How has or will the government shutdown affected you

[kieefer]

No big deal to me. 

It's designed to piss off the conservative/opposing side of the subgroups and it makes no sense at all on why our Veterans and Military should be affected at all. Or National Parks for that matter, surely this cost is a small fraction of what they waste.

 

I read somewhere that 93% of the EPA is "non-essential", bet the same is true for the IRS and any number of government agencies.

It's all for show and political games.

The first thing to cut should be the salaries of all the dickheads responsible and the last thing should be our Military.

[Erik88]

This is why it's a good idea to have enough savings for at least a few months. 6 months is a good goal but I know it's not easy for everyone. I'm still working on it.

[kieefer]

This is why it's a good idea to have enough savings for at least a few months. 6 months is a good goal but I know it's not easy for everyone. I'm still working on it.

+1, those that best survived the Depression had the available cash to do so.  ;)

[gregintenn]

If it has affected me, I didn't know it.

[Oh Shoot]

+1, those that best survived the Depression had the available cash to do so.  ;)

 

Yep, money was still worth plenty in the Great Depression, there just wasn't enough of it.

 

But we're likely looking at a different kind this time around, where there is too much money, and not worth the beans you need to buy.

 

- OS

Edited October 13, 2013 by Oh Shoot

[c.a.willard]

This is why it's a good idea to have enough savings for at least a few months. 6 months is a good goal but I know it's not easy for everyone. I'm still working on it.

 

I normally subscribe to the same philosophy, When i seperated from the active component we had about a 5 month cushion. That we used until i could start school at the end of August.  Once school started we were good to go financially and was just finally starting to put money back in savings.

[Dolomite_supafly]

What these idiots in Washington don't realize is that when this all goes up in smoke it will affect them the most. If inflation suddenly went through the roof those of us at the bottom will be affected the least because by that time most of us won't have any savings left but those on top will loose a lot of value of the money they have sitting in their accounts.

 

According to the treasury secretary interest rates on money the government borrows to pay its bills has already tripled as of this past Monday. If we were having problems keeping up before we are really going to have a hard time now. When asked if the government bonds, that are normally rock solid investments, would be unaffected the treasury secretary could not say that they wouldn't be affected. That was yesterday and we will see a MAJOR impact in the markets from that statement alone. Imagine if the market was flooded with people trying to sell their government bonds or if there was a rush to cash them out or if you were told they could not be redeemed or that they are now worthless.  The Senate tried to pass a bill to prevent the default and even they could not pass a resolution to send to Congress to try to prevent a default. It is not looking good and we are likely less than a week away from the US government being out of money. I spent most of the day Saturday watching the discussions on the default and I am truly scared. We normally have a $50B buffer from day to day but as of yesterday it was below $30B according to the treasury secretary. And he said when that is gone we are 100% broke and will not be able to pay anyone we owe.

 

If we default now it will likely be years before we see anything resembling normal. A month or two after we go into a full default, when other countries are refusing to sell us goods on credit any longer, I believe most people are going to start loosing their minds. But before that those who have been leeching for generations will begin looting and stealing because they no longer get what they think they are entitled to. And when that happens we will be transformed into a third world country. And we, as a country, are not prepared for the amount of civil unrest that we are really close to seeing now. And because of our international policies you are going to see very few countries come to our aid like we have for them.

 

I absolutely do not want the country to go into default because it will affect every one of us like we have never seen it before. But in the end something needs to happen because our fiscal path is unsustainable.

 

Am I ready for any of this? I don't think there is anyone who is ready.

 

For me I am not going to get the money I get from the VA for my injuries. I use it to pay my mortgage but I have a plan in place for the long term if that happens. 

Edited October 13, 2013 by Dolomite_supafly

[Guest 6.8 AR]

No one's ready for a complete change of lifestyle, except the tree huggers. And they will be pissed when their

Priuses and Starbucks are gone.

 

Gordon. The government will pass a law saying you must keep those bonds for the greater good. :D

 

It will get to the point that they will pass laws to "make" things remain as they are, to no avail.

 

Every bit of this was predicted, a long time ago. No one paid attention.

 

When you understand a country's dominant ideology, you can predict its future.

Edited October 13, 2013 by 6.8 AR

[BigK]

Not affecting me in any way, but I feel for the good people out there and on here that are being affected. Aside from the vindictive way the "shutdown" was engineered to inflict as much pain as possible, I think we'll be better off for it. Our fed gov't has been overstepping its Constitutional boundaries for decades, becoming too large to manage.

Luckily, Obama, Reid, and their cronies are pissing off as many or more people than the GOP. I heard on 99.7 that the A$$hat-in-chief only has a 37% approval rating. Moves like spending as much money or more to enforce park shutdowns instead of leaving them open will not be forgotten in the mid-term elections next year.

Maybe we'll get lucky and wind up with a lot more small gov't minded folks in Congress.

[Xtarheel]

Tomorrow will be my last day as a subcontractor. I think I have a one day/week subcontract lined up though. Would rather work one day/week than draw unemployment. No back pay for subcontractors as compared to federal workers. Thankfully I have an emergency fund and also draw a small retirement check.

[vontar]

All those Dooms Day preppers don't look so silly with their tin foil hats now.  I bet most of you wish you had some tinfoil.  :tinfoil:

[TMF]

All those Dooms Day preppers don't look so silly with their tin foil hats now. I bet most of you wish you had some tinfoil. :tinfoil:

Nope, they still look crazy as ever, just well prepared and crazy.

