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That family trip to the Grand Canyon could be in jeopardy if Congress and the White House fail to reach a budget agreement.
April 7th, 2011
07:48 PM ET
10 things that could ruin your day if the government shuts down
The list of collateral effects of a potential government shutdown keeps growing and people are none too pleased about it. Here are just a few of the negative impacts that could arise if Congress and the White House fail to reach an agreement on the budget (click here to view in chart form):
- The lawmakers who hold the cards will still get paid. Their staffers might be furloughed, though. That has prompted a few lawmakers to announce they'll refuse shutdown pay,but even that has elicited critiques of political posturing.
- Roughly 800,000 federal workers won't get paid because they're considered nonessential and therefore, the first to be furloughed. That includes people who work in national parks because they'll be closed, ruining countless long family road trips. And it's not just the loss of income that hurts - for many, it's being labeled dispensable when they know their jobs are anything but nonessential.
- What happened to all that talk of helping small businesses? Many government contractors are just that. We're talking about IT firms and software companies, to name a few, who may be sent home as well.
- If the government shuts down for an extended period of time, the Department of Defense says troops, including those serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, may not be paid on time. Troops are guaranteed back-pay but the pinch will be more immediate for military families at home, who may be forced to choose between food and rent if they don't know when to expect a check in the mail.
- In the District, trash pickup will be suspended in the event of a government shutdown. In response, some enterprising Facebookers have proposed a solution: "If Boehner shuts down the government I am taking my trash to his house." In addition to trash pickup, the nation's capitol stands to miss out on another cherished tradition: this weekend's Cherry Blossom Festival.
- As the shutdown looms, some political leaders are taking the opportunity to fundraise and rally their supporters. The executive director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee sent out an appeal asking for a minimum $5 donation saying the organization wants to raise $100,000 in the next 36 hours.
- Numerous services administered by the federal government will come to a halt. That means no new approvals of loans by the Federal Housing Administration or the Small Business Administration; no IRS processing of paper tax returns or refunds; no issuing of regular passports or visas (emergency visas and passports will be processed). In fact, anything that requires permits probably will not be processed.
- You'll still get your Social Security checks but don't expect anyone to be around to answer your questions about benefits. The people who take questions on Social Security and Medicare questions will not be at work and most government websites will shut down or have limited functionality.
- Various agencies with the Department of Health and Human Services will operate in a patchwork fashion. The National Institutes of Health will not accept new patients or start new clinical trials. The Food and Drug Administration won't operate at full capacity but will have some inspectors on staff. As a result, all FDA inspections of food processing facilities and drug manufacturing plants will be prioritized by risk.
- Word is getting around that a government shutdown doesn't actually save taxpayers money. For one, it will cost the government money to ensure a smooth transition to a shutdown. Then there's the lost revenue from a variety of sources, from government services to gift shops in government-run attractions such as Yosemite National Park and DC's National Gallery of Art.
ALL THE BACK AND FORTH CHATTER! THE PEOPLE IN WASHINGTON NEED TO COME TOGETHER AND WORK TOGETHER TO GET THIS COUNTRY BACK ON TRACT. ALL THIS BACK AND FORTH ACCUSATIONS CAN BE COMPARED TO THE WAY THIS COUNTRY HAS GOTTEN INTO THIS MESS. EACH INDIVIDUAL IS MAINLY INTERESTED IN HIS OWN FUTURE IN POLITICS. WE NEED MEN AND WOMEN IN WASHINGTON WHO WANT,,,,,,,,TRULY WANT TO GET THIS COUNTRY BACK TO FREEDOM AND A BETTER ECONOMY.
I LOVE TO TYPE IN ALL CAPS.
YES, CAPS ARE FUN! SHOUT, SHOUT, SHOUT weeeeeeee!
Ahem.....just a friendly reminder that your neighbor to the north has national parks so any Americans that planned vacations to Yellowstone etc. can just keep driving due north until they see the Maple leaf. It sure is safer than driving south of the Rio Grande....
I, personally, am done trying to be nice and politically correct. The fact is that there are WRONG statements being made about all kinds of things in this debacle– NOT EVERYTHING IS A MATTER OF OPINION!!!! Dems should speak up, and call opinion what it is, and FACT what it is. There is no clear picture, and neither side is doing anything about getting the right information out. At the very least, I can and WILL say that the DEMS ARE RIGHT on this one. And it isn't wrong of me to say it!!!! Grow a spine America!!!
I guess now we may understand that the repercussions of not increasing tax on the 1%. We've allowed their cuts to remain and once again, who do we see suffer? The middle and lower classes. The non-1%era. This ludicrous form of functioning is useless
Don't vote for these ppl in 2012, only true power citizens have left, they have failed us!
No truer words were ever spoken. Please people, don't vote D or R in 2012 (or Teabagger, i.e. R). The 2 party system is the biggest problem with our joke of a political structure.
Hear, hear!
You're absolutelt right, no-one represents most of us. So who can I vote for? Donald Trump? Let him point that finger and yell you're fired at everyone who can't do their job or can't work for "We the People?"
SHUT DOWN CONGRESS!! No US congressman or senator gets paid until we have a balanced budget. They say they're not in it for the money, this is their chance to prove it.
If the furlough holds on Monday, we should have a special election on Tuesday to elect new congress!
Will the national weather service work? Hurricane warnings?
No hurricaine watch, no tsunami watch. And aren't we just now getting into the active part of hurricaine season? Oh well, no hurricaine watch would mean more deaths from the hurricaines– and less money the government would have to shell out.
Yes, the National Weather Service will be working.
