The Dangers of a Govt Shutdown

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Linnea
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The Dangers of a Govt Shutdown

Post by Linnea » 03-30-2011 02:09 PM

The market isn’t totally wrong, of course. The federal government probably won’t default on its debt. But it’s actually pretty hard to explain how we get the spending line and the revenues line to match each other. And we have a really dysfunctional political system. We’ll figure it out somehow. We always do. But our low borrowing costs are an advantage we want to preserve for as long as possible. That means keeping the market from realizing that partisan polarization mixed with our weird legislative system makes insane outcomes easily imaginable.

This is why a shutdown would be so dangerous. A last-minute deal tells the market that America is a country that dithers and procrastinates and anguishes but eventually makes the necessary decisions to avert terrible consequences. We can be trusted to follow through, even if only at the last minute. A shutdown tells the market that our political system has become so dysfunctional that we actually can’t be trusted.
Ezra Klein -

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein

Swerdloc
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Post by Swerdloc » 03-30-2011 02:33 PM

And Mercury goes retro this afternoon...
Anchors Aweigh

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Post by Linnea » 03-30-2011 02:45 PM

Oh, yah! I forgot about that. Right you are, swerdloc. ;)

...and that could bode ill indeed. Will check that out with other celestial considerations.

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Shazam
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Post by Shazam » 03-31-2011 11:26 PM

Bleh.....If the D`s passed health care...they could have passed a budget....and any "dangers" could have been avoided....and as a Disabled Vet if I miss my May check My "blame" will lie squarely at there feet....

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3 Days until Budget agreement or Govt Shutdown

Post by Linnea » 04-05-2011 05:23 PM

Can a Govt Shutdown be avoided? Here is a round up of the latest issues from TPM:

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/

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Post by SETIsLady » 04-05-2011 10:24 PM

Johnny Depp could save us ! :D We are headed for the abyss it seems. There is so much going on or not going on that its impossible to keep up with anymore. :(

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Post by Shazam » 04-06-2011 06:41 AM

My Question is they controlled BOTH houses with a SUPER majority.....they pass a garbage healthcare law but can`t pass a budget......(there only real constitutional job BTW)I just want ONE progressive to admit there party has no LEADERS or LEADERSHIP... At least Paul Ryan has BALLS enough to NOT keep kickin down the can road and makin the HARD choices....

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Post by Kaztronic » 04-06-2011 09:18 AM

I can't post at length due to being offline this next week or so, but wanted to take a moment to reply to shazam via my awesome new Windows phone :)

The super-majority referred to by Shazam I have come to realize was really a myth, now being climbed to by Republicans as some sort of bludgeon with which to beat on Democrats. One needs to look at how that super-majority was built to realize that it could never function as a cohesive body. Charles Schumer (my Senator, who I am overall quite pleased with - Gillibrand, not so much), anyway, Schumer helped build that majority by recruiting pretty conservative candidates to run in general elections as Democrats. These candidates were often pro-life, and opposed to gun control (two issues that Schumer specifically targeted with these candidates from what I recall). These people hardly qualified as Democrats, and helped to constitute a "super-majority") in name only. Thus we found the Democratic party selling out their core principles in order to pass bills like the healthcare legislation deal, which saw the pto-life movement score their biggest victory in ages, and setting back abortion rights by years.

For me this underscores the reality of the Democrats being as feckless as their counterparts in the Republican party. Principle matters little to either group as compared to raw power. The reality of this situation is of course all made possible by the oh so easily manipulated partisan zealots who follow along like good little sheep.

Oh, and by the way, the Paul Ryan budget bill is based upon the same junk math and rosy projections that the White House trots out when lying to the public about the true costs of their budget plans. As the bill includes zero contingencies for not meeting the wildly optimistic revenue projections that constitute the under-pinning of this bill, then it is indeed kicking the can down the road.
Last edited by Kaztronic on 04-06-2011 09:27 AM, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Cherry Kelly » 04-06-2011 12:02 PM

...and Obama said he would stay and work with both sides -- to prevent shutdown - so where is he?? Oh ya off to talk with Al Sharpton...

