WHAT IF THEY SHUT DOWN THE GOVERNMENT AND NOBODY NOTICED?

Let me start with, I am nothing but sympathetic to the workers that the shutdown would impact financially.

While I think a stoppage of Federal activity would do a lot of businesses who depend on the taxpayers for their existence a chance to rethink the wisdom of that business model, anyone who would not get a paycheck in the event of a shutdown would have my sympathy.

Sadly, this is all going to be over political posturing rather than an actual attempt to look at the SIZE of our government and maybe make some CHANGES.

The chances of averting a partial shutdown of the federal government seemed to vanish Sunday as leading members of Congress blamed their opponents for being unwilling to come to an agreement on a spending bill keep government operations running.

Bipartisan accord did seem likely on at least one point: that the Senate will concur to a bill passed by the House Saturday night that would ensure that members of the Armed Forces get paid even if there is a partial government shutdown.

That bill also ensures that civilian Defense Department personnel, Department of Homeland Security personnel, and outside military contractors whose jobs involve support of active-duty military members would also get paid as they normally do.

 “Why won't the president negotiate and come to a compromise about trying to make Obamacare less bad?" asked Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., on CBS’s Face the Nation.

The Kentucky conservative said that Obama was “the one saying, ‘I will shut down government if you don't give me everything I want on ‘Obamacare.’ That, to me, is the president being intransigent and being unwilling to compromise.”

As much as I like Senator Paul, both sides are guilty of drawing lines in the sand.

While he has taken it to record heights, Obama did not invent deficit spending. The government has lived beyond its means for a long time.

While I think a long hard look needs to be taken at where the government spends money, I wonder whether the military, many who live on bases and are provided meals, should be paid in favor of other Federal employees who are the sole source of support for their families.

As usual, the Federal government is making a decision for the photo op rather than thinking through the implications. They get to put on their misty-eyed face and say “the members of our armed forces who are placing their lives on the line” and conjure images of soldiers huddled on a battlefield and win over a largely jingoistic and warmongering voting block.

Meanwhile, a Federal file clerk being paid a government salary will have to figure out how to buy groceries during a shutdown.

I wonder-will the Senate and Congress still be paid? What about the White House staff?

Maybe if these idiots had to tighten their belts a little we’d see some progress.

 

The truth is, I do not believe Obamacare will be defunded, nor do I believe the government will shut down.

 

The opinion on whether or not Obamacare is a good thing is split almost equally on party lines. There is no mandate from the people either way.

 

And quite frankly, if the government were to shut down for an extended period, I think Washington knows there is enough intelligence left in America that the people would figure out they don't really need them.

 

Now if we could just get the television networks to shut down at the same time...