[Carfanate]

Maybe they should've passed a budget back in October?

Both sides share in that failure. But federal employees shouldn't pay the consequences. And the GOP shouldn't use soldiers and ther families to make a political point. Not cool.

How about you show up to work without getting paid!

[illetrygrargo]

Trying to figure out what is more entertaining; watching both sides blame each other if the govt shuts down, listening to the left complain that 'granny gonna kick' if Ryan's budget is passed, or Trump investigating Barry's birth certificate

Ryan's budget is not up for debate, and it isn't even a real budget; he published a guideline paper. He promised later that he'd produce the actual budget legislation. This is for FY 2011-2012 for October 1. [fiscal years end on Sep 31 and begin on Oct 1]


What's at issue right now is that the stopgap budget bills have only extended government spending up to tomorrow evening. Obama wants them to put in a remainder budget that continues to fund the government to Sep 31 and that's where all this ideology sh*t has entered the picture.


This is also different than the debt ceiling which has to be re-approved each time the current account deficit nears the limit.

[Sadsidioribre]

From Gary Johnson's latest news letter.

Imagine: You make $60,000 a year; you are spending $100,000 per year. You sit down with your banker, a credit counselor, or heaven forbid, a Bankruptcy Judge to find a way out of your obvious problem. You begin the conversation by saying you know you have to cut your spending, but you and your wife can’t agree on how to do it. You want to cut $2,000, but she only wants to cut $1,000. Never mind the fact that you don’t have a $1,000 or $2,000 problem – you have a $40,000 problem.

Friends, as absurd as that conversation would be, it is precisely the debate that is going on in Washington right NOW. As we watch in amazement, Congress and the President are on the verge of forcing a government shutdown because they can’t agree on whether to cut $20 or $33 or $61 billion from a $3.8 TRILLION budget for this year – a year that is already halfway over in Federal spending terms.

And while they have this so-called showdown, the President is spending at least $300 million a week on a new war in Libya, without asking anyone.

Yes, that’s right.

We are facing a financial collapse under the weight of more than a trillion dollars in deficit spending, and Washington is pretending to wage a budget battle royale over whether to cut spending by 1% or 2%.

By any reasonable math, they need to be fighting over whether to cut 40% or 45%. That is the debate the American people wanted when they turned Congress on end in last fall’s election – and that is the conversation we need to be having.

At the rate we are going, the national debt will equal the entire GDP of the United States in about 10 years. By 2025, tax revenues will only cover interest on that debt, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid – with nothing left over to pay for “discretionary” things like national defense and homeland security.

They are fiddling while Rome is burning.

It is time for some truth and some long-overdue courage.

Washington says they hear us, but they don’t seem to believe what they are hearing. If, in their newly found commitment to getting the budget under control, they can only muster the courage to cut spending by 1% or 2% -- when we have a 40% crisis, we can only conclude that they haven’t yet really gotten the message:

Make the “tough” calls, take on the real challenges of entitlements, wars we cannot afford, and hundreds of billions’ worth of programs we don’t need, and balance the budget – NOW.

You and I both know that we could cut hundreds of billions in spending without breaking a sweat or creating hardship for anyone. Yet, the politicians in Washington somehow think we are impressed by reductions that are literally rounding errors in the Federal budget.

I am working night and day and all across the country to deliver that message and give them some backbone. I am taking my experience as a Governor, of having done what needs to be done in Washington today, to people all across the nation.

And I am telling the truth to everyone who will listen, whether it is on Fox News or in a corner coffee shop. But I can’t do it alone. The Our America Initiative exists to give voice to those, like you and me, who know what the problems are, and what needs to be done. Thousands of Americans have joined us, but we need tens of thousands more – and that means we have to reach them, enlist them, and make their voices heard as well. And, of course, none of that happens without financial support.

The fight is now, the time is now – and the opportunity is now.

[Nundduedola]

So I was wondering. If there is a government shut down, wouldn't it be reasonable that we shouldn't be charges taxes for those days?

[arrismVam]

Ryan's budget is not up for debate, and it isn't even a real budget; he published a guideline paper. He promised later that he'd produce the actual budget legislation. This is for FY 2011-2012 for October 1. [fiscal years end on Sep 31 and begin on Oct 1]


What's at issue right now is that the stopgap budget bills have only extended government spending up to tomorrow evening. Obama wants them to put in a remainder budget that continues to fund the government to Sep 31 and that's where all this ideology sh*t has entered the picture.


This is also different than the debt ceiling which has to be re-approved each time the current account deficit nears the limit.

The CBO analysis of Ryan's proposal is an interesting read. Check it out: http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/121xx/doc...yan_Letter.pdf

A few points stand out to me. The proposal clearly guts Medicare shifting a greater financial burden to seniors. The proposal's block grant structure for Medicaid will leave state government's scrambling to cover shortfalls when they inevitably exhaust their supply of federal funds. Only states can't deficit spend which means that they'll have to scale back services or, more likely, tax their citizens more. It's a step towards federalism, but it doesn't cut costs.

