The Guvmint Shutdown

[tlombard]

The thing that pisses me off is that the only talk I ever hear from the 'average' person about anything relating to the government is general stereotypes based on party lines. They never actually touch on the issue. It is always Republicans want to do this or Democrats will do that. I would hope that the shutdown would open some eyes with the general voting public but I don't think it will. I rarely even follow politics because everything out there is complete BS spewed by someone with their own agenda. The government is run by lobbyists and the personal interests of the elected officials and they keep the general public distracted by keeping them divided along party lines to the point where they just argue with each other and don't even know what is really going on. And maybe that isn't exactly true either. Half of the time I think that the country is really run by the select few running the two political parties. They set the policies. They provide the support to get people elected. The people they get elected aren't going to turn their backs on the party are they? The most powerful person in our country isn't the President, it just might be the man who got him there.

I still go back to the vote to go back into Iraq after 9/11. The document where Bush 'lied to everyone' was a secure document. They had to sign in to a secure room to view the actual document. How many people voted to go into Iraq? Only 6 actually saw the document in person. Where did the rest get their information? Of the 6 that saw the document, they even admitted that there were plenty of doubts in the document as to whether there were WMDs. But the people voting on it were in a win/win situation when the next election cycle came around by voting to go in. If it worked out then they voted for it. If it didn't and the public was unhappy, they could say Bush lied to them. The same political games have gone on forever. Both sides campaign one way but then when they get in office they do a lot of the same things. Didn't Obama promise to get us out of Iraq/Afghanistan right away during his campaign? Then his first speech about Irag/Afghanistan after taking office was almost EXACTLY the same as Bush's last speech and called for sending even more troops over there. I swear they had the same speech writer.

The public needs to start paying more attention to what their elected officials actually vote and be willing to kick them out of office even if it means voting for the other party. If people identify themselves as one side or the other and won't vote for the side they don't align with and they don't pay attention to their voting record, there is no fear of being voted out. They can do whatever they want to benefit themselves. The rich get richer. Meanwhile the average voter sits at home and believes that because the guy in office is aligned with the party the voter is, then the official is doing what the voter approves of and it must be everyone else's fault. I just saw a poll the other day that said something to do with the majority of the people polled are happy with their elected officials in Congress but Congress has their lowest approval rating ever. I know polls can't always be taken seriously but it doesn't shock me and I have a feeling it is pretty darn true.

I just hope things don't completely fall apart before I die. Since I don't have any children, as of right now I just need it to hang on for another 35 years or so. That would get me to 70 but I'm pretty sure I won't make it that long with the way I eat, drink and smoke.

[thrill]

I have a trip planned starting on the 9th that heavily features some national parks. I will be extremely disappointed if they are closed.

[planet planet]

The thing that pisses me off is that the only talk I ever hear from the 'average' person about anything relating to the government is general stereotypes based on party lines. They never actually touch on the issue. It is always Republicans want to do this or Democrats will do that. I would hope that the shutdown would open some eyes with the general voting public but I don't think it will. I rarely even follow politics because everything out there is complete BS spewed by someone with their own agenda. The government is run by lobbyists and the personal interests of the elected officials and they keep the general public distracted by keeping them divided along party lines to the point where they just argue with each other and don't even know what is really going on. And maybe that isn't exactly true either. Half of the time I think that the country is really run by the select few running the two political parties. They set the policies. They provide the support to get people elected. The people they get elected aren't going to turn their backs on the party are they? The most powerful person in our country isn't the President, it just might be the man who got him there.

I still go back to the vote to go back into Iraq after 9/11. The document where Bush 'lied to everyone' was a secure document. They had to sign in to a secure room to view the actual document. How many people voted to go into Iraq? Only 6 actually saw the document in person. Where did the rest get their information? Of the 6 that saw the document, they even admitted that there were plenty of doubts in the document as to whether there were WMDs. But the people voting on it were in a win/win situation when the next election cycle came around by voting to go in. If it worked out then they voted for it. If it didn't and the public was unhappy, they could say Bush lied to them. The same political games have gone on forever. Both sides campaign one way but then when they get in office they do a lot of the same things. Didn't Obama promise to get us out of Iraq/Afghanistan right away during his campaign? Then his first speech about Irag/Afghanistan after taking office was almost EXACTLY the same as Bush's last speech and called for sending even more troops over there. I swear they had the same speech writer.

