On federal furlough

!!!

Yes indeed, Ulrich!

A shocking state of affairs!

YES! Nasty, cruel, psychopathic...

Wait and see !

There is no other choice. Think of 800,000 federal employees who are not being paid! They have to tell their kids, "Wait and see if we can buy heat and food next month..."

Unsolicited advice: Your constitution made this happen. In parliamentary governments -- English-style ones, anyway -- this can't happen. Perhaps a new amendment to your constitution would help.

A new amendment? Hahaha! You're joking, right? Anyway, this is the first president to use government closure as national punishment, and to threaten it when things don't go his way. (It has only been used in the past - and rarely - when Congress can't agree on a budget for the coming year, NOT when Congress won't agree on a mega-bucks scheme designed by the president!)

Hmm. Clinton and Sanders both proposed a constitutional amendment as their only proposal to control Wall Street and didn't nobody say nuthin.

People are proposing a law to require a continuing resolution when government is shut down, but that would be vetoed, I'm sure.

To my (entiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirely unbiased) eyes, your constitution is collapsing under the weight of all those checks and balances. That is not sarcasm but an expression of deep fear. You're in a position now where one man, enabled by a Congress that won't stand up to him, seems hellbent on destroying America, and your constitution doesn't seem to be an obstacle. Constitutional change is in order. We did it, back in 1982, so I imagine you guys could do it. We got new rights and everything.

I feel free to offer this advice because, as the Yippies used to say, if America rules the world everyone in the world should get to vote for president.

The spell checker choked on "Yippies". Man I'm old.

Saying it is one thing. Getting it through one of four methods could take decades in a "normal" era:

Proposal by convention of states, ratification by state conventions (never used)
Proposal by convention of states, ratification by state legislatures (never used)
Proposal by Congress, ratification by state conventions (used once)
Proposal by Congress, ratification by state legislatures (used all other times)

This is a far from normal era. Nothing will be agreed upon, especially something viewed by one party as altering the Holy Bible.

Well, just remember that I-5 goes to a country with parliamentary government, seven six times as many political representatives per capita (so like they're reachable), and strict campaign spending limits. OK, so the prime minister is buddy-buddy with the Aga Khan, but it's not like he's buds with Vlado Putin.

Lol!

what about the fire brigades ?

The only federal fire fighters are a part of the US Forest Service, where my son works. I suspect they would be considered essential for public safety (like air traffic controllers), so would be ordered to work without pay if a fire should break out in federal forest lands.

All other fire fighters and police are funded by local states and counties.

This crazy guy in Washington brings the whole world in danger......

YES!!!

I'm not going to knock your system................after all, look at the ridiculous mess we're in over here.

Well, you are in a mess, for sure...but no other western nation is giving out the sense of international jeopardy like the USA. You don't seem to have anyone in your gov't who is stark raving mad. Wrong, yes, but not dangerous to life and limb.

Thanks for posting this, and for the discussion....

You're very welcome, Don. The political scene in DC got personal. I'm sharing whatever I can to help Nate and his family. The hardship is about to get worse for all concerned.

It is really a very annoying situation for both sides: for the people who work in governmental institutions, parks, a.s.o. and for the people who wants to visit it. But the most annoying thing is, that the politicians are PAID during the shut down! They should work for free also, so a solution would be found faster I guess.

I agree that such things are often posturing by both sides, but this one is more difficult. Not only is it the outcome of 8 years of stonewalling by a single political party but more importantly it is the outcome of a president that is unwilling to follow the constitution where the budget authority lies in the House, not in his ability to dictate it.

I agree, that would move things along VERY fast! They are resented by millions of people. This situation is caused - and bragged about - by the president and his Republican followers in Congress.

It's squarely on the heads of the GOP and their dear leader, who invents crises out of the air. Disgraceful, all of them. I gave my son more money today, so did his father, but there are certainly many furloughed people who have no family backup. He has already had to miss a mortgage and car payment. And, the Forest Service has caused a 6-8 week delay in getting unemployment checks started. TSA workers are starting to call in sick instead of working for free. Retailers are worried sick, because several hundred thousand families have completely stopped buying anything but food. All of this is completely unnecessary!

Yes, I follow it daily in the news. About 800'000 government employees are affected! And a large part of them will not receive any money. Also not retrospectively. I can not understand how irresponsible the government handles it!

And, unfortunately, nobody thinks about all of those harms to the non-government economy. There are all sorts of odd ways its hurting that's not getting in the news. Much of the property in the Palm Springs ares is on land leased from Indians and all of the sales of those properties are trapped because the BIA has to sign off on the contracts. I heard today that we have about 100 home sales that are simply frozen, even though people have signed contracts on new homes and need the finances/freedom to move.

Ugh, it's that domino effect that will crash the economy if this goes on. A local car dealer is very upset because three gov't employees have simply dropped off their cars instead of continuing payments. I found this out because my son wanted to surrender his, but the dealer said "No! I don't want another car!" He said he would add this one payment to the end of the loan...but, what about the next and the next? At this point, lots of couples who rent are hanging on to what savings they have, instead of paying rent. They have to feed their kids and buy gas and are prepared to just move in with family members.

Two days ago, the Congress approved back-pay for those who have not been paid. When the gov't opens again (whenever that will be!), they will receive a big check for pay that was missed. But, SEVEN Republicans voted AGAINST it. Outrageous! Their names were published, of course.

It's becoming depressingly 'accepted' that this is going to run on for weeks. I fear it will take extensive food poisoning from lack of inspections or a plane crash to get McConnell to finally take some responsibility (he could end it).

Yes, it seems so. Public protests are beginning, though. This is one thong people will not lie down for. There are real lives involved here - incomprehensible that the ones at the top do not care!

What a cock-up! Being British and full of a feeling of deep shame over the totally unnecessary Brexit disaster, I feel every sympathy with those Stateside who feel the same way, and especially those poor innocents caught up in this. How unspeakably cruel!.

I think of all of the single mothers...what a nightmare. Brexit...I can't even keep up with the twists and turns!

Absolute madness wherever you look:-( There's something very wrong with a system where an utterly corrupt moron can hold so many people hostage.

... especially if the initiators do not have to bear any consequences.

Ohhh, Gudrun, you are absolutely correct. The more shocking fact is that most people who elected him are still supporting him. However...there are signs that some are starting to face the reality of having a cruel ape of a president.

This is a paradoxical democracy. One of the most developed countries of the world remains hostage to bizarre political functioning How is it possible to subdue the budget of an entire Nation to the inability to communicate between President and Parliament? And how is it possible not to be able to unbind the functioning of the State from punctual requests such as the current one?

All good questions, Andrea, and millions here are asking the same ones!

Just finished reading all the comments.
It is stupid for this to have happened - stupid -
And stupid is something one can't fix -
Ignorant -
That can be fixed -
Not Stupid -- Agent Orange !!!

Am I pissed --------- gee, how did you guess ?