Bets on federal shutdown?

POSTED BY: canttakesky
UPDATED: Thursday, February 19, 2026 15:16
VIEWED: 4531
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CANTTAKESKY

Thursday, April 7, 2011 4:30 PM

What do you think? Will it happen or not?

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/04/05/house-senate-leaders-head-w
hite-house-ditch-dealing-budget/

Quote:
The impasse between the White House and Congress increasingly looks like it will force the government to shut down by the weekend, with a spending summit yielding no deal on Tuesday.

President Obama said he would like to meet with congressional leaders every day until the stalemate over funding the government for the rest of the fiscal year is solved, but as of Tuesday evening no additional meetings were on the calendar.

"Myself, Joe Biden, my team -- we are prepared to meet for as long as possible to this resolved," a visibly frustrated Obama said during a surprise appearance at the White House briefing room.

The Tuesday summit with the president, House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority leader Harry Reid seemed only to aggravate the two sides, and a followup meeting between the two congressional leaders didn’t seem to make any progress of funding the government through Sept. 30.

Despite the stalemate, the key players say a federal shutdown is not the goal.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2011-04-07-shutdown07_ST_N.htm

Quote:
WASHINGTON — As the government neared a partial shutdown that would stall tax refunds, shutter national parks and delay paychecks to troops in combat, President Obama and congressional leaders stepped up budget negotiations Wednesday night as agencies prepared contingency plans.

Among a host of services and programs that would be scaled back or halted:

•Tax refunds for those who have filed their returns by mail would be delayed. Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Doug Shulman said those filed electronically won't be affected because those returns are processed automatically. Last year, about 70% of taxpayers e-filed their returns.

•In Charleston, S.C., events next week to mark the 150th anniversary of the firing on Fort Sumter, which marked the first battle of the Civil War, could be called off. The fort in Charleston Harbor, along with the National Park Service's visitors center, would be shuttered.

•In the nation's capital, which gets much of its funding from the federal government, garbage pickup will be put off for a week, and public libraries will close.

Who'll get the blame for such inconveniences remains to be seen.

Asked Tuesday who's doing a better job in efforts to agree on a new budget, 41% said Democrats and 34% said Republicans in a new Gallup Poll. Asked the same question six weeks ago, 39% said Democrats and 42% said Republicans.

Respondents were more likely to agree with Republicans about the depth of cuts necessary, however: 45% say Obama and Democrats aren't cutting enough, while only 32% say Republican cuts go too far. Still, few want a shutdown: 58% of respondents say they want a compromise, even if it results in a budget they disagree with, compared with 33% who said their side should hold out for what they want. The poll of 1,014 adults has a margin of error of +/–4 percentage points.

BYTEMITE

Thursday, April 7, 2011 4:55 PM

I'd doubt it, even if I didn't think Gallup polls are just propaganda in a graph.

ANTHONYT

Thursday, April 7, 2011 5:28 PM

Hello,

I don't think we'll have a government shutdown (I question whether the term has any real validity, in fact. I suspect government will march on somehow, and that there is a plan in place to do so.)

I am *curious* to see what a real government shutdown would look like. I don't think I'll ever find out. It's too bad, because a lot of people discuss the absence of Federal government, but we have no living-memory examples of what life is like under that scenario.

I'd love to shut down the government for four years just as a fact-finding project... if only millions of people weren't likely to suffer for the sake of that knowledge.

--Anthony

Assured by friends that the signal-to-noise ratio has improved on this forum, I have disabled web filtering.

CANTTAKESKY

Thursday, April 7, 2011 5:33 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by AnthonyT:
I'd love to shut down the government for four years just as a fact-finding project... if only millions of people weren't likely to suffer for the sake of that knowledge.

I'd love to see it too.

But the economy would have to be stronger to absorb the droves of unemployed. If there were a transition plan that shored up manufacturing industries to create new jobs, then I'd be all over it.

I say that as a spouse of a federal employee.

FREMDFIRMA

Thursday, April 7, 2011 6:20 PM

You know these are dark times when I have come to treasure and admire the cynicism of the american people.

-Frem

I do not serve the Blind God.

AURAPTOR

Thursday, April 7, 2011 6:24 PM

" I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend. "

GEEZER

Thursday, April 7, 2011 7:50 PM

I was interested that the American Federation of Government Employees, one of the biggest Federal unions, is suing the Administration because the Office of Management and Budget will not respond to a FOIA request that they release plans for the government shutdown. It's been surmised by some folk who have been following Federal employee issues for some time that the White House actually wants folks to not know what's going to happen.

"Keep the Shiny side up"

CANTTAKESKY

Thursday, April 7, 2011 9:02 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Geezer:
I was interested that the American Federation of Government Employees, one of the biggest Federal unions, is suing the Administration because the Office of Management and Budget will not respond to a FOIA request that they release plans for the government shutdown. It's been surmised by some folk who have been following Federal employee issues for some time that the White House actually wants folks to not know what's going to happen.

That is indeed interesting.

AURAPTOR

Thursday, April 7, 2011 9:20 PM

I keep hearing that the President has the authority to deem which parts of the Gov are vital or not.

" I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend. "

RIONAEIRE

Thursday, April 7, 2011 9:38 PM

When I was a little girl the government had a shut down and nothing happened, things just went on as usual, at least as far as I could tell at age nine or however old I was. It wasn't that uge of a thing. So I reckon this one would be similar?

"A completely coherant River means writers don't deliver" KatTaya

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