The public needs to start paying more attention to what their elected officials actually vote and be willing to kick them out of office even if it means voting for the other party. If people identify themselves as one side or the other and won't vote for the side they don't align with and they don't pay attention to their voting record, there is no fear of being voted out. They can do whatever they want to benefit themselves. The rich get richer. Meanwhile the average voter sits at home and believes that because the guy in office is aligned with the party the voter is, then the official is doing what the voter approves of and it must be everyone else's fault. I just saw a poll the other day that said something to do with the majority of the people polled are happy with their elected officials in Congress but Congress has their lowest approval rating ever. I know polls can't always be taken seriously but it doesn't shock me and I have a feeling it is pretty darn true.

I just hope things don't completely fall apart before I die. Since I don't have any children, as of right now I just need it to hang on for another 35 years or so. That would get me to 70 but I'm pretty sure I won't make it that long with the way I eat, drink and smoke.

?

I rarely even follow politics because everything out there is complete BS spewed by someone with their own agenda.

The public needs to start paying more attention to what their elected officials actually vote and be willing to kick them out of office even if it means voting for the other party.

[planet planet]

FB friend:

Sadly, if the government shuts down tonight at midnight, I don't have a job to come to tomorrow morning! But I still support 100% what the House Republicans are doing!

[Fat Strat]

Saw a message from a friend on FB that her survivor benefits didn't come today. That's where this stuff gets real. There are people out there who have literally given everything in service of this country and today Congress is demanding that they suffer more for the sake of political games.

[IMADreamer]

If we are lucky by the time we are playing the world series the whole country will be on fire. Then if someone like Oakland wins no one will even notice the victory rioting.

[Freed Roger]

Is there a tangible endgame/desired result from this ploy? Besides Obamacare staying around - It's not like this is way to make the duties of the VA go away. Does this mean no more NASA? Are we going to privatize National Parks or sell them off? The EPA?

Yeah, elimination of govt programs and institutions have and continue to be talked about. But the shut down will not end them.

Govt institutions and programs (ones that were created by both Republicans and Dems) will be back in the near future, but I'm guessing it will cost taxpayers more money to have a shut down/reopen than if you just left open to begin with. So thanks for the govt waste [expletive]! All for stroking your egos & feeding your extremist constituents.

[Jocephus]

i saw some dumb facebook posts and removed someone. the one that irked me was one saying the president doesn't take responsibility for the shutdown....thats just such...ignorance...do people forget there are houses of gov't, that perform certain roles? and her friends comments were like "he should take responsibility since its called obamacare!"...which, of course its not called that..only by pundits and those who want to scare. and then someone said "when does he ever take responsibility?"....barry's disappointed me plenty, and im not saying ACA is the greatest thing ever, but this (shutdown) is not on him, particularly since ACA was a rallying point for 2 elections for him, and passed the highest court in the land.

its amazing to me that some people agree with the hard right repubs in the house even when they dont have an alternative of their own (other than defunding aca outright). YOU LOST. GET OVER IT OR MAKE IT BETTER. i also will never understand people who vote for people who are actually against their economic interests. and...people who forget aca is in essence a former repub plan....

[Arthur Dent]

Is there a tangible endgame/desired result from this ploy?

If there's any realistic strategy behind this, I sure don't see it. There's no way either the Senate or the President are going to agree to cripple or destroy the ACA, especially when precisely nothing is being offered in exchange. This seems to be entirely an exercise in narcissistic and gratuitous destruction of the public good.

[IMADreamer]

Is there a tangible endgame/desired result from this ploy? Besides Obamacare staying around - It's not like this is way to make the duties of the VA go away. Does this mean no more NASA? Are we going to privatize National Parks or sell them off? The EPA?

Yeah, elimination of govt programs and institutions have and continue to be talked about. But the shut down will not end them.

Govt institutions and programs (ones that were created by both Republicans and Dems) will be back in the near future, but I'm guessing it will cost taxpayers more money to have a shut down/reopen than if you just left open to begin with. So thanks for the govt waste [expletive]! All for stroking your egos & feeding your extremist constituents.

Those are all things the right wants to make go away. They'd sell the National Parks if they could, they'd eliminate Nasa, the Smithsonian, and everything else they could. They want those things gone.