What's going on USA?
- Thread starter Dizzy
- Start date
I was really hoping to have a tiny positive out of this of less traffic with a lot of government people not going into work... Traffic has been just as crappy as usual this week. So either not many furloughed people along my commute I guess, though government holiday are usually light traffic days. No clue.
Still waiting to hear from my mom and dad if this will impact their pensions being paid out.
Still waiting to hear from my mom and dad if this will impact their pensions being paid out.
Neither was I 
^not meant as a mean, rude, or sarcastic question....I sincerely would like you to tell me who you know and how they are currently suffering.
Our state parks are still open and running along just fine. Indiana (and I'd assume most states) use the admission fees, camp fees, and other STATE dollars to take care of them so the shut down is not (to my knowledge) affecting them at all.....again, at least right now.
I imagine at some point it would start to affect local governments - if the fed stops handing out money to states, now you have a problem.
Of course in Illinois our state government is already broke so MEH. Except instead of going to work and hoping you'll still get paid, you WON'T go to work and KNOW you aren't getting paid. I'm not sure which is better. I think I would prefer the latter. Working and hoping and praying your paycheck arrives when it's supposed to is not a very good feeling.
I doubt it will go on that long though.
Of course in Illinois our state government is already broke so MEH. Except instead of going to work and hoping you'll still get paid, you WON'T go to work and KNOW you aren't getting paid. I'm not sure which is better. I think I would prefer the latter. Working and hoping and praying your paycheck arrives when it's supposed to is not a very good feeling.
I doubt it will go on that long though.
This article highlights some government and non-government people affected by the shutdown.
http://news.yahoo.com/u-government-shutdown-ripples-across-nation-225308081--business.html
A lot of people who's jobs support government work in some form or further downstream is generated by government business can very easily be affect by the shutdown if it goes on for a long time. I work for a biotech company and we do work for government research groups. They aren't our only clients but they do make up a decent portion of our work. If the shutdowns last long enough it will affect my job.
http://news.yahoo.com/u-government-shutdown-ripples-across-nation-225308081--business.html
A lot of people who's jobs support government work in some form or further downstream is generated by government business can very easily be affect by the shutdown if it goes on for a long time. I work for a biotech company and we do work for government research groups. They aren't our only clients but they do make up a decent portion of our work. If the shutdowns last long enough it will affect my job.
I guess based on the replies... If it even affects only ONE person, ONE family, then that's one family too much... I don't think numbers should influence how people see the impact so much. Personally.. Like I say, I work for local government, I'd be devastated to see my colleagues in uncertainty. It's bad enough with the amount of redundancies there has been already. I'm lucky my job is secure for now.
IL is a funny state. I used to work fairly close to the border and had a decent number of IL state employees that came in. Their cases would get paid only a couple times a year because they never had any cash in their insurance accounts for employees. They always added on the interest and everything, but man what a stupid way of doing it.
Constantly robbing peter to pay paul and paying more in the end because of it.
Constantly robbing peter to pay paul and paying more in the end because of it.
I don't think anybody "enjoys" seeing people live with uncertainty, but it is kind of just life. It happens, to everybody all the time.
personally I'm sick of our gov't acting like this. Every 3-4 months they start this cycle, then the doom and gloom warnings and the political bickering and grandstanding (well that never really ends anymore it seems) and they drop sound bites and people get all excited and then it all goes back to normal. About the only thing that ever seems to change is the gov't always gets bigger, the rich always get richer and some little guys always get screwed, and if you're a big guy and don't fall in line with your big guy friends, you might get screwed too. Then the cycle starts over.
We've been thru this funding the gov't and debt ceiling crap every few months for 2 years now? or more? it's stupid and both sides are as guilty as the other. Nothing ever really changes. I think this last spending bill was only for 6 weeks???? 6 weeks and we go thru it again, had it passed.
If I had seen anything and I do mean anything, remotely close to viable from for a replacement for ACA then maybe I'd think the repubs have a point in holding up the gov't because they really have something to fight for. But I haven't, and they don't. They're spoiled children stomping their feet because they can.
and the dems aren't any different. They aren't missing this opportunity to take political shots themselves and this business of closing down parks and things that everyday people use and enjoy is just as dumb. It's only to hurt the general public, albeit in a rather minor way overall, and say "see what the big bad republicans are doing" " look some WWII vets almost didn't get to see their monument because of the them. Who put the barricade up in the first place? and why? People are all of a sudden going to go buy spray paint by the case to deface it?
I get that parts of the gov't aren't funded and they can't be required to work. But to not be able to enter an open air park? Do they think because a ranger isn't on duty we'll all turn into a bunch of rapid pillagers and rapists in national parks??? and if we did, there are still plenty of gov't agents on the local level still on the job.
and they scare us with the terrorist threat again, saying threats are not being monitored because so many are out of work. well I guess I'm not that upset they don't have the staff to spy on its citizens.
I've already said it, and I'll say it again. I hope this goes on and I hope it hurts. I hope what comes of it is our federal gov't gets much smaller and more power goes to states. The pendulum needs to swing back a bit. Right now even our semi local state elections are being controlled by national lobbyists and politicians. The agendas and ad campaigns in every state and county are the same in a state across the country. Why? Because it's controlled at the national level thru lobbyists.
