Shutdown...a different (non partisan) perspective

Vulchor

raisindot

Amos Umwhat

james40

Their paychecks don't mean squat to them. It's small time chump change and this act of donating, keeping, withholding is all BS. Real legislature needs to be passed, like making the salaries pay 40k, no paychecks when there's no budget, no more top of the line free healthcare - you get what we get or you pay for it yourself. They can't vote themselves, which is absolutely ridiculous.

raisindot

Vulchor

Agreed with all the sentiment here, though I do think the majority of Congress is doing better off monetarily than any of the "average" Americans. It seems the more special interests are allowed to buy elections, the less the "well meaning person or average means" seems marginalized.

beatnic

Bigshizza

The Health Care bill was passed! It's a LAW, if the GOP didn't like where this was heading then work harder at finding a variable candidate that can actually take out the incumbent. The fact that our health care system ranks 25th is embarrassing. If the 7% of our citizens that this law applies to are able to get the benefits they need, many people will benefit. Plus, it will open up more opportunities for growth in the employment sector.

kuzi16

Martel

jadelt

Bigshizza:

The Health Care bill was passed! It's a LAW, if the GOP didn't like where this was heading then work harder at finding a variable candidate that can actually take out the incumbent. The fact that our health care system ranks 25th is embarrassing. If the 7% of our citizens that this law applies to are able to get the benefits they need, many people will benefit. Plus, it will open up more opportunities for growth in the employment sector.

Agree. It is the law. The law also says that it is illegal for the president to change it. Only congress can do that. I can live with the law and I can live with any congress approved changes. I have a problem with the president acting as dictator and changing it. THAT is NOT legal.

perkinke

jadelt:

Bigshizza:

The Health Care bill was passed! It's a LAW, if the GOP didn't like where this was heading then work harder at finding a variable candidate that can actually take out the incumbent. The fact that our health care system ranks 25th is embarrassing. If the 7% of our citizens that this law applies to are able to get the benefits they need, many people will benefit. Plus, it will open up more opportunities for growth in the employment sector.

Agree. It is the law. The law also says that it is illegal for the president to change it. Only congress can do that. I can live with the law and I can live with any congress approved changes. I have a problem with the president acting as dictator and changing it. THAT is NOT legal.

So much for "non-partisan"! This is an instance we the people need to take a lesson from history. In the middle ages/Rennaissance when the cardinals couldn't elect a Pope, due to internal factions fighting, for over a year the good citizens of Rome blockaed them into Vatican City. Months went by and still no Pope so the Romans blocked them into a chapel. Still no Pope the Romans ceased feeding them anything but bread and water. Still no Pope they then began tearing the roof off to expose the cardinals to the weather ("Let us uncover the Room, else the Holy Ghost will never get at us"). POOF! New Pope. Though I don't suggest we allow the full three years, budget is a bit more immediately important.

Amos Umwhat

perkinke

KevinFitts

There is a Simple solution to this mess!!!! . Hold them accountable. Require by law that important tasks (like passing a budget) have a deadline. The budget starts on 1 Oct each year, so make the deadline 60 days prior. If congressional staff have not agreed and the prez has not signed off, the Supreme Court issues a reprimand to ALL of them giving them 7 days to be done. If after 7 days it is still not done, a second letter goes out and they are docked pay and benefits with 7 days to comply. If after the 7 days it is still not done they are put into lockdown in a central location and have up to 14 days to have it done. If, it is still not done, every one of them receives a memorandum from the Supreme Court stating that they cannot run for public office ever again and they are investigated further to determine if this was done with intent to defraud the Taxpayer or prevent the judicial process from being completed. Any found guilty in this case would be immedietely removed. For all of the others, when their term is up, they are done. The final budget is then worked and approved by the Supreme Court in 21 days which will mean that it is in place 7 days prior to 1 Oct. This may seem extreme, but keep in mind that this is the same process that is used for Govt employees and Military members so it must be solid on the legal front. All elected officials work for us. (The taxpayers) There sole job is to negotiate and find ways to agree. Whether you are on the left or right and whether you agree with the Affordable Healthcare Act or not, you all have to understand that 800,000 or so innocent bystanders are waiting to go back to work for you. What is in their way are a bunch of elected officials that can't agree or work together. (Which again is what we pay them to do) That is a travesty for all of us!!! The Affordable health care act is 800 pages long. That is 8 reams of paper. Does it need to be included in the budget discussion? Yes. Does it need to be resolved? Yes. The problem is that we are 4 Trillion in Debt which is 3 trillion more than it was when the current prez and many of our elected officials took office. The bottom line is that we don't have all of the money to move forward with it. That is not a budget issue. Example: If your vehicle broke down tomorrow, you would have to buy a new one. You might vote for a Ferrari when in reality you can only afford a Geo. Your options at that point are to either buy the Geo or not drive. The people that we have elected have opted to not drive at our expense. Hold them accountable!!!

