"My real feeling about this "Christmas Shutdown"? Best Christmas present in years. If this could break the ugly cycle of constant CR's, it will all be worth it. Stay strong Mr. President. Once again, you have the Congress right where you want them - and you are in the driver's seat."
Here I sit in my darkened bunker. I have my 12 gauge sitting across my lap. My portable radio is tuned to EBS. My generator is at the ready, but is not on as yet as we still have electricity. What is today? Today is DAY ONE of the dreaded "Trump" (as Chuck Schumer calls it) shutdown. What ever bad which will be visited upon this great nation by this cruel shut down, I am ready for it.
Well, that was fun. This is how bad the Democrats would like us to believe it is. You know - Armageddon or something like that. After all, without the precious federal government controlling every aspect of our lives, why go on living? Well, here is reality. Donald Trump may be excoriated by the MSM as well as the Loons on the Left, but this shutdown is just what the doctor ordered.
Everyone is crying right now that this is no way to run a railroad. Washington is a mess. It is chaos in our fair capitol. Yes it is. But not because of the shut down. The shut down is only a symptom of the disease - not the disease itself. The disease is called "not getting your Constitutionally mandated work done in time". Not just this year - most years. Yes, the media can scream and caterwaul about Donald Trump all they want, but they are shouting into an empty room. The real culprit remains Congress. Period.
If I were Donald Trump, I would tell the Congress two things. First, show me a funding bill which has (at a minimum) $5B for the wall and border security. And second, this must be part of the final funding bill for GFY 19. No more CR's. Ever. That was the campaign promise, and now the President has them right where he wants them. Why? The bottom line is until the President gets a bill which fits Article One of the Constitution, which funds the government for what the federal government is only suppose to do, which does not explode the deficit with a bunch of nonsense, the President does not have to sign anything. Until he signs a legit bill, the government stays shut down.
But standing strong on this issue has its problems. Mostly from the camera hungry Democrats as well as the lap dog media. Soon, the stories will come out about widow and orphans going hungry due to the shut down. People dying in the street due to no medical care. Veterans going without much needed paychecks. Kids crying at Christmas as they sit under Christmas tress with no presents. Boo hoo!
My real feeling about this "Christmas Shutdown"? Best Christmas present in years. If this could break the ugly cycle of constant CR's, it will all be worth it. Stay strong Mr. President. Once again, you have the Congress right where you want them - and you are in the driver's seat.
Here is what I do not understand. There IS money coming in to the government all the time, enough to fund 80-90% of it, especially required payments on the debt, so government cannot "default." That's a red, and I do mean red, herring. Second, in every shutdown we designate a major portion of the employees as "essential"-- public safety, military, etc.-- and only the "non-essential" employees forgo their pay until the Republicans cave, and then they get the back pay. What I do not understand is if we have all these non-essential employees, why don't we get rid of them and save the money? And why doesn't CONGRESS not get paid until the budget is done and signed?
ReplyDeletePlease take the high road and don't disparage folks who work for a living.
ReplyDeleteThe terms "essential" and "nonessential" employees were changed to "excepted" and "non-excepted" in 1995, but the original wording is still used more often.
People employed in jobs that are not crucial to our health and safety such as gatekeepers to our national parks and monuments, scientists doing research, maritime workers, census counters and occupations that might not cause life threatening ramifications if not functioning. They are still important jobs.
The government shutdown only affects agencies and employees that are funded through annual appropriations. But that doesn't apply to members of Congress. Salaries for members of the House and Senate are written into permanent law. Can't believe you didn't know that.
PS I wish Mnuchin would have been furloughed. Would have saved me about 5K that day he met with bankers and scared the market with his stupidity.
ReplyDeleteDon't believe it. There are "non-essential" employees in government according to shutdown rules, and then there is the vast army of bureaucrats that we simply do not need. They are NOT generally the same group. From the Declaration of Independence: "He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance."
ReplyDeleteI also know Congress protects its wages and perks vigorously, but it would be only right if they were to be deprived while they deprive others. Things might get done a lot faster.
You equate a reference to the King of Great Britain to our current administration! That gives me hope!
ReplyDeleteterrific! Funny ha ha and funny weird all at the same time.
DeleteI am certain you do not mean that every dollar the federal government spends is 100% efficacious?
Hell no! I wouldn't want anyone to look at my spending and determine it's efficacy, either.
DeleteAh, but the only person who needs to determine its efficacy is you. But when you turn some of your hard-earned money over to government to spend, aren't you entitled to some assurance that it is "buying" what you want and need?
ReplyDelete