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likelihood of a government shut down?
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Anonymous
Basically the government can only spend money that congress authorizes. They authorize it in yearly (or sometimes I guess 2-3 year) chunks. A yearly budget. At the end of the budget's time period, the government can't legally spend money. Except it can for essential employees. But for everyone else they just have to stop paying. They have to stop using any money that they can stop using ASAP to function until congress authorizes all the government to keep paying. So congress makes a big to do about whether they will pass the budget to reauthorize all these expenditures. In the long run, they don't want to deprive working joes and janes of paychecks they just want to make a big dramatic political statement, so they give back pay. But that has to be approved of the president and this is the first president i think might actually not give back pay honestly. It does not help the economy, it helps no one. Government workers face an uncertain amount of time without pay so they don't know if they can pay their immediate bills but are viewed by the public as getting a free vacation so don't get much sympathy. Things will stop working so the public will get mad and eventually the pressure gets too great and they will reopen. But basically its just a dramatic political show that hurts the public, hurts the economy, hurts workers, and usually does not result in winning political prizes so much as having one party be 'blamed' for it who will be harmed. It is silly. |
Anonymous
Just anecdotally I can point to several ways the economy is hurt during a shutdown. We had to cancel some training classes during the last shutdown which is less money for that company. Additionally, my aftercare program allowed me to not use the service during the shutdown so they lost money. Finally, contractors do not get back pay - so those families spending power is significantly reduced. |
Anonymous
Backpay is NOT guaranteed and with this administration -- frankly I am not expecting it AT ALL. As for a free paid vacation -- well it won't be paid if they decide not to pay us. As for vacation -- yes most don't go to work, but it's limbo so it's hardly like we're jetting off to Hawaii to hang out until we hear that the government is open again. Contrary to what you may think, most of us WANT to keep working and have no shutdown. It hurts the economy the most by hurting government contractors who don't get paid afterwards (incl. engineering companies which are super quick to furlough when their gov contracts are on hold). And then it hurts the regional economy of anyplace where there is a government presence. Your day to day stuff -- fewer people grabbing lunch near the gov't office buildings; fewer people sending their kids to after care (assuming it's the kind of thing where there isn't a pre paid contract); when the national parks are closed -- people who would've visited and stayed at local B&Bs, hotels and eaten at local restaurants aren't doing so. Though given that it's January, that last one doesn't matter this time. Restaurants near office buildings etc. sound like small costs, but it adds up quick for the mom and pop places when business falls off for even a week; they don't have the same margins as Starbucks and Chipotle. |
Anonymous
You don't sound bright, to say the least. It's unfortunate that our tax dollars go towards supporting cushy jobs for half-wits like you. |
Anonymous
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What should they get paid for not working ?
They need to live the same lives as the majority of the public who they work for . |
Anonymous
Because when we have to do extra work in preparation for a shutdown, and then when we get back to work we have twice as much work to do to catch up. The work doesn't just disappear! We have to scramble to make up for the lost time. |
Anonymous
Are you also opposed to paid sick leave and paid vacation? |
Anonymous
In what private sector industries can third parties outside your organization decide arbitrarily that you will not be paid for an extended period of time? And why do we not apply the same standards to Congress, the people making the decision that others don't need to be paid? If there isn't money in the budget for normal government operations to run properly thanks to their dithering, they should be unpaid until they are able to do their jobs. |
Anonymous
It's not our fault people have voted in buffoons who don't how to work together. Why should our pay be docked??? We have bills and families just like everyone else. If your employer decided to stop paying you on a whim, you'd throw a darn fit, yet you expect others to just suck it up. 
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Anonymous
She’s pregnant. Unlike most industrial countries we don’t have paid parental leave so women has to cobble together things or go without. Talk about sh*tholes. |
Anonymous
If congress would do their jobs, a potential shutdown would not even happen. Why are people so mad at ran and file feds and not mad at congress, who receives more benefits than most feds. They need to do their jobs and stop making it harder for all other federal employees. |
Anonymous
Thats the real world sweetie |
Anonymous
Because thats part of the risk of your job. My husband's job just moved to Plano. He either moves or loses it and doesn't get paid. It's the risk of the job. Welcome to the real world. Perhaps if y'all don't get paid, you'll think about your vote. |
Anonymous
this. they're failing miserably at their jobs at the expense of all americans. |
Anonymous
Lucky you, moving to Plano. Are you saying frds should have voted R or should have voted D? |