@Tamminator:
Indeed, we all use those things, and we should all pay toward them; I indicated as much in my original comment. We're not disagreeing here.
You desire the freedom to help those you wish to help, without a governing body dictating who you can help, how, and when. I want that same freedom.
It's not money I'm saying we should enjoy, at least, it's not just money; it is the result of our efforts that each of us should be allowed to treasure, in what way we will. There is no doubt that you work hard; at least, I have no reason to doubt that you do.
It is obvious that you enjoy what you do, and that you seem to have a passion for it. You help people, every day, and receive feelings of fulfilled compassion, empathy.
That satisfaction, however, is the reward for your hard work; just as money is the reward for others'. Should a money-maker's reward be taxed because it is tangible? Should we then assign a tax to feelings of compassion?
If the government were to say, "You enjoy your work more than other people enjoy theirs. You must pay higher taxes as a result." Would you agree, or would you fight them tooth and nail?
The good-will you generate through your work is a reward that you cannot take with you, when you die. It, like money, is a mortal currency. And I admit there are, perhaps, religious motivations to consider. But is sacrifice still sacrifice if a reward is expected?
You speak of the greater good. So do I. What greater good is there than the freedom to decide?
I work hard to make money – money that I very well may spend to support your organization – what am I doing wrong? How can any one justify robbing me of my liberty, of my freedom to decide? It cannot be justified, because it's not right.
Keep doing what you do, Tam, because there are not enough people with the inclination to do so. I do, however, wonder that you don't find work that will pay you for what your time is worth, while allowing you to do good at the same time.
I think the people who not concerned with the shutdown are not govt workers. I say soldiers fighting for their country are VERY ESSENTIAL! I am an Army wife. I know we can not live without pay for a month we would prob be homeless! We have children! I mean we are not the only family with children. They have already cut pay & that is crappy! I think the govt should work together or they should go without pay too. I mean we have children to feed & this is a bit ridiculous.
Most Republicans are full of crap. They just are. They say that they don't want government, that they're willing to shut 'er down to make a point, and yet it's they who suddenly turn into Big Brothers every time there's talk of abortion, immigration or gay marriage. It's they who want to spend ooooooooooooodles of money on wars and on weapons, even when the long, expensive wars they wage are based on complete and utter bulls**t. Guess what, Republicans? All-American amenities, like national security and food protection, cost money, and that money's got to come from somewhere. Stop trying to screw the people you don't like - namely women, gays, the poor and all dark-skinned minorities - and start taking a good, long, hard look at corporate ethics in this country. Ask yourself why GE - the biggest, richest company in the world - paid fewer taxes last year than did your child's school teacher.
Mad props!!!!!
This article is cr*p, guys. Read this on FOX for a FACTUAL story: http://www.foxnews.mobi/#r_http://politics.foxnews.mobi/quickPage.html?page=23888&content=50492983&pageNum=-1
Are you referring to FAUX News? Sorry, the papers I use to paper my cat's box are more factual than FAUX News.
Having seen FOX create a news article from Inception to Deception, I know they are very creative, but that doesn't translate into real news.
Lol you must be joking?
Easy Solution.Stop the insane spending. Her are some money saving ideas. Charge the middle eastern oil arabs a fee to prop up their gov;t, drug test all welfare recipients, nothing for illegals, no healthcare, no food stamps, no voting, stop all foreign aid, stop all aid for 'tax free' groups, stop all pork projects, remove any business obstacle that promotes market uncertainty, school vouchers for all, if we have free lunches for kids, then make it for ALL kids, no quotas, let the BEST person be selected, remove all political correctness, declare this nation a Christian nation, anyone convicted of treason should be punished accordingly, bring back work groups for all criminals, do away with all school programs except reading writing and arithmetic, promote all of our natural resources, cut all federal jobs by 50%, let the private market run free, make all women that want an abortion pay for it themselves, make all people pay for their own children, you wouls have to work for food stamps, all handouts should be time limited, term limits for politicians, all public servants should be held to a higher standard, secure the boarders, no student visas from any nation that doesn't LOVE the USA, offer 30.00 a barrel for oil, that is maximum, develop nuclear and coal resources, tax the crap out of any company that moves or operates a manufacturing facility outside the continental us, remove obama care, remove all state limitations on auto/health insurance, delete all bureaucratic federal and state
It is clear you need to go back to school.
No health care? Are you going to pay for my healthcare. After all, you sound like one of the 2 percenters. Do away with education? That must have happened years ago if your post reflects your education. School vouchers? Yeh, send the kids to high-class schools using school vouchers– that don't cover transportation to and from schools. That is what the yellow school busses are used for– or was your transportation a Caddy? I lived in the country, about a two-hour ride to school and another to get home.
I disagree with making women pay for abortions.If a woman can afford abortions then, yes, they should have to pay. But if she can't afford it then, she can't afford the child. Also, how could you cut school programs? I would want my kids to have the option of band.
For every day the federal government is shut down, I want 1/365th of my taxes returned.
Yes, I understand it doesn't work that way, but the point made is a valid one...use the money we give you or give it back. It should be a criminal offense to collect taxes and then have the government shut down. Every member of Congress should be thrown in jail until they reach and agreement. They can travel to and from The Capitol on a work-release program in prison buses. They've had since last fall. Not getting a budget passed by now IS criminal, whether the law is there or not.
Chris, it's about time someone said what I was thinking – I'm disappointed I had to scroll down so far to find it! I couldn't agree more – their motivation would be much more immediate if they were thrown in jail and/or didn't get their paycheck.
LIKE
And Josie, you need to calm down. You seem like the type who brings a gun to work or something
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