:02:59Z")
[It’s being reported that Secret Service personnel](https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/23/politics/challenge-coins-secret-service-government-shutdown/index.html) have been creating and distributing challenge coins for working without pay - on their own dime. Geez, morale must be down through the floor. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2019, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-shutdown/827577/350 "2019-01-24T05:10:41Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > That’s a good point. I didn’t know that, I thought they had good prices at base commissaries. They do. It’s also especially helpful in places such as Seoul where off-base prices are a bit steep. > [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > When I was a kid, my mom volunteered at Navy Relief ([Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society (NMCRS)](http://www.nmcrs.org/pages/our-history)), which was founded in 1904. Our military personnel (primarily enlisted) have been underpaid for a very long time. True. Sadly, true. > [@Folacin](#): > > Good prices just means the benefit goes farther. And that benefit [is under threat](https://www.military.com/spouse/military-life/military-resources/commissaries-face-deficit-cutting-threat.html). > [@galen\_ubal](#): > > [It’s being reported that Secret Service personnel](https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/23/politics/challenge-coins-secret-service-government-shutdown/index.html) have been creating and distributing challenge coins for working without pay - on their own dime. > Geez, morale must be down through the floor. Wow. But, of course, Trump and his minions/supporters/fellow damn fools (yes, those are synonyms) won’t give credence to the report because it’s from CNN, aka “the king of fake news”. For those interested, [here](https://www.military.com/paycheck-chronicles/2014/02/18/military-and-food-stamps) is a [Military.com](http://Military.com) article titled _Military and Food Stamps_. ---
**Author:** ![galen\_ubal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galen_ubal/32/4440_2.png) [@galen\_ubal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galen_ubal)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2019, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-shutdown/827577/351 "2019-01-24T05:38:06Z")
[Colorado senator’s spokesman says Gardner intends to vote for clean funding bill that would open the government with no border-security strings attached.](https://www.denverpost.com/2019/01/23/colorado-cory-gardner-republicans-trump-wall-shutdown/) Republican senator from Colorado. Link to an editorial in the Denver Post - I’ve been unable to verify it elsewhere, but unless the editors are idiots, it should be solid. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2019, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-shutdown/827577/352 "2019-01-24T05:49:26Z")
I just used [Military.com](http://Military.com)’s pay calculator to figure out the pay for a married member of the military pay grade E1, less than two years service for pay purposes, living off base in Monterey, California (ZIP 93940). Here’s the breakdown of the monthly pay: Basic pay: $1,681 Housing allowance (with dependents): $2,421 Subsistence allowance (for military member who does not subsist (normally get meals) at the military dining facility/mess hall): $368 TOTAL: $4,470 You may have noticed that Monterey, California is not a cheap area in which to live. You may also notice on that calculator site that Monterey is not a CONUS COLA (Continental US Cost of Living Allowance) area. A further thing you may have noticed is there is no additional housing allowance: the rate is “without dependents” or “with dependents”. And that housing allowance is greater than the monthly pay. Finally, there are Californians who are stationed there, some of them are even E-1, and some of them have no choice but to also pay state tax on their military income. No, it’s not cheap at all to live in that area. [It got so bad for one soldier’s family, that one son killed himself, citing “one less mouth to feed”](https://people.com/archive/a-soldiers-teenage-son-kills-himself-so-his-mom-will-have-one-less-mouth-to-feed-vol-22-no-12/). Of course nobody can ever truly know why someone has killed himself, but this is some damning stuff. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2019, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-shutdown/827577/353 "2019-01-24T06:36:06Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > They do. It’s also especially helpful in places such as Seoul where off-base prices are a bit steep. > > True. Sadly, true. > > And that benefit [is under threat](https://www.military.com/spouse/military-life/military-resources/commissaries-face-deficit-cutting-threat.html). > > Wow. But, of course, Trump and his minions/supporters/fellow damn fools (yes, those are synonyms) won’t give credence to the report because it’s from CNN, aka “the king of fake news”. 