Govt. shutdown

[Buster]

I know a lot of people live paycheck to paycheck, but most federal government jobs would pay a decent wage or very well, I would suspect.
Watching the Washington DC local news, you would think these people have been out of work for months. Form letters are being provided to give to creditors explaining that the shutdown is the reason that they can not pay.
Out of work one week and no source of savings or credit to make it through a few weeks?

This happens all the time in the private sector and those people do not get back pay. No one cries for those workers.

 

[CharlesDavenport]

If the federal government was the proper size, non-essential federal gov shutdown would have practically zero effect.

 

[Roy92040]

In 1996 they made me stay home for about a week when Newt and Clinton shut it down. Never lost a day of pay. Clinton went in our retirement accounts and stole about $2 billion dollars to keep the government running. Any other person would have been sent to jail. The unions started to protest and then they realized he was their boy and shut up.

 

[deljzc]

The sob stories on NPR this week, both about the shutdown and the border crisis (don't know what else to call it considering all the media attention it gets), has been AWFUL. I mean you can't get more blatantly bias in their reporting "facts" than their choices of who to interview lately as centerpieces of their stories.

I used to like NPR as relatively middle of the road journalism, but lately their choices of interviewees has skewed their narrative very hard left. I mean, I have listened to them for a long time and once Trump got elected they clearly shifted left (like the rest of MSM) to denounce and undercut the man at every turn, but this past week during the holidays (especially a good time to play on peoples' emotions) has been downright MSNBC or CNN.

 

[CharlesDavenport]

NPR was never middle of the road.

 

[hamster]

Why should my tax dollars pay for any media, let alone a propaganda bull horn of the Democratic party? No thank you. Cut their budget, and use the money to build the wall.

 

[3 Hypocycloids]

I don’t think federal employees should get retroactive pay. They always do. They shouldn’t. The ones I know celebrate shut downs and treat it like extra holidays.

If the federal contractors don’t get paid, why should the feds?

 

[Coach]

I know a lot of people live paycheck to paycheck, but most federal government jobs would pay a decent wage or very well, I would suspect.
Watching the Washington DC local news, you would think these people have been out of work for months. Form letters are being provided to give to creditors explaining that the shutdown is the reason that they can not pay.
Out of work one week and no source of savings or credit to make it through a few weeks?

This happens all the time in the private sector and those people do not get back pay. No one cries for those workers.

With 325+ Million people in the USA a shut down will affect maybe .​3 percent of the population. I hope the people use the time to find better jobs in the private sector.

 

[RollRed]

In this country, if you make less than $40K a year and are the sole breadwinner in your household... you’re living paycheck to paycheck. Rent/ mortgage, electric, water, gas, car payment plus insurance and gasoline, groceries, credit card(s), cable, cell phone... Government workers most likely have health insurance, but if you’re in the private sector making that amount you’re on the hook for that too. I’m sure their are thousands of federal government workers that are making that or less. If suddenly losing your paycheck shouldn’t be that big of a deal, why does congress still get their paycheck every week during these shutdowns?

 

[ZonaBurgh]

Whether you make 40K a year or 140K a year, it you don't budget accordingly to account for the unexpected, that's all on you.

Not trying to sound cold hearted, just the reality of it. People need to make smart decisions financially, based on income.

The Feds should try that as well.

 

[DBS1970]

If the federal government was the proper size, non-essential federal gov shutdown would have practically zero effect.

Exactly.

Why are we paying non-essential employees at all? Those jobs should not exist.

 

[xjx]

NPR, national propaganda radio.

If senators and congressman didn't get paid during a shutdown the government would never shutdown.

 

[21STEELERS21]

Non-essential is from a national security and mandatory services (like airport) perspective. Many of these people are janitors, park rangers, etc...
In the long-term they are essential if you want to have National Parks, clean buildings, etc...