raisindot

Amos Umwhat

webmost

raisindot

webmost

beatnic

I refer you back to my last post. "Who brought the brownies?"

phobicsquirrel

The gop are going about this all wrong and once again people are losing money over their childish agenda. he'll the last time they did this the country lost some credit, now people list pay, the tax payers are losing more of their money due to the shutdown and all of this makes the country look weak to the international community. after the crash of 08 there was already talk of moving the dollaras the standard and the squabbles in washington are going to push that further. whether one likes the ACA doesn't matter, holding the country by the nuts just to stop it is stupid. if the gop would do their job and just raise the limit and use their time to FIX the bill instead of trying to repeal it 60 some times we would be better off. sadly this is partisan because the gop are insane for doing this. I think the ACA was made way more complicated than it should have been but it's a strong stone. like it or not it's here and if the gop keeps this up we'll continue being the joke around the world.

JGKAMIN

Losing money? Those furloughed will be paid for not working, just not until this is all settled, so why not just send them all back to work now instead of having a laid vacation?

webmost

beatnic

The brownies are wearing off. LOL

the_barber

This is actually a really hot topic around the shop since it happened. We are located near to a big us gov't facility and have a lot of customers who have been furloughed because of it. My thoughts are really simple on the whole thing. 1. The ACA might be law, but needs to be tweaked, let those of us who cant get healthcare from an employer because it is considered small business get it from the exchanges, but give EVERYONE whether they have insurance or not have the option to get it or not....2. As long as people are furloughed and not earning neither should congress or the president. I know its not much of a dent into their wallets but it at least sends a better message to everyone if they weren't getting paid. 3. Congress should have to pass a budget every year without question, if no budget is passed they should be penalized with their jobs.....if I dont cut hair while at work I wont have a job very long, if they dont pass a budget why should they. Oh, and not another note, someone mentioned how congress if not paid, wouldnt matter because they get money from other sources.....I agree 100%. Have you seen how many lawyers and practicing doctors, and corporate CEO's run for and get elected into public office.....why would someone give up a million dollar job to deal with the beuracracy that is capital hill? just saying. IF it were up to me the average Joe, making middle to lower class income, who actually deals with the struggles of the everyday american be the ones who are working for us on capital hill.....simply if the job is a paycut you are not eligible......

beatnic

Rhamlin

I agree. Without playing the blame game. If all of them from the top down had to do without getting paid maybe they would try harder to come to terms. Compromising doesn't always mean caving in.

the_barber

well apparently they are having a both party meeting in the white house tomorrow....wonder how they behave around each other when the doors are closed...i can see it now, everyone files into oval office, pres kicks all the non important people out....soon as door closes he starts pouring everyone a beer and boehner starts handing out sticks and for the next 2 hours they tell college frat party stories and tour momma jokes....then they file out with grim faces and start calling everyone names again....yeah something like that it would seem

phobicsquirrel

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/10/10/2764321/on-eve-of-shutdown-house-gop-rigged-the-house-rules-to-prevent-democrats-reopening-government/

Amos Umwhat

phobicsquirrel:

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/10/10/2764321/on-eve-of-shutdown-house-gop-rigged-the-house-rules-to-prevent-democrats-reopening-government/

But, but, it's still Obama's fault, isn't it?