Saturday, April 9, 2011

Threats of Government Shutdown

Every time I hear the expression "government shutdown," I smirk. If shut down meant the US Senators & their staff, US Representatives & their staff, US President, Vice-President & the Cabinet Secretaries and their staff didn't get paid until the federal budget was hammered out, then I would be for a government shut down. But that doesn't occur. Shut down affects the other US citizens affected by representative government--The People.

Passport processing stops; tax return and tax refund checks processing cease. Social Security checks aren't processed or delivered. Essential services such as national and international security and air traffic controllers continue working; however, those services considered unessential aren't provided. In a soft shut down, federal employees must come to work but not perform duties. In a hard shut down, non-military employees are put on unpaid furlough. Subcontractors aren't paid either. A question for research is who are the contractors; what are their projects; and what are the project price tickets?

There is a FAQ being circulated by some US Congress members that answers common concerns during a shut down. One Q & A reads:
Q: If the government shuts down, who will bring me my daily supply of credit card offers?
A: The mail will still be delivered.

Here's levity injected into the situation. Fortunately, both houses and the President agreed to $38+ billion spending cut by 11 AM, Friday, April 8.

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