# Uncle Sam is now officially closed for business. But for how long? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 1, 2013, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncle-sam-is-now-officially-closed-for-business-but-for-how-long/670083 "2013-10-01T12:52:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Blackberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncle-sam-is-now-officially-closed-for-business-but-for-how-long/670083/61 "2013-10-02T16:07:21Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > I think the fact that millions of Americans are already signing up for Obamacare is taking what wind was left out of the sails of the repeal effort. Come on, guys. You lost. Move on to the next thing. Do the right thing for your country. Will never happen. Even when they’re forced to move on it won’t be because they care about doing the right thing for the country. ---
**Author:** ![FlyingRat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/59ef9b/32.png) [@FlyingRat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRat)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncle-sam-is-now-officially-closed-for-business-but-for-how-long/670083/62 "2013-10-02T16:34:18Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > There are a couple of ways it can play out. The Republicans and Democrats could get together and tell these guys to take a hike, for example. Or it’s possible they will try everything they can try, fail, and then go along with a regular continuing resolution. Their demands keep going down and down and I think it’s possible that’s what Boehner wants to do: show them they have no leverage and can’t get what they want, so they might as well support something that will actually pass and stop damaging themselves. The problem is that this depends on them seeing reason and believing that that’s what will happen. That latter bit (Boehner giving the TP’ers enough rope to hang themselves) is suggested by [a front-page CNN article](http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/01/politics/boehner-shutdown/index.html?hpt=hp_bn3) about Boehner’s history. The problem, as you say, is whether or not they actually wake up and see reason. My hope is that enough of the moderate Republicans put their feet down to force a clean (or, at least, clean-er) bill to the floor. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncle-sam-is-now-officially-closed-for-business-but-for-how-long/670083/63 "2013-10-02T17:37:43Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Indeed. > > I got paid for 4 hours today to show up, be handed my official furlough notice, sign another sheet of paper acknowledging receipt of said notice, then immediately sent home. > > I could have actually gotten something done in those 4 hours… When I went in to “shut down” yesterday morning, we were not allowed to do anything that was actual work. Just put messages on our phones and email and a notice on the Web site, then go home. We may be paid for that time; I don’t know. According to my co-workers who were there for the 1996 shut-down, the Federal employees were reimbursed for the lost time afterwards, but contract staff were not. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncle-sam-is-now-officially-closed-for-business-but-for-how-long/670083/64 "2013-10-02T17:48:21Z")
That CNN article does a good job explaining the tightrope Boehner is on. He can’t totally ignore the TP’ers. This has to play out for awhile before Boehner can craft a bill his party will support. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncle-sam-is-now-officially-closed-for-business-but-for-how-long/670083/65 "2013-10-02T22:54:12Z")
The House is trying to pass a bill to fund National Guard troops. They’ve been furloughed and most places have canceled drills. There may be enough House support to get this one passed. Then the pressure will be on the President if he vetoes it. [http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/oct/2/house-hold-do-over-vote-national-parks-veterans-dc/?utm\_source=RSS\_Feed&utm\_medium=RSS](http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/oct/2/house-hold-do-over-vote-national-parks-veterans-dc/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS) > [@](#): > > House Republicans plan to keep trying their new piecemeal approach to solving the shutdown, setting up yet another round of votes Wednesday on bills that would fund veterans affairs and national parks — and adding new bills to fund the National Institutes of Health and to pay the National Guard and the military reserves. > > But the White House budget office said President Obama “strongly opposes” those bills and would veto them if they were to reach his desk. ---
