As terrible and dumb as this shutdown is, tomorrow is the first paycheck feral employees will be missing.

 

We need to tame them before we pay them.

A budget is very detailed and specifies specific funding for each agency and in some cases even directs how money is to be spent within each agency. A continuing resolution simply establishes a temporary funding level that is based on some percentage of the previous year's funding level. It is essentially continuing the previous budget in lieu of writing a new one.

Just so it's noted, this year there was just a "Continuing resolution" passed, but it included dramatic spending cuts in the Sequester. I know it doesn't make the news if several hundred thousand poor kids get kicked out of head start and don't go to school for a year because they're poor, but that's education those kids will never get back.

Not being flippant here, but I doubt many people (myself included) fully understand all the ramifications and differences between passing a budget, which hasn't happened in years, and funding through continuing resolutions. Then toss in the too many to track procedural options that seem to change based on the current situations, and you have events that I doubt many Americans, including the elected officials, can keep track of.

 

FWIW both the House and the Senate have passed a budget this year, but Republicans have refused to go into the budget reconciliation process. This is the first time in several years that the Senate has passed a budget.

Just did a quick calculation: If there are 800K employees furloughed, their average take home pay is $1500, and they are missing just over half their paycheck, that's about $700 million that is not getting put out into the economy this weekend.

Just did a quick calculation: If there are 800K employees furloughed, their average take home pay is $1500, and they are missing just over half their paycheck, that's about $700 million that is not getting put out into the economy this weekend.

 

It'll get put back out into the economy as soon as this ends and they receive all their back pay.

So you do have no idea how government works.

 

You are talking to a guy that bases his opinion of MLB managers on how funny they are.

Edited October 11, 201312 yr by Iwritecode

You are talking about a guy that bases his opinion of MLB managers on how funny they are.

To be fair, there's plenty of crappy journalism/punditry out there that believes the President has magical powers to Get Things Done with Leadership and the Bully Pulpit. It's usually done in the light of a centrist/both-sides argument, but it can come from ideological wings as well, e.g. the belief by some on the left that we could have had single-payer instead of ACA if Obama had pushed for it more.

In this case the President does have a magical power, its called a veto. And thats why strategically the Republicans likely could have never won this battle.

 

Obama cant be re-elected, he can be an ideologue. Theyll never get a super majority, so any Republican idea that doesnt fit what Obama wants, is dead in the water.

 

Which is why we voted in 2012.

In this case the President does have a magical power, its called a veto. And thats why strategically the Republicans likely could have never won this battle.

 

Obama cant be re-elected, he can be an ideologue. Theyll never get a super majority, so any Republican idea that doesnt fit what Obama wants, is dead in the water.

 

Which is why we voted in 2012.

 

Maybe after next November, but I'm sure Obama would much rather work with a Democratic House and Senate in his last two years than have a repeat of 2010 if he went the ideologue route.

 

The President does have veto power, but he can't unilaterally shift public opinion or force opposition law makers to agree with his position, especially when the opposition's political strategy for the last four years has been strong opposition to anything he does.

It'll get put back out into the economy as soon as this ends and they receive all their back pay.

 

Well, it looks like that might be a while, plus, when it comes in a lump like that it may not end up going the same place it would otherwise. If the shutdown lasts long enough, my lump sum back pay will be enough to pay off our car. That does nothing for the restaurants, gas stations, and movie theaters that would normally have gotten the money.

If Romney was president today... I doubt things would be any different.

To be fair, there's plenty of crappy journalism/punditry out there that believes the President has magical powers to Get Things Done with Leadership and the Bully Pulpit. It's usually done in the light of a centrist/both-sides argument, but it can come from ideological wings as well, e.g. the belief by some on the left that we could have had single-payer instead of ACA if Obama had pushed for it more.

 

I'm just saying that it's not unusual for Greg to have a minority opinion based on some odd rationale and then not be able to understand why nobody else agrees with him.

Ideologues do terrible things like try and have a functioning government. This is our new baseline.

I'm just saying that it's not unusual for Greg to have a minority opinion based on some odd rationale and then not be able to understand why nobody else agrees with him.

on this we agree 100%

If Romney was president today... I doubt things would be any different.

 

Eh, I think the republicans would suddenly be passing a bunch of new spending bills.

No, professional level Federal employees like myself won't be losing their houses. However, I had to dip into my retirement account and I'll never get back the $3K or so in penalties. It doesn't have to hurt a lot to piss people off.

 

Also, the lady who empties my trash and vacuums my floor everyday is contracted and not a Federal employee. She won't get back pay when the shutdown is over, and I imagine the $10/hour or whatever she makes is going to be dearly missed. She's the kind of person who's really getting screwed over by this.

Great post. This furlough is affecting people BADLY!

 

You are talking to a guy that bases his opinion of MLB managers on how funny they are.

 

I wish people wouldn't state absolutes like this when people who have argued with me know there's much more to my love of Ozzie than your statement. Yes that's part of it, but .... I won't state all the reasons and bore/anger people. Just end the shutdown Mr. Obama!

If Romney was president today... I doubt things would be any different.

 

The ACA would be gone.

The ACA would be gone.

Senate?

Senate?

 

I don't think the Senate would be nearly as obstructive as the current House is if there was a GOP president. Obamacare is also, well, an Obama issue and they may not feel like risking too much to save "his" program

I can't imagine a Democratic Senate agreeing to scrap the biggest piece of Democratic legislation in several generations.

I can't imagine a Democratic Senate agreeing to scrap the biggest piece of Democratic legislation in several generations.

But they'd probably sign off on a budget that defunds it.

But they'd probably sign off on a budget that defunds it.

I remain skeptical. They'd probably agree to more changes and they'd probably repeal the medical devices tax as part of a deal, but there's no way they'd gut the law. Well, unless they wanted to ensure an even lower Democratic turnout in the next election.

Just end the shutdown Mr. Obama!

 

After all that... LOL

After all that... LOL

Obama can unilaterally fund the government, don't ya know

What? The idea that democrats doin't believe in democratic policy is somethin else.