Government shutdown 2011
“Dear Congress, Last year I mismanaged my funds and this year I cannot decide on a budget. Until I have come to a unified decision that fits all of my needs and interests, I will have to shut down my checkbook and will no longer be able to pay my taxes. I’m sure you’ll understand. Thank you very much for setting an example we can all follow.”
2011 might be the year where we repeat 1995 – with a sweet little government shutdown. 800.000+ employees of the public sector, not deemed necessary, will be sent home, without pay, and asked not to show up the next day of work. Furloughed is the word of choice here, folks.
However, here’s the cute part. While a vast amount of individuals will go without, or severely delayed pay, yes, including our military forces, the U.S Congress still gets paid.
In short; while everyone else is suffering, the idiots we voted into their positions are still taking home a paycheck. They can’t get their heads together and make sense out of a simple situation. Why? Because, principles are at stake. I have hardly ever heard something as ridiculous as that.
Our powers in charge would rather suspend the operation of an entire nation, just because they can’t come to terms. What is this? The inefficiency or our government is breathtaking. However, I do have a solution to all this mess. Before we get there though, here’s a list of how everything could be effected:
| Status | Category | Agency/service | Details |
| Closed/ceased | Interior & Environment | National Parks | All national parks would close at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday. Parks that have actual hours, like the St. Louis Arch or Washington Monument, just won’t reopen. At parks where people camp, gates will be closed so no one can enter. Those in the park will be given 24 hours to leave. Parks like Yellowstone and Gettysburg, which are large and contain public roads, will be passable but all gates and visitor centers will be locked and closed. Most park employees will not report to work. Law enforcement will remain to protect parks and the public. |
| Open/unaffected | Justice | Federal Courts – judges | Every federal judge and magistrate would remain on duty. Many would be encouraged to work from home if possible, which many appeals judges and justices already do. The chambers staff would likely be reduced to absolute essentials, including law clerks. |
| Open/unaffected | Justice | Federal Courts – trials and arrests | Trials that would already be underway at the time of a shutdown would likely continue, especially criminal trials. District judges would have the discretion of postponing future trials, with an emphasis on civil trials being delayed over criminal trials. Grand juries might be dismissed. |
| Unclear/mixed | Justice | Federal Courts – filings | Since nearly all court filings and appeals are done electronically, there would be less backlog of paperwork than from the last shutdown. But clerks of court and their staff would likely be among the first to be furloughed in a shutdown, so those filings and appeals would be delayed in their processing. First appearances for newly arrested or charged criminal defendants would continue, but many preliminary pre-trial hearings might be delayed. Appointment of public defenders might be delayed. |
| Closed/ceased | Justice | Federal Courts – probation officers | Duties of probation officers — who operate under control of the judiciary — may be curtailed, and they may not be able to fully monitor those on parole or probation. |
| Unclear/mixed | Justice | Federal Courts – other services | Public access to the courts — especially tourists visiting the Supreme Court — might be limited or blocked for the duration of the shutdown. Emergency appeals like stays of execution would not be affected. Other staff that might be furloughed would be: clerks, librarians, support staff for judges like aides and secretaries, public information staff, and those in the cafeteria, maintenance, and engineering departments. |
| Closed/ceased | National Security | National Reconnaissance Office | The vast majority of civilian staff will be told to stay home because there will be no support services — no cafeteria, no cleaning crews, minimal heating and lighting since most offices will be empty. |
| Unclear/Mixed | Interior & Environment | National Park Web sites | The NPS website gets about 1 million hits a day. It’s unclear whether it will continue to operate during a closure. |
| Unclear/Mixed | National Security | National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency | The NGA, which provides map and image intelligence to the military, is reviewing its contingency plans for mission-essential personnel to sustain vital global missions such as safety and navigation of the maritime mission, aeronautical support, war fighter intelligence support to numerous ongoing operations. |
| Unclear/Mixed | Justice | Federal Courts | Court officials say they expect things to run fairly normally for the first two weeks, using their ‘non-appropriated’ emergency funds. That means trials, hearings, grand juries, oral arguments, jury schedules, filings, probation officers — all the operations of the federal courts — would run normally. After two weeks, discretion has been granted to each individual court to make their own decisions on what would constitute ‘essential activities.’ Every federal judge and magistrate would remain on duty. |
| Unclear/mixed | Homeland Security | Administration and support personnel | Shutdown could impact these positions. |