===
budgets are a mess - even new proposed one...

===
They shut down and only "essential" people will be there - gee does it mean anyone who is not there will be "non-essentials" - if they are non-essentials what were they doing there in the first place???
===

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Post by Linnea » 04-06-2011 12:27 PM

Hiya Kaz! Wow! A post via Windows Phone. It this an expensive way to post? Great post also, btw.

According to this reporter at TPM, what is currently stalling any budget bill has nothing to do with the budget, but with ideology.

The Republicans have loaded up the budget bill with policy riders and insist no budget bill can pass without including these unrelated riders:
At a higher level, Boehner and Reid are still miles apart on the policy riders that Republicans are demanding -- including controversial restrictions on abortion, EPA authority, and implementation of the health care law. Reid and President Obama drew a firm line on these in a White House meeting with Boehner on Tuesday. They're making the case that even if the Speaker manages to secure a small number of them, he'll be as much on the outs with conservatives in his party as he would be if he comes back empty handed.

Boehner spokesman Michael Steel responded to this version of events in an email. "There's no way we can come to agreement on a number without agreement on riders," he said. "There will be no deal on a number until there's agreement on riders."

Obama and Boehner spoke by phone briefly this afternoon.
So that's what's going on, per TPM:

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011 ... ?ref=dcblt

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Post by Kaztronic » 04-06-2011 12:30 PM

CK, he is participating in the process, and has been meeting with both sides. While I expect it to be a top priority, I find it difficult to accept that he should stop all other activities. As long as he is in Washington (or at least close by), available, and has been participating, then I don't think it is reasonable to suggest that he is somehow shirking his responsibilities.

Oh, and I do believe the president has already indicated he would cancel travel this week if necessary to complete a deal.
Last edited by Kaztronic on 04-06-2011 02:37 PM, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Kaztronic » 04-06-2011 02:54 PM

Hiya Linnea, the windows phone is awesome :D

Must have just missed your post.
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Post by Cherry Kelly » 04-06-2011 04:12 PM

Kaz -- all travel should have been postponed until this "emergency keep it open to end of month bit" is taken care of -- remember congress is shut down on 15th - due to DC event. This is also tax season - gov't shuts down = IRS not gonna be operating - not a good thing.

===
and yes blame them both - but I've only seen the emergency one proposed by GOP - is there a DEM one?? (could have missed it)

Matter of fact where was the Dem one for this yr?

just frustrated - pay no attention...

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Post by Kaztronic » 04-06-2011 04:22 PM

CK, its not as if he is going overseas. Philly and New York City are quite nearby to Washington - especially when you factor in the fact that he is traveling via Marine One.
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Post by Linnea » 04-06-2011 05:13 PM

Obama calls high-level meeting as Congress struggles to reach budget deal
By Paul Kane, Perry Bacon Jr. and William Branigin, Wednesday, April 6, 5:55 PM

Amid an intensifying war of words over a budget impasse that threatens to shut down the federal government by this weekend, the White House announced that President Obama and Vice President Biden would meet Wednesday night with Republican House Speaker John A. Boehner and Democratic Senate leader Harry M. Reid.

The announcement of the previously unscheduled meeting came as Obama was making a trip to the Philadelphia area and New York. The White House said Obama and Biden would meet at 8:45 p.m. in the Oval Office with Boehner (R-Ohio) and Reid (D-Nev.) “to discuss ongoing negotiations on a funding bill to bring us through the end of the fiscal year.”

White House press secretary Jay Carney said Obama called the meeting because he “has now decided that not enough progress has been made” to break the impasse. Carney said Obama had offered to host a meeting at the White House Wednesday morning, but was assured by congressional leaders that negotiations were moving toward an agreement.
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