93 replies to this topic

[Selena]

It's the most exciting show on TV.

 

 

WILL THEY OR WON'T THEY?

 

 

 

 

WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT?

 

 

REPEALING HEALTHCARE AT THE 11th HOUR? OR SHUTTING THE ENTIRE GOVERNMENT DOWN?

 

 

WHO BLINKS FIRST? REID OR G-MAN BOEHNER? (joke reference for foreigners)

 

 

 

 

 

 

What do you think's gonna happen? Which senators will die in the season finale?

 

This is like the first time I've watched C-SPAN in almost forever.

 

 

 

 

Gotta say, though, this debate would be a whole lot more exciting if it were the British parliament -- kind of jealous our politicians aren't allowed to directly scream at each other.

[SteveT]

The next Republican proposal will be slightly less ridiculous, and the Democrats will cave like they always do.  And threatening a shutdown will be a standard tactic henceforth.

[Selena]

BOOM! With less than 3 hours to go, the Senate punt kicks the bill back to the House again!

 

 

 

Watching Congress debate just hits home how much they really just stand around and talk during the whole voting process. Come on, get on with it. Orderly fashion! Asses in seats! You look like you're at a banquet.

 

 

 

 

edit: They're staying until at least 11 tonight, so the House will have one more shot at it, assuming they can pull it together.

[Jasi]

Watching Congress debate just hits home how much they really just stand around and talk during the whole voting process. Come on, get on with it. Orderly fashion! Asses in seats! You look like you're at a banquet.

 

I did student government while I was at Florida State and this is what I hated most about the legislative process. All these assholes want to hear their own voices more than they want to get shit done. But one time I asked to speak and said this (in nicer words, obviously) and everyone tut tutted saying how it's important to ponder things carefully or whatever. Yeah okay, but seriously, sometimes you guys are just bullshitting. It seems exactly the same to me in US Congress.

 

(this is a rant more than a substantive post...oh well)

[SteveT]

You'd hope the House is spending the time they're stuck waiting for the Senate to write their next crazy budget plan.

[Sir Turtlelot]

Dammit Lena, I should be working a lab report, but this is just so much more interesting. 

[Selena]

You'd hope the House is spending the time they're stuck waiting for the Senate to write their next crazy budget plan.

 

I think so. The House camera feeds went off not long before the Senate vote, and they aren't back yet, so they must be working.

 

Or they're in the hall eating snacks from the House vending machines. Hard to say.

 

 

 

Meanwhile, the Senate has returned to debates.

 

Using posters as visual aids.

 

We should really think about getting them a Power Point projector or a television screen or something. My high school classes had better visual charts, jeez.

 

 

C-SPAN allows viewers to call in with opinions.

 

Massive respect for the C-SPAN staff being able to keep poker faces/voices while listening to these calls. A lot of them are as bad as the average facebook or youtube comment. Hoo boy.

 

 

 

...... 1.5 HOURS REMAIN

[Jezzer]

So intriguing to watch. It could be better if our policians did behave as the parliments of Europe, but I think a shooting may happen if tempers flare to those levels.

[Selena]

Caller:

 

 

"Obama was on the road soundin like salesman and he said that buying healthcare was gonna be as easy as buying a plane ticket welL I DON'T WANNA BUY A PLANE TICKET I DON'T WANNA GO ON THE PLANE BUT HE'S TELLING ME I GOTTA GO ON THIS PLANE AND DON'T WANT TO WHERE IS THIS PLANE EVEN GOING"

 

 

Valid concerns.

[Egann]

If the government shuts down someone will shut down vital services and have a conniption fit. And people will die because our government refuses to get past political agendas and PRIORITIZE THE BUDGET.

 

Something first graders do with their lunch money seems to be beyond our professional representatives. You should have passed a bill eons ago which would provide basic services in the event that the budget failed to pass. In fact, it probably should be built into the constitution. Congress must delegate no more than 10% of it's net budget to basic government services and pass budgets for these services no less than ten years in advance. There. Done.

 

It's times like this I'm glad I don't have television.

Edited by Egann, 30 September 2013 - 09:43 PM.

[Jezzer]

I feel for the C-SPAN Chat Moderators tonight.

[Selena]

No way Egann you are missing the best kind of trainwreck (though you can, of course, stream C-SPAN from their website).

 

15 minutes until everyone said they were going to go home. 1:15 until shutdown.

 

An eleventh hour vote is probably not going to happen at this rate.