| Open/unaffected | Transportation | Air Traffic Control | Controllers would report to work as normal. |
| Closed/ceased | Defense | Veterans Affairs | Veterans Affairs Vocational Rehabilitation and Education Centers likely to close. |
| Open/unaffected | Homeland Security | Customs and Border Patrol | Most Customs and Border Partol services would be unaffected. |
| Open/unaffected | Homeland Security | FEMA | Emergency services continue. |
| Closed/ceased | Congress | House | Many congressional staffers have received furlough notices; members of Congress continue to get paid. |
| Open/unaffected | Congress | House | Functions operated by private contractors and outside entites are unaffected by the federal budget and will be open for business. Levels of service may be decreased if there is not a sufficient need for these services |
| Open/unaffected | Homeland Security | Immigration | Many immigration services continue. |
| Closed/ceased | Treasury | IRS | No IRS processing of paper tax returns or refunds. |
| Unclear/mixed | Health & Human Services | Medicaid | Processing of disability applications could be delayed. |
| Closed/ceased | Health & Human Services | Medicare & Medicaid | Personnel who normally answer Social Security questions will likely not report to work. |
| Unclear/mixed | Defense | Military | Troops including those fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq will not be paid on time. Troops will continue to earn money but will receive no paychecks. |
| Open/unaffected | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | National Weather Service | Weather forecasting and emergency services continue. |
| Unclear/mixed | State Department | State | Passport processing will be slower because of fewer workers. Regular passports will not be issued, but emergency passports will be issued. |
| Closed/ceased | Homeland Security | Visas | Regular visas will not be processed, however emergency visas will be processed. |
| Closed/ceased | Interior and Environment | EPA | EPA would cease monitoring pollution and issuing environmental impact permits. Toxic waste site cleanup would stop. |
| Closed/ceased | Technology | Government websites | Most government websites will not be updated. |
| Closed/ceased | Health and Human Services | National Institutes of Health | No new clinical trials; won’t accept new patients. |
| Closed/ceased | Business | Small Business Administration | SBA approvals of applications for direct loans to small businesses will stop. |
| Closed/ceased | Executive | White House | The White House Visitor Center would close. |
| Closed/ceased | Executive | White House | The House gift shop would close to the public. |
Sources: CNN, White House, Congress, Various federal agencies
At the time of this posting, CNN ran a poll: This is not a scientific poll
How concerned are you about a potential federal government shutdown?
Not at all: 51% (175555)
Somewhat: 25% (86663)
Very: 23% (78673)
Total votes: 340891
What does this number indicate? WE DO NOT CARE IF YOU SHUT DOWN THE GOVERNMENT! However, humor us and suspend your own pay for the duration of the shutdown, Congressman/woman.
The adverse effects of a possible shutdown are, unfortunately, like concentric circles, though.
Individuals whom are asked not to come to work the next day, and will not ge a paycheck, will find themselves drawing from their financial reserves to make ends meet. However, during these already recessive times, where many families operate of one income, having another unemployed/unpaid person in the household, would be disastrous. Whether unemployment benefits would be paid during the shutdown is questionable as well, as there won’t be many, if any, staffers to process new claims, or service existing ones.
With the missing pay, comes decision time; Food or Rent/Mortgage. Car Payment or Internet/Cellphones/Connectivity?
As people start to make choices to secure their survival, some things may come up short. Whether this be a bank waiting for their mortgage or car payment, or a Landlord waiting for a delayed rent check. During this time of hardship, spending will drastically be cut, impacting local economies, where stores start feeling the missing revenue, resulting in even more lay offs. All the while, the underlying issues is that while people are making decisions, their credit ratings are taking a hit, etc. You get the picture. It ain’t pretty, and there doesn’t seem to be a way out of the impending misery, unless our “Gods of DC” come to terms.
As usual though, I’m not writing a post without a suggestion: The solution would be; as usual, it’s so simple, it almost hurts. Congress, Senators, etc. anyone who would be considered a “law maker”, or has any other political function, MUST NOT receive a paycheck. As a matter of fact, none of these hobos should be paid, other than on a success quota. You steer the country right, you get paid. You screw us over, like you’ve done in the past 10 years+ and you get what you deserve. Nothing. No paycheck, no benefits, no budget for your offices, etc. You are worthless to this country, unless you move us forward. Stagnation, or moving in reverse is NOT acceptable to get a paycheck. If you desire to be a politician and REPRESENT the people that voted you into your seat, then you have an obligation. Live up to it, or step down.
Imagine how quickly disputes would get resolved and our country be driven forward, if THEIR pay is at stake…
Sniper
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