 

[DBS1970]

Non-essential is from a national security and mandatory services (like airport) perspective. Many of these people are janitors, park rangers, etc...
In the long-term they are essential if you want to have National Parks, clean buildings, etc...

I don't want national parks. I want the Needful Buildings Clause of the Constitution followed.

 

[Buster]

Whether you make 40K a year or 140K a year, it you don't budget accordingly to account for the unexpected, that's all on you.

Not trying to sound cold hearted, just the reality of it. People need to make smart decisions financially, based on income.

The Feds should try that as well.

This...I guarantee that many of the $140K employees are the ones who don’t have two nickels to rub together. After 30 years in banking, I can tell you that plenty of people who make a very good living have nothing to show for it...except debt.

 

[MT~Forged]

With 325+ Million people in the USA a shut down will affect maybe .​3 percent of the population. I hope the people use the time to find better jobs in the private sector.

Why the **** would you look for a new job that requires you to work, has no benefits, and doesn’t give you free vacation days every couple years?

 

[MT~Forged]

In this country, if you make less than $40K a year and are the sole breadwinner in your household... you’re living paycheck to paycheck. Rent/ mortgage, electric, water, gas, car payment plus insurance and gasoline, groceries, credit card(s), cable, cell phone... Government workers most likely have health insurance, but if you’re in the private sector making that amount you’re on the hook for that too. I’m sure their are thousands of federal government workers that are making that or less. If suddenly losing your paycheck shouldn’t be that big of a deal, why does congress still get their paycheck every week during these shutdowns?

If you are making less than $40k a year and are married to a spouse that is not working, YOU HAVE NO BUSINESS HAVING CHILDREN.

 

[Ron Burgundy]

With 325+ Million people in the USA a shut down will affect maybe .​3 percent of the population. I hope the people use the time to find better jobs in the private sector.

More of the government than that is shut down when D.C. gets 6 inches of snow.

 

[Sarge]

I can assure you that government employees pay for their health insurance. I do it twice a month.

 

[RollRed]

If you are making less than $40k a year and are married to a spouse that is not working, YOU HAVE NO BUSINESS HAVING CHILDREN.

So I guess if you had a job making more than that, lose it through no fault of your own, then find yourself having to take a job that pays less, you do what? Take them into the backyard and shoot them?

 

[IndySteel]

So I guess if you had a job making more than that, lose it through no fault of your own, then find yourself having to take a job that pays less, you do what? Take them into the backyard and shoot them?

No man, what the **** is the matter with you? That’s inhumane. Everyone knows that you smother them with a pillow. Libtards...

 

[DBS1970]

So I guess if you had a job making more than that, lose it through no fault of your own, then find yourself having to take a job that pays less, you do what? Take them into the backyard and shoot them?

That isn't what is happening and it isn't what MTForged is talking about. People that actually work for a living don't stay unemployed and they don't have an issue working a second job to make ends meet. This is the USA where if you have the work ethic to get out of bed and hit the door in the morning you will be okay. The people MTForged is talking about are the ones who have always lived on the dole and "work" just enough to have extra spending money but don't earn enough that their "benefits" are effected.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

I'm a little tired of these sob stories. Every single employee, essential and non-essential, will be fully paid for every single manhour of the shutdown regardless of whether they worked or not. Credit Unions at these offices are all providing short term loans to these folks. Almost all the contractors are funded on annual contracts which periods of performances have already been paid and awarded.

 

[CharlesDavenport]

I'm a little tired of these sob stories. Every single employee, essential and non-essential, will be fully paid for every single manhour of the shutdown regardless of whether they worked or not. Credit Unions at these offices are all providing short term loans to these folks. Almost all the contractors are funded on annual contracts which periods of performances have already been paid and awarded.

Extended paid vacation.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

Extended paid vacation.

EXACTLY!!!! The only difference is these folks didn't have to use annual leave over the holidays and now have banked all those hours. Yep, they are also earning leave during the shutdown also.