[Jesse]

I wish my work would slow down enough to get out of working every weekend. Tired of working 6 days a week. I got things to do.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

i was put on furloughed day one of the shut down.  but because of my position i was told to be at work.  so i am furloughed, but working like normal and not getting paid.  we worked five days before the shut down on the pay period and so far no pay on those days.  so it is no pay for the last pay period. looks like it will be no pay for the up coming one too.  i got several long term operations going, but no money to support them now.  so it looks like money spend and time investigated, etc... will be wasted.  but nobody cares.  i don't know what part of the government is working except the part that is keeping the dead beats in the money, free phones, and food.   and i forgot the part that votes the correct way are still getting funding. something has to be done to stop this run away government.  maybe the shut down will be a start.  i am for the shut down no matter how hard it will be for me and my family in the long run.  

Because of your position you had to remain at work? Under what law can you be made into a slave? I'm sure you

can find some tripe of a law that is used to "force" you to remain on the job, without pay, but I'd love to understand.

I'm assuming law enforcement?

 

Didn't Washington have a rough go during that big fight because he had trouble paying his troops? A lot has changed

since then.

[diablo982]

Because of your position you had to remain at work? Under what law can you be made into a slave? I'm sure you
can find some tripe of a law that is used to "force" you to remain on the job, without pay, but I'd love to understand.
I'm assuming law enforcement?
 
Didn't Washington have a rough go during that big fight because he had trouble paying his troops? A lot has changed
since then.

Technically he is not "forced" to go to work, but his only recourse is to quit and look for something else. That's probably not a realistic option, nor a prudent one. It will be interesting to see what happens in the next few pay periods if this shutdown continues. Workers tend to lack motivation when they aren't getting paid. Right now the shutdown is having minimal impact to the general population because most of the essential services continue. I could see a situation in the next few weeks where 2/3rds of the air traffic controllers call in sick, or the customs inspectors at the ports go into slow motion, causing produce to rot on the ships. Frankly, I wouldn't blame them if they did.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

Good answer, but when a employee loses his pay, he shouldn't be working. That's part of the contract of employment,

government or not. It's fine with me if all those who say their pay is being halted because of this shutdown, and it is not

supposed to be, go home and wait it out. Maybe that sounds cruel to some, but the government can't hold a job over

anyone's head if they aren't willing to pay for the job. It is a two-way street.

 

This is where the people should flat out revolt. If they are non-essential, they shouldn't even have the job. That's exposing

the waste in tax dollars.

 

There are basic principles in play, along with the extortion game the administration by injecting the politics into these

peoples' jobs. All in the name of power. And the media is on the side of the power grabbers.

 

The part that really bothers me is that if it doesn't affect you, then you don't give a damn. Wait until it does, and I

wonder how you will feel then. If you don't take a stand, you will be bulldozed. This will happen again and again,

and it will get worse every time.

 

If he wants to play politics with this, then make the government really shut down. I'll bet you the ones getting scared

won't be you and I. It will be those bastards inside the beltway. He should be impeached, immediately.

Edited October 14, 2013 by 6.8 AR

[gun sane]

Like all of you, I'm worried that this will happen if we don't get government back open and raise the debt ceiling:

 

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Edited October 14, 2013 by gun sane

[TMF]

If we're gonna have the pain, we might as well have it now rather than drag this nonsense out for another few years before the inevitable happens. The doomsday projections about default are gonna happen in the next decade anyway, so no better time than the present.

[Andyshowfan]

Has affected me only indirectly, my younger brother has been on furlough from GSMNP. 

[E4 No More]

What government shutdown?

[BryanP]

I know at least one person who is not be receiving child support because of the shutdown.  But hey, kids can go hungry for a while, right?

[Guest Riciticky]

They can shut down forever if they want. JMDO.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

I know at least one person who is not be receiving child support because of the shutdown.  But hey, kids can go hungry for a while, right?

Well, when you go and inject kids into the argument, you become corrupted as most politicians are. What about the parent

being responsible for the kid? Kids go hungry all over the world. Let's take care of Africa's children a little more, since you

want to throw guilt into the mix.

 

Altruism: the idea that I am my brother's keeper. See how a dose of guilt can make things go down the toilet, fast?

[BryanP]

Well, when you go and inject kids into the argument, you become corrupted as most politicians are. What about the parent

being responsible for the kid? Kids go hungry all over the world. Let's take care of Africa's children a little more, since you

want to throw guilt into the mix.

 

Altruism: the idea that I am my brother's keeper. See how a dose of guilt can make things go down the toilet, fast?

 

It's neither altruism nor corruption to expect someone to take care of their kids even if they've decided they're tired of being married.  Nor is it altruism to say "If you won't do it voluntarily, we'll make you do it." But hey, if you guys want to have an echo chamber instead of a discussion, I'll step aside and let you carry on.

Edited October 15, 2013 by BryanP

[Guest 6.8 AR]

It is a sometime result when you throw guilt at someone. A parent should be expected to take care of his/her child, not the

government, and blaming his/her ability on this shutdown, means he/she will not do anything else to provide for the child.

False, I hope.

 

"When he reached the new world, Cortez burned his ships. As a result, his men were well motivated". Captain Marco Ramius

in "The Hunt for Red October"

 

I never said it was not an expectation of someone to take care of their kids being altruism, but your use of kids in

the discussion is an attempt at causing an altruistic result.

Edited October 15, 2013 by 6.8 AR