If that power is taken away, things go back to being controlled more locally, which will come with it's own set of problems, but problems I'd much rather have than where we are headed. People feel like they can make a difference locally more so than nationally and might not be so apathetic when stuff starts heading in a direction they don't like.
personally I'm sick of our gov't acting like this. Every 3-4 months they start this cycle, then the doom and gloom warnings and the political bickering and grandstanding (well that never really ends anymore it seems) and they drop sound bites and people get all excited and then it all goes back to normal. About the only thing that ever seems to change is the gov't always gets bigger, the rich always get richer and some little guys always get screwed, and if you're a big guy and don't fall in line with your big guy friends, you might get screwed too. Then the cycle starts over.
We've been thru this funding the gov't and debt ceiling crap every few months for 2 years now? or more? it's stupid and both sides are as guilty as the other. Nothing ever really changes. I think this last spending bill was only for 6 weeks???? 6 weeks and we go thru it again, had it passed.
If I had seen anything and I do mean anything, remotely close to viable from for a replacement for ACA then maybe I'd think the repubs have a point in holding up the gov't because they really have something to fight for. But I haven't, and they don't. They're spoiled children stomping their feet because they can.
and the dems aren't any different. They aren't missing this opportunity to take political shots themselves and this business of closing down parks and things that everyday people use and enjoy is just as dumb. It's only to hurt the general public, albeit in a rather minor way overall, and say "see what the big bad republicans are doing" " look some WWII vets almost didn't get to see their monument because of the them. Who put the barricade up in the first place? and why? People are all of a sudden going to go buy spray paint by the case to deface it?
I get that parts of the gov't aren't funded and they can't be required to work. But to not be able to enter an open air park? Do they think because a ranger isn't on duty we'll all turn into a bunch of rapid pillagers and rapists in national parks??? and if we did, there are still plenty of gov't agents on the local level still on the job.
and they scare us with the terrorist threat again, saying threats are not being monitored because so many are out of work. well I guess I'm not that upset they don't have the staff to spy on its citizens.
I've already said it, and I'll say it again. I hope this goes on and I hope it hurts. I hope what comes of it is our federal gov't gets much smaller and more power goes to states. The pendulum needs to swing back a bit. Right now even our semi local state elections are being controlled by national lobbyists and politicians. The agendas and ad campaigns in every state and county are the same in a state across the country. Why? Because it's controlled at the national level thru lobbyists.
If that power is taken away, things go back to being controlled more locally, which will come with it's own set of problems, but problems I'd much rather have than where we are headed. People feel like they can make a difference locally more so than nationally and might not be so apathetic when stuff starts heading in a direction they don't like.
Well, it's a very tough situation for sure. I think most people would agree that yes, one person being affected by something terrible is one person too many. Nobody should have to worry about their job. Nobody should have to worry about how to pay their bills. Nobody should have to worry about how they're going to eat.
The truth is there are so many people in this country who had those worries already - people who will still have them when the "government shutdown" is over. But that is not national news, never mind international news. It's truth in every country and doesn't make international news on a daily basis of how many people are unemployed and/or starving.
The only difference is this WILL end, eventually, and most people who have been furloughed will have jobs to go back to.
and also we're starving in America instead of Africa which might possibly be a tiny bit better.
Yeah, many medical offices around here switched this past year to requiring patients with state health insurance to pay out-of-pocket up front - basically shifting it so the patient has to seek reimbursement rather than the medical office seeking reimbursement. Several of my friends work at the university and it sucks.
My aunt does some work for the state and she's not getting paid either - tough situation because if she turns down the state work she's going to lose out on money, except the money takes months and months to come through anyway, so...
Bad juju all the way around.
The truth is there are so many people in this country who had those worries already - people who will still have them when the "government shutdown" is over. But that is not national news, never mind international news. It's truth in every country and doesn't make international news on a daily basis of how many people are unemployed and/or starving.
The only difference is this WILL end, eventually, and most people who have been furloughed will have jobs to go back to.
and also we're starving in America instead of Africa which might possibly be a tiny bit better.
Yeah, many medical offices around here switched this past year to requiring patients with state health insurance to pay out-of-pocket up front - basically shifting it so the patient has to seek reimbursement rather than the medical office seeking reimbursement. Several of my friends work at the university and it sucks.
My aunt does some work for the state and she's not getting paid either - tough situation because if she turns down the state work she's going to lose out on money, except the money takes months and months to come through anyway, so...
Bad juju all the way around.
Yep.
Unfortunately, a lot of jobs that the government contracts from are going to be suffering as well. They aren't government employees, but the government makes up a good part of their business.
The biggest example I can think of right now is car rental companies. Without the government business, they are losing a LOT of money. Which means enough money isn't coming in to pay their employees. Which means employees are working and not getting paid.
Unfortunately, a lot of jobs that the government contracts from are going to be suffering as well. They aren't government employees, but the government makes up a good part of their business.
The biggest example I can think of right now is car rental companies. Without the government business, they are losing a LOT of money. Which means enough money isn't coming in to pay their employees. Which means employees are working and not getting paid.
I saw nothing on that link that is new news...most of that stuff has been going on since cuts, furloughs and sequestrations for the past few years. Maybe I skimmed too fast? (only have a couple minutes atm)
Again, I am sad for anyone facing unemployment....(it's scary as he11) but it's nothing most of us haven't faced in the last few years. Draw your benefits, tighten belts, and hopefully the storm will pass.
Again, I am sad for anyone facing unemployment....(it's scary as he11) but it's nothing most of us haven't faced in the last few years. Draw your benefits, tighten belts, and hopefully the storm will pass.