**Author:** ![smee\_goan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f07891/32.png) [@smee\_goan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smee_goan)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncle-sam-is-now-officially-closed-for-business-but-for-how-long/670083/66 "2013-10-02T23:12:39Z")
the DOT had another 8+ fatality mass transit accident today in TN. oh wait. a blown tire. well sue the tire maker, unless it was bald as hell already. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncle-sam-is-now-officially-closed-for-business-but-for-how-long/670083/67 "2013-10-02T23:14:42Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > There may be enough House support to get this one passed. Then the pressure will be on the President if he vetoes it. No, it won’t. You may remember there’s another chamber of Congress. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncle-sam-is-now-officially-closed-for-business-but-for-how-long/670083/68 "2013-10-02T23:58:02Z")
[All right, but apart from the sanitation, medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, the fresh water system and public health, what has the government ever done for us?](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExWfh6sGyso) ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncle-sam-is-now-officially-closed-for-business-but-for-how-long/670083/69 "2013-10-03T00:58:50Z")
> [@Taters](#): > > I am one of those federal employees who got furloughed. I was verbally notified last night and had to waste gas and time to come in this morning to sign my official letter. I am in the process of an “orderly shutdown”. > > I was also one of the Dept of of Defense employees who was furloughed over the summer. This fucking sucks. Two days a pay period with no pay hurt, but this will be even worse. > > I too, am a survivor of the mid-90s shutdown. We did receive retroactive pay, but you are smoking some serious wacky tabacky if you think we’ll receive it again. Except for the mid-1990s shutdown, I have had all of these happen to me as well. > [@Marley23](#): > > The U.S. is supposed to hit the debt ceiling around the 17th, so if this lasts a month things are going to get _really_ ugly. My gut feeling is, the shutdown lasts until there’s a combined complete continuing resolution, debt limit increase, and some small thing for the Republicans so it’s not a total climbdown. > [@DCnDC](#): > > I got paid for 4 hours today to show up, be handed my official furlough notice, sign another sheet of paper acknowledging receipt of said notice, then immediately sent home. > [@medstar](#): > > I didn’t even get the 4 hours pay. At first, we had entered 4 hours at RG (regular pay), and 5 hours at KE, then my supervisor told us we had to put KE as the pay type (unpaid furlough) for the whole week. I hope this only lasts a week.:mad: I got 3 hours RG and 6 KE on Tuesday. Of course, what I entered on Tuesday and what gets sent to payroll on Thursday after review may be two different things. And it wasn’t a total law; since I was up anyway, I drove from my office to Ikea to pick up a new computer desk for my home (and went to one of my usual Indian places for lunch - what, is there just no such thing as “boneless goat curry”?). ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncle-sam-is-now-officially-closed-for-business-but-for-how-long/670083/70 "2013-10-03T02:20:47Z")
Here’s a twist. [ol] [li]Budget negotiations continue to fail.[/li][li]Public opinion starts getting dicey.[/li][li]October 17th rolls around and the debt ceiling isn’t raised.[/li][li]Economically, things start go south real fast (relatively speaking).[/li][li]Public opinion is now hairy.[/li][li]The Tea Party ratchets up the rhetoric, calling people to protect themselves against the coming government tyranny.[/li][li]The squeamish head for the gun shops (a bit late, but what the hey).[/li][li]BANG!![/li][li]You cannot purchase (legally) many firearms because the government shutdown that started way back on October 1st shut down the background check process.[/li][li]Hell arrives.[/li][/ol] ---
**Author:** ![wevets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9a140/32.png) [@wevets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wevets)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncle-sam-is-now-officially-closed-for-business-but-for-how-long/670083/71 "2013-10-03T03:26:16Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Otherwise does anyone particularly care that Uncle Sam is closed for awhile? Seniors still get their Social Security and the mail is still running. Military families are getting their pay. I’m not too concerned unless this impasse drags on for several weeks. The unpaid leave will start to hurt a lot of families after the first week or two. About 200 patients a week that want to enroll in clinical trials for experimental treatments\* through NIH will not be able to enroll. [[Cite](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/10/01/the-shutdown-could-prevent-kids-with-cancer-from-getting-treatment/) (from Washington Post although quote appeared in WSJ - WSJ has paywall)] - Usually people whose conditions/diseases don’t respond or don’t respond well to conventional treatments. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncle-sam-is-now-officially-closed-for-business-but-for-how-long/670083/72 "2013-10-03T05:50:42Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > My gut feeling is, the shutdown lasts until there’s a combined complete continuing resolution, debt limit increase, and some small thing for the Republicans so it’s not a total climbdown. That sounds plausible. I say they can have a $5 gift certificate to the Olive Garden, and that’s my final offer. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncle-sam-is-now-officially-closed-for-business-but-for-how-long/670083/73 "2013-10-03T06:48:35Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > Here’s a twist. > [ol] > [li]Budget negotiations continue to fail.[/li][li]Public opinion starts getting dicey.[/li][li]October 17th rolls around and the debt ceiling isn’t raised.[/li][li]Economically, things start go south real fast (relatively speaking).[/li][li]Public opinion is now hairy.[/li][li]The Tea Party ratchets up the rhetoric, calling people to protect themselves against the coming government tyranny.[/li][li]The squeamish head for the gun shops (a bit late, but what the hey).[/li][li]BANG!![/li][li]You cannot purchase (legally) many firearms because the government shutdown that started way back on October 1st shut down the background check process.[/li][li]Hell arrives.[/li][/ol] NICS is still running; it’s a law enforcement function that isn’t stopped by the lapse in funding. Granted, no belt-fed machine guns: Processing of transfer applications (Form 1, 3, 4, etc.) is stopped for all NFA transfers; transfer application status inquiries will not be answered either. I trust the difference is clear. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncle-sam-is-now-officially-closed-for-business-but-for-how-long/670083/74 "2013-10-03T17:29:51Z")
The White House website is still up for the most part. I used it to send a message to the president suggesting what he can do with the Republicans who are behaving like children. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncle-sam-is-now-officially-closed-for-business-but-for-how-long/670083/75 "2013-10-03T18:13:40Z")
[Hijack] Hypothetically, would en Executive Order ending Congressional pay / Healthcare until the Funding as a cost saving measure make a dent in the votes of those Boneheads? Assumes SCOTUS can’t meet because its shut down. [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncle-sam-is-now-officially-closed-for-business-but-for-how-long/670083/76 "2013-10-03T18:34:44Z")
> [@Count\_Blucher](#): > > [Hijack] Hypothetically, would en Executive Order ending Congressional pay / Healthcare until the Funding as a cost saving measure make a dent in the votes of those Boneheads? Assumes SCOTUS can’t meet because its shut down. [/hijack] Probably not, considering that several of them have already pledged to donate their pay during the shutdown to charity or debt reduction or whatever. Rah-rah. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncle-sam-is-now-officially-closed-for-business-but-for-how-long/670083/77 "2013-10-04T03:13:14Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > The White House website is still up for the most part. I used it to send a message to the president suggesting what he can do with the Republicans who are behaving like children. Put them in time out and tell them they can’t have any cookies? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncle-sam-is-now-officially-closed-for-business-but-for-how-long/670083/78 "2013-10-04T17:34:50Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > The White House website is still up for the most part. I used it to send a message to the president suggesting what he can do with the Republicans who are behaving like children. It may be different for the White House site–they may consider one or more people who deal with the Website mail messages necessary employees. But if it is like the .gov site I work on, any messages sent in while we’re shut down will just sit there waiting until I can go back to work. I’m not allowed even to check my own work email while we’re out, never mind the Website mail. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncle-sam-is-now-officially-closed-for-business-but-for-how-long/670083/79 "2013-10-04T20:18:24Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > Probably not, considering that several of them have already pledged to donate their pay during the shutdown to charity or debt reduction or whatever. Rah-rah. … and if PBS collected every pledge called in, they’d rival Microsoft. Their charities just funnel it into their back pockets in campaign contributions anyway. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncle-sam-is-now-officially-closed-for-business-but-for-how-long/670083/80 "2013-10-04T21:38:28Z")
> [@Count\_Blucher](#): > > … and if PBS collected every pledge called in, they’d rival Microsoft. Their charities just funnel it into their back pockets in campaign contributions anyway. It’s a stupid stunt anyway. As John Scalzi said earlier today: > [@John Scalzi](#): > > Some congressfolk deferring pay during shutdown. It’s fun to pretend you’re not getting paid! When it’s not pretend: Less fun. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncle-sam-is-now-officially-closed-for-business-but-for-how-long/670083.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncle-sam-is-now-officially-closed-for-business-but-for-how-long/670083.md?page=5)