 

 

Whoop, the House rules committee is debating now. Definitely not going to happen.

 

 

But you never know, there could be a last minute plot twist.

 

 

PS: "Representative Slaughter" is the best politician name.

PSS: Rep. Hastings of Florida is my new politician crush, purely because of his sassypants.

 

 

 

Current status at 11:12:

 

House: Brawling in a closed-door committee meeting where they all blame each other for everything.

Senate: "haha omg the house sux"

[Egann]

Welp. I tuned into CSPAN for the last fifteen seconds.

 

Government is shut down. IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT. Almost literally the first words uttered.

 

Yup, this nation is run by incompetents.

Edited by Egann, 30 September 2013 - 11:02 PM.

[Sir Turtlelot]

Well then, can't say I was actually expecting a shutdown to happen, figured one side or another would have caved by now.

[Selena]

SHUUUUUT 'ER DOWN

 

EVERYONE GO HOME

 

 

 

 

123rd anniversary of Yosemite, according to google. Yaaaaaay, it's now closed! Best anniversary ever!

[Kisseena]

So what exactly happens when the government shuts down?

Do they all just take the day off and play golf?

 

Or does everything bust into flames and we all die?

 

EDIT: If everything bursts into flames does that mean I can just stop doing this homework?

No? Dangit.

Edited by Kisseena, 30 September 2013 - 11:26 PM.

[Jezzer]

So what exactly happens when the government shuts down?
Do they all just take the day off and play golf?
 
Or does everything bust into flames and we all die?

Essential personnel will be allowed to continue working...but aside from the military they don't get paid. About 2/3 - rough estimate heard on news outlets today - of the federal government is considered essential personnel.

It will be problematic overall but especially for those who conduct buisness that relies on importing or exporting goods as the normal avenues of shipping said goods are now much more difficult to operate within.

[Selena]

The last one. Yes.

 

 

...

 

 

* National parks / zoos / museums are shut down.

* That includes all those cute little animal cams that zoos have.

* Most federal employees are on leave until the issue is resolved

* They won't be paid until the shutdown's over, if they're lucky.

* That includes shutting down essentially all of NASA. (science nooooo)

* I think they put a measure through preserving military pay, which is good.

* If you need a federal loan of any kind, you're SOL.

* You can't get a passport (or any other federal document) until after this is fixed.

* Stuff like that. Basically, if it's a federal thing, and it's not a life-or-death service, it won't be functioning.

 

 

But you'll still get mail, and most day-to-day life continues as normal for people who aren't government employees.

[Kisseena]

*blank stare*

 

Soooo... the senate and house gotta work fo' free?

lololololol

 

What about banks and stuff?

Do state governments still do their thing?

 

Does this mean that I can't set my homework on fire?

Can I go riot in the streets and throw bricks at hookers?

[Selena]

Sorry, Kissy, the po-po is still on patrol. And your school doesn't need the fed's money -- it's milking you and your fellow students for all the dimes you got! Mwahah!

 

 

 

Banks and state governments are still operational.

[Kisseena]

DANG PO-PO RUINING MY FUN

 

 

And dang gov'ment for not making their minds up. Just make a decision JEEZE.

First graders can make decisions better than these foo's.

Edited by Kisseena, 30 September 2013 - 11:38 PM.

[Selena]

Seen on the internet:

 

Canada:

 

“The Beacons are lit! Gondor calls for aid!”

 

 

[JRPomazon]

I wonder how long until the two groups of children decide to get along?

[Steel Samurai]

Honestly I was hoping for this. Fucking Republicans trying to fuck over the democratic process and the fairly passed healthcare legislation that DEAR GOD WE NEED.

 

I hope the Democrat war machine slams the fuck out of every Republican senator who is responsible for it.

[Sir Deimos]

CATS AND DOGS ARE GETTING ALONG NOW! RAIN IS FALLING UP! ANARCHY IN THE STREETS!

[Selena]

Was going to post this on facebook, but then I remember I try not to be political on facebook.

 

 

 

 

Two of our senators are currently on CNN's Crossfire. Regardless of whether this show is live or filmed earlier today, it's good that they have time to go on TV rather than BE IN THE ACTUAL SENAAAAAATE. If we are in shutdown mode, politicians should be nowhere else but in their respective congressional buildings until this is fixed. If you've got time to debate the situation with CNN commentators, you've got time to debate it IN THE SENATE. Media circus. Jesus.

 

 

 

Who wants to take bets on how long the shutdown lasts? Most of them only last for a couple days. The longest was the last on in '96, which lasted for 20-some days.

