Does not seem important that USA government is shutting down..

Could ATS members please enlighten myself and other non-Americans why there seems to be very little interest in the fact that the USA government, one of the leading players in world affairs, may shut down? In most countries the idea of civil servants not going to work is a little scary, to say the least. All I can find is some idle chit chat about the army not getting paid on time, which is quickly refuted with information that the government is not responsible for that.

If the USA is going isolationist (again) surely they would let us other earthlings know a few days beforehand. I was planning to visit America this summer and visit NYC by taxi, but if there are going to be no traffic wardens around I will hire a car and use the driving skills I learnt in Egypt to deal with malfunctioning traffic lights, etc etc.

Maybe the words 'shut down' are too clear and simple as it may be difficult to decipher a conspiracy in the making! Or maybe it just means government employees are taking a few days off until someone decides who is going to pay them. I'm just curious here and would welcome enlightenment..

i wondered this too. i think msot americans are so unhappy with the president now, the governemnt, and federal reserve..they dont care now. they cuold care less if the governemnt blow away like a fart in the wind, let alone repair itself.

Yeah I think the whole thing is a bit casual, I remember the last time this happened and it was blah blah blah the US government is shutting down unless..........
We can print more money to fight more terrorists.......never mind the poor or the homeless or just maybe patching a few pot holes in the street.
Regards, Iwinder

reply to post by WhiteAlaska


Well If the government shuts down then America doesn't exist anymore and because America has such a great debt when it shuts down America doesn't owe anything because it doesn't exist. So we come out clean on the other side right? What is our new country name going to be?

from what I can understand--the dems and the repubs can't come to an agreement on the budget. True the military may not get paid if this isn't resolved soon but the politicians will continue to get paid in
the mean time. Public Parks and museums will be closed. Income tax returns, fha loans, passports will be gathering in a pile on some desks until this matter is resolved. It seems all unneccessary personel will have some time off.

Originally posted by mrjones7885
reply to post by WhiteAlaska

 

Well If the government shuts down then America doesn't exist anymore and because America has such a great debt when it shuts down America doesn't owe anything because it doesn't exist. So we come out clean on the other side right? What is our new country name going to be?

I guess we get reported to the Grandaddy of all Credit Bureaus?

they dont care now. they cuold care less if the governemnt blow away like a fart in the wind, let alone repair itself.

its all those crazy end timers....they scared the sh#t outta most americans...they think the world about to end any day now...

Originally posted by mrjones7885
reply to post by WhiteAlaska

 

Well If the government shuts down then America doesn't exist anymore and because America has such a great debt when it shuts down America doesn't owe anything because it doesn't exist. So we come out clean on the other side right? What is our new country name going to be?

Yankoslavia or Chinerica just kiddn.

I know it's not the first time so... You can google it.
And as long as you do not quit your job the world will not stop.
It's not like they really work or something, if they take time off it's maybe because
the budget will hit 4 billion + and that is the sum of all the credit the us can have...
the delay the collapse of the $. just a thought.

reply to post by WhiteAlaska


We've had shutdowns before. There was one during Clinton's administration. I don't really recall it affecting me personally at the time. I don't think anyone knows for sure what impact this current one might have. With all the hype and conflicting information I suspect most ordinary folks are just taking a wait-and-see approach.
Not everything shuts down. The mail will still run, air traffic controllers and the TSA will still be on the job so folks can still travel. FEMA will continue to do their thing (whatever that may be). The National Weather Service stays open.

Here's a cnn.com rundown of what would be open/closed (plus unknowns)...

Government Shutdown: What's Closed, What's Open

ETA: here's one way of looking at the last shutdown:

...the year that brought you the last government shutdown also brought you virtual pets, Pinky and the Brain, and Cal Ripken’s record-breaking 2,131th consecutive game.

firstread.msnbc.msn.com...

I would not mind one bit if the military shut down because of this.......just thinking of lives not taken seems to make it worth while.
Regards, Iwinder

It is true we dont care no govnerment at all is better than this crap we have now, seriously Obama needs go away. Is this guy Bush's black brother or something?

however..when you thik about it..they know now we dont care. we havnt said anyting doen anyting too ya know? nows a good time to strike back at em! huge massive protest, hundreds of thousands of us americans going to whtie house, congress... dont opent he doors again till change has finaly come* or something sitting back and not caring isnt the solution either.

reply to post by WhiteAlaska


Ok, I'll shed a little light for non-Americans why it's not that big a deal to most of us right now. It's happened before. It even happened one time while I was in the Army back in the mid nineties. Our politicians play this little game every decade or so when they want a spectacle to distract from the real issues or war, corruption, economy, jobs etc.. It's a big spectacle with both parties hoping they'll be able to blame the other for whatever bad happens out of it. I could probably name ten reasons why this time could be worse than past instances, but this is by no means unprecedented. Neither party has the testicular fortitude to enact the mix of cuts and revenue increases that would be necessary to get our debt under control, so my guess is some type of compromise that allows both parties to claim they won on something and we continue living in the denial we've been in about our fiscal health for the last half century.....Until we can't.