😕 That doesn’t make any sense. This is America. We don’t _do_ kings… ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2019, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-shutdown/827577/354 "2019-01-24T13:07:07Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Regarding Ezra Pound, I’m not really well-versed (did you see what I did there?:D). > > What was the joke? Sometimes Dopers get too esoteric for their own good. It’s not a joke, but a parody of a poem. One of the oldest pieces of verse in English is “Summer is a’Comin’ in”: > [@](#): > > Svmer is icumen in > Lhude sing cuccu > Groweþ sed > and bloweþ med > and springþ þe wde nu > Sing cuccu > > Awe bleteþ after lomb > lhouþ after calue cu > Bulluc sterteþ > bucke uerteþ > murie sing cuccu > > Cuccu cuccu > Wel singes þu cuccu > ne swik þu nauer nu Or, translated: > [@](#): > > Summer[a] has arrived, > Sing loudly, cuckoo! > The seed is growing > And the meadow is blooming, > And the wood is coming into leaf now, > Sing, cuckoo! > > The ewe is bleating after her lamb, > The cow is lowing after her calf; > The bullock is prancing, > The billy-goat farting, > Sing merrily, cuckoo! > > Cuckoo, cuckoo, > You sing well, cuckoo, > Never stop now. (The translation is bowdlerized. most modern commentators translate “sterteth” as “farts”) Pound parodied this as: > [@](#): > > Winter is icummen in, > Lhude sing Goddamm. > Raineth drop and staineth slop, > And how the wind doth ramm! > Sing: Goddamm. > > Skiddeth bus and sloppeth us, > An ague hath my ham. > Freezeth river, turneth liver, > Damn you, sing: Goddamm. > > Goddamm, Goddamm, 'tis why I am, Goddamm, > So 'gainst the winter’s balm. > > Sing goddamm, damm, sing Goddamm. > Sing goddamm, sing goddamm, DAMM. Pound – when he wasn’t doing parodies - was an impressive poet and scholar, but he was appararently something of a bastard. Also a traitor and a fascist: > **[Still a Monster](https://www.thesmartset.com/still-a-monster/)** > > A. David Moody recently completed his magisterial three-volume biography of Ezra Pound, and after roughly 2000 pages, it’s perhaps understandable that Stockho Hence the nasty words about the man. I had a friend who was a fan of Pound’s poetry (and was writing a thesis about him), but agreed about the man’s bad qualities. ---
**Author:** ![MindsEye\_Watering](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindseye_watering/32/3619_2.png) [@MindsEye\_Watering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MindsEye_Watering)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2019, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-shutdown/827577/355 "2019-01-24T13:20:46Z")
> [@The\_Tooth](#): > > “My dog has no nose.” “How does he smell?” ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2019, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-shutdown/827577/356 "2019-01-24T13:36:50Z")
> [@galen\_ubal](#): > > [It’s being reported that Secret Service personnel](https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/23/politics/challenge-coins-secret-service-government-shutdown/index.html) have been creating and distributing challenge coins for working without pay - on their own dime. > Geez, morale must be down through the floor. I love the design – especially the neon CLOSED sign – but I wonder what got blurred above the White House. ‘Fuck you, Trump’ won’t fit. > [@Monty](#): > > I just used [Military.com](http://Military.com)’s pay calculator to figure out the pay for a married member of the military pay grade E1, less than two years service for pay purposes, living off base in Monterey, California (ZIP 93940). When I was in the Navy some 35 years ago, E-3 and below were _strongly_ discouraged from getting married just for that reason, and I would imagine the other services also did so. The meme was, ‘If the Navy wanted you to have a wife, it would have issued you one.’ Of course, not everyone paid attention and if you enlisted while married in the first place, there wasn’t much TPTB could do. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2019, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-shutdown/827577/357 "2019-01-24T13:46:26Z")
Trump is trapped, and I don’t think he has any idea how to get himself out of it. Moreover, there’s no one in his administration who really has the savvy to help him out. Trump is trapped by his base, trapped by his campaign promises, and trapped by his desire to create chaos and distractions from his growing legal jeopardy. In due time, we’re going to see the economic consequences of the shutdown. There are 800,000 fewer Americans with a regular monthly middle-class income compared to just six weeks ago. Those 800,000 have slashed spending, hurting thousands of businesses and local economies. They’ve stopped thousands of real estate transactions, car purchases, and canceled thousands of vacations. And as far as we know, we’re just getting started. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2019, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-shutdown/827577/358 "2019-01-24T13:57:22Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > I love the design – especially the neon CLOSED sign – but I wonder what got blurred above the White House. ‘Fuck you, Trump’ won’t fit. A three [digit number.](https://www.rawstory.com/2019/01/secret-service-agents-distributing-challenge-coins-mocking-shutdown-dont-worry-youll-get-back-pay/) ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2019, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-shutdown/827577/359 "2019-01-24T14:05:49Z")
> [@galen\_ubal](#): > > [It’s being reported that Secret Service personnel](https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/23/politics/challenge-coins-secret-service-government-shutdown/index.html) have been creating and distributing challenge coins for working without pay - on their own dime. > Geez, morale must be down through the floor. Yeah, and not paying the guys who are supposed to defend your physical safety and even take a bullet for you is stupid on a breath-taking level. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2019, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-shutdown/827577/360 "2019-01-24T14:12:59Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > I love the design – especially the neon CLOSED sign – but I wonder what got blurred above the White House. ‘Fuck you, Trump’ won’t fit. They should have shaped it like a suppository so Cadet Bone Spurs can shove it up his fat orange ass. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-shutdown/827577.md?page=17) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-shutdown/827577.md?page=19)