[Jezzer]

Who wants to take bets on how long the shutdown lasts? Most of them only last for a couple days. The longest was the last on in '96, which lasted for 20-some days.

 

I really hope that this isn't a long shutdown; however my gut is telling me that this shutdown will indeed be long as the debt ceiling fight will also need to be resolved before October 17th.

 

My new concern is how a prolonged shutdown of the federal government will affect state governments.  I spoke with my coworkers about how the State of Indiana - I am employed by the State of Indiana - fared during the last government shutdown and what I found out wasn't good.  Indiana had begun a partial state government shutdown back in 1996 due to a lack of federal funds that the feds were not able to deliver as they were in the midst of their shutdown.  Additionally the Indiana government leaders had begun to look at how to impliment contingency plans should the state need to shut down as their own funds were dwindling.

 

If that happend back then I am afraid it will happen again.  My own state agency recieves over 90% of its monies from the federal government - thanks to local republican **censored** politicians and their anti-environment/pro-buisnesss stance.  Many other state agencies in Indiana also recieve most of their monies from the federal government - again thanks to local republican **censored** politicians and their desire to not fund Indiana state governement appropriately as it would raise taxes...HEAVEN FORBID.

Edited by Jezzer, 01 October 2013 - 06:42 PM.

[Jasi]

Can anyone tell me the facts on the shutdown of monuments and parks? It's getting a lot of publicity since it affects the public the most, and conservatives are saying it's unprecedented and uncalled for and just Obama being petty, making things worse than it needs to be.

[Chikara Nadir]

If you want to hunt and peck through what has led us to the shutdown and what areas of government are affected, Wiki's page on the shutdown is pretty thorough. 

 

But the tl;dr version of where we stand right now seems to be:

Republicans want a spending bill that doesn't include Obamacare, despite it having been passed through Congress and agreed on by the Supreme Court (so D's think that the R's are just stopping everything because they want their way). Meanwhile, Democrats refuse to pass any resolutions that the Republicans put forward unless it's the full and original version that includes Obamacare (therefore R's are calling the D's petty and claiming the gov't could be restarted in a heartbeat if only the D's would bend a little).

 

Regardless of who's responsible, if they don't come to SOME resolution in the next two weeks, when the vote is due to raise the debt ceiling, we could default on our national debt. And then a real shitstorm would start, since the "Greatest Nation on Earth" would be considered financially irresponsible to anyone we need to borrow or trade from, both internationally and domestically. That concept legitimately terrifies me.

 

As for why the parks are affected? Because the gov't simply needs to cut the fat from everywhere except for the bare essentials. For me working in the financial industry, the Federal Reserve and SEC are still intact, so yippee stock market (because again, if we stop making money, the USA's really up shit creek). They're trying to make as few cuts as possible to the essentials related to internal regulation or transportation, like military, courts, and the postal service. But that leaves everyone else locked out, from government sponsored hospitals and museums to groups responsible for visas/passports/home mortgages. Keep in mind how many more people were ALREADY on furlough still from a few months ago.

[Selena]

Can anyone tell me the facts on the shutdown of monuments and parks? It's getting a lot of publicity since it affects the public the most, and conservatives are saying it's unprecedented and uncalled for and just Obama being petty, making things worse than it needs to be.

 

You mean as far as history of shutdowns go?

 

It's not unprecedented. All nonessential federal stuff goes away during a shutdown -- parks, monuments, services, NASA, everything. It's protocol. It happens every time.

 

Government shutdowns mostly started in the 70's. And it wasn't until the last year of the Carter administration that all services stopped if you couldn't pass a budget, courtesy of some bill that was introduced. The reason it's arguably "unprecedented" is because most shutdowns only last a few days. Meaning they never impacted things too much. There were a couple shutdowns during Carter, a couple during Reagan, and one during Bush #1. Usually just one or two days each. So, not a big deal.

 

During Clinton, there was a month-long shutdown because the parties were "more polarized than ever and couldn't agree on a budget." ha....hahahha.

 

And yes, all federal services were shut down. No parks, no monuments, no nothin' except for critical services and personnel.

 

http://en.wikipedia....wn_of_1995–96

 

 

 

 

So, definitely not unprecedented.

 

But worrying, because if the parties were "more polarized than ever" during Clinton -- in the midst of 90's economic prosperity -- then the outlook for this shutdown is definitely not good. Especially with the debt ceiling issue less than two weeks away.