You won't have to break out those Egyptian driving skills either (I know exactly what you're talking about, those guys will cross a divided highway and drive against the flow of traffic if they think it'll get them there quicker). Most traffic laws here as well as general law and order maintenance are handled by individual cities, counties/parish, and state governments. You'll probably barely notice any shutdown unless it goes on for weeks. I will add one caution, if it seems like transfer payments (social security, welfare, unemployment, and some other programs) any longer than 2 payments (~31 days) you probably don't want to be here, I don't and I feel I may be optimistic about how long civil order will last when the teat is dried up.

Originally posted by jefwane
reply to post by WhiteAlaska

 

Ok, I'll shed a little light for non-Americans why it's not that big a deal to most of us right now. It's happened before. It even happened one time while I was in the Army back in the mid nineties. Our politicians play this little game every decade or so when they want a spectacle to distract from the real issues or war, corruption, economy, jobs etc.. It's a big spectacle with both parties hoping they'll be able to blame the other for whatever bad happens out of it. I could probably name ten reasons why this time could be worse than past instances, but this is by no means unprecedented. Neither party has the testicular fortitude to enact the mix of cuts and revenue increases that would be necessary to get our debt under control, so my guess is some type of compromise that allows both parties to claim they won on something and we continue living in the denial we've been in about our fiscal health for the last half century.....Until we can't.

You won't have to break out those Egyptian driving skills either (I know exactly what you're talking about, those guys will cross a divided highway and drive against the flow of traffic if they think it'll get them there quicker). Most traffic laws here as well as general law and order maintenance are handled by individual cities, counties/parish, and state governments. You'll probably barely notice any shutdown unless it goes on for weeks. I will add one caution, if it seems like transfer payments (social security, welfare, unemployment, and some other programs) any longer than 2 payments (~31 days) you probably don't want to be here, I don't and I feel I may be optimistic about how long civil order will last when the teat is dried up.

Awesome post there, thanks for putting it into English for us non-Americans........
Just have to wait and see I guess then.
Star for you sir/maam
Regards, Iwinder

Originally posted by ziggy1706
however..when you thik about it..they know now we dont care. we havnt said anyting doen anyting too ya know? nows a good time to strike back at em! huge massive protest, hundreds of thousands of us americans going to whtie house, congress... dont opent he doors again till change has finaly come* or something sitting back and not caring isnt the solution either.

You americans should squat, as soon as they leave you go in and change the locks on every door...
you know posession is 90% of the law.

reply to post by AhsoVaniva


You say FEMA will still run.......some of you know that I am dating a FEMA employee. He says that he will not be working if they do shut down. And that his pay will come in the form of arreres when they do go back to work. So I am hoping there are no major disasters during this shut down, because believe it or not (all you FEMA haters), we really do need them. Love and light to you all

This has happened before; it will more then likely happen again. Paychecks/payments will be delayed and the only people getting hurt will be the retirees, military and government employees; you can bet the politicians won't be. They do this about every 10 years or so, it doesn't hurt them so why should they care? It's past time we started electing people who can actually make a decision and work together; this unending bickering between two political parties needs to end.

It is filtering in to my little brain....the Bush people hold the purse strings and the Obama people don't have any money left. So the Bush people say they can't pay and the Obama people say they won't pay. Or is it the other way round? Obama will have to pay the civil servants with re-election money he was hoping to put to one side, whilst the Bush people say 'exactly, my friend'..

Its a bit of a shame that a leading democratic country elects its leaders based on their own capital finance. Take it easy America, maybe Venezuela and Cuba will lend a few trillion to that ghastly erm..erm..'person', up in Alaska to run a presidential campaign, the likes of which the world has never seen (Cola tins with a (pale) face on them; cigars that sing "North to Alaska")... Sorry I forgot China gives the US 6 trillion a year in food aid...

Talking of aid...anyone got some flea powder they don't want? I have seven cats and three kittens, all rescued from the streets of Liverpool, and my job seekers allowance has been cut by 40%, and the fleas are bounding around...You can read any political insinuations into that as you please...WhiteHall London are on holiday...