I found this short article on the 1996 shutdown. I’d forgotten there was actually two of them. $400 million was paid retroactively to the workers. Hopefully something similar will be done this time, but the political mood is a lot uglier. I’d like to think they wouldn’t stiff Federal workers out of their pay, but anything is possible with this Congress.
I am a government employee who was furloughed today while standing in an airport waiting to fly home from official business.
I’ve been working 6 day weeks to get ready for this furlough. For the last two weeks I haven’t had a day off. I had to go on official travel sunday, attend a meeting Monday that had to be done before the end of the fiscal year, and fly back on Oct 1.
I have to pay all my travel expenses out of my pocket, and hope that I will get reimbursed at some point in the future.
My days consist of #1 priority projects. I get one done and new ones get added. After the summer furlough, things have stacked up. I will be doing 6 day weeks after this furlough is over.
My agency had a 30% RIF last year I’m doing the work of 2 people.
We’re expecting another RIF next year.
None of this is due to the quality or the necessity of our work. It’s due to politics.
The stress is horrible.
How’s the shutdown effecting the DC’s government? Didn’t the city’s garbage collection get suspended during the last shutdown?
Is there really any realistic chance of it lasting over a month? I have Section 8 and I read that there would be no payments for November. Most sources seem to be considering a “long” shutdown to be over a week. So that makes it sound like it probably won’t last longer than a week or two.
We’re sort of in the same boat. My agency has enough to keep going for four weeks. If they keep acting like children longer than that, I don’t know how we’re going to pay for everything come November.
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:
It’s hard to see how it can end: Obama and the Democrats in the Senate aren’t willing to compromise at all (and I wouldn’t either–it would just cause more problems further on). Conversely the Republicans would lose face if they don’t get anything at all. The majority of the Congressional Republicans are Tea Party affiliates and they don’t look like they will change unless there is massive public pressure.
There are about 40 Tea Party Republicans.
By the way, if I suddenly stop posting, it’s likely that we’ve cut cable service to help pay for next month’s mortgage.
I tend to think there will be massive public pressure, since this is just the first day and from the poll results I’ve seen, most people are already opposed to this, and they’re also blaming the Republicans (maybe there’s a tiny bit of hope for the intelligence of the average American yet).
But then I don’t feel that I’m qualified to make many political predictions, so I’m not sure what to think.
Monday was Sept30. You have to be paid for that.
I didn’t catch the name* but one potential Republican presidential candidate has spoken out against the tea party. Good for him.
*will try again when the news is repeated.
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.
It’s hard to argue that letting go of the repeal effort is the right thing to do when you’ve spent two to four years telling your supporters that the law is going to destroy the country.
Ditto. mrAru’s retirement pay is what pays our mortgage, if it is stopped we have the choice of cancelling the cable, the internet and only paying a partial on the electricity.
Last time there was a money shortage we managed to keep eating mostly junk foods bought on his star card at the Navy Exchange geedunk just off base in housing [they take the star card where the commisary doesn’t, but they are just an oversized convenience store so the choices of frozen veggies is pretty slim, and for meat it is like frozen chicken nuggets, preflavored wings and the like. sigh I really don’t want to off a goose right now and the chickens are laying well so I don’t want to off any of them either.]
At least all our cars are fully owned with no payments.
I swear, if my Mom dies and the estate gets settled fast enough, mrAru is going to quit his temp job and go to UCONN for nursing. Nurses are starting at $80K at his mom’s facility and we can live in her place until we find a place of our own. Fresno is starting to look like the place to move to at this time. As far as I am concerned, Connecticut is done for, I do not want to retire to here at all.
[I didn’t pit it or rant about it, but my 90 year old moderate alzheimers mom fell a few weeks ago and is now in assisted living. We have the feeling that she i snot long for this mortal coil.:(]
I suppose so, but at this point it’s pretty obvious that even if you think the healthcare law will destroy the country, a government shutdown + debt default will destroy the country a lot more quickly and efficiently. Maybe they can sell it to people as, “We have to accept the lesser of two evils” or something.
Sorry to hear this, aruvqan. My (beloved) grandmother has been in an Alzheimer’s care facility for five years, and we are facing the end for her as well. It’s hard. You have my sympathy.
I believe that was Peter King of New York saying that his party is being hijacked. This report didn’t mention his being a potential presidential candidate, though.
I think King has said he might run. I don’t think anyone believes he’ll have a shot.
Except maybe in his foot WRT the extreme right. 