That's the fundamental flaw in a nutshell ... even with respect to Medicare. The proposal doesn't address the issue of rising health-care costs; it contains none of the cost containment measures included in the Obama plan. Granting fixed value vouchers to seniors to defray the costs of private insurance will be a virtually meaningless gesture given the present rate at which health-care costs continue to increase.

For all of the faults of Medicare, the CBO's analysis suggests that it will be approximately 30% cheaper than private coverage by 2030. Ryan's plan, however, relies exclusively upon the private insurance market to deliver health care and doesn't even give seniors a choice of a lower cost medicare option.
http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/121xx/doc...yan_Letter.pdf
Congressional Budget Office - Home Page

[apodildNoli]

Unfortunately GJ will go nowhere in the GOP primary (should he run) and they will nominate a re-tread

[Staillateno]

So I was wondering. If there is a government shut down, wouldn't it be reasonable that we shouldn't be charges taxes for those days?

They'll come back and say 'are you also OK that we don't pay any of our employees/vendors, etc for those days as well as excoriate all of your state's funding in proportion for those days?'

I don't think you want to try to justify to soldiers why their base pay has to be docked; forget the unionized civil service peeps.

[Abnorttrano]

So I was wondering. If there is a government shut down, wouldn't it be reasonable that we shouldn't be charges taxes for those days?

Haha. Well, it's not a government shut down, per se. It just means that any part of the government lacking funding shuts down. Depending on how long the shutdown is most things will end up getting paid just the dates will get pushed back.

[JacomoR]

Unfortunately GJ will go nowhere in the GOP primary (should he run) and they will nominate a re-tread

Yes, but GJ is only able to point out the obvious problems with how this is being currently handled. I can do that too, and I'm not thinking of running. He has only the vaguest of answers to what should really be done. So, how does he plan to cut 40-45%? I'm all ears.

[bapimporb]

Yes, but GJ is only able to point out the obvious problems with how this is being currently handled. I can do that too, and I'm not thinking of running. He has only the vaguest of answers to what should really be done. So, how does he plan to cut 40-45%? I'm all ears.

Interestingly enough, he is one of the few people that may be running for President that actually have a solid track record or holding back the growth of government as an Executive elected official... and then win re-election doing it. The difference between him and say, a Newt Gingrich, is that Johnson actually had to do what he said. He has 8 years of being a libertarian minded Republican as a track record.

As for cuts, I am sure pulling out of Afghanistan and Libya would be the top of the cuts list.

[foonlesse]

The shutdown is intended to demonstrate that Our Nation of Sheep have elected officials who evolve into self indulging puppets of special interest groups. It's what you get with 25-45% voter turnout.

Our two DoD civil servants are funded under Capital funding not Mission funding and will be working all next week. The DCMA inspection, property admin, etc have yet to determine who is essential and who is not. Still, those in uniform will be there.

I am so glad I have nothing to do with the Social Security Dept.

[xpllmr]

I think if they will not do their job, they should loose their health care, pay and be fined every day. Treat them like the over paid professional athletes they so remind me of.

[leijggeds]

YouTube - 2007 NH Republican Presidential Debate (Part 1)

Its interesting with the clarity of hindsight to see how the agenda has changed.

[SingleMan]

Yeah, the probability of a shutdown could seriously screw over my family. Yes, we'd get paid eventually--but we don't have enough savings to pay our bills for a long extended period, especially if we have no clue how long it could last. USAA will thankfully defer my car payment if need be, but I don't know about my mortgage company and utilities.

[tramadoldiscountes]

Interestingly enough, he is one of the few people that may be running for President that actually have a solid track record or holding back the growth of government as an Executive elected official... and then win re-election doing it. The difference between him and say, a Newt Gingrich, is that Johnson actually had to do what he said. He has 8 years of being a libertarian minded Republican as a track record.

As for cuts, I am sure pulling out of Afghanistan and Libya would be the top of the cuts list.

From Facebook 30 minutes ago
Gary Johnson
I'll be making a major announcement Thursday, April 21st in New Hampshire.
-That said he isn't going anywhere

In 2 terms he Vetoed 700+ spending bills that crossed his desk; more than each and every of the 49 governor vetos added up over the 8 years.

He would not only pull the troops out of Atghan & Iraq .. he would reign in our empire across the globe.

We could do alot worse with the current idiot in the WHouse or the re-treads

[Bemapayople]

From Facebook 30 minutes ago
Gary Johnson
I'll be making a major announcement Thursday, April 21st in New Hampshire.
-That said he isn't going anywhere

In 2 terms he Vetoed 700+ spending bills that crossed his desk; more than each and every of the 49 governor vetos added up over the 8 years.

He would not only pull the troops out of Atghan & Iraq .. he would reign in our empire across the globe.

We could do alot worse with the current idiot in the WHouse or the re-treads

Pulling troops out of Afghanistan and Iraq NOW is a fantastic idea ....