GOvernment kept open until Tuesday

[SirNitram]

Link

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Congress on Friday approved a three-day spending bill that will keep the government running until Tuesday at midnight.

The three-day "continuing resolution" came a little more than 24 hours before the current temporary spending measure was set to expire.

The vote represents the latest turn in what has become a contentious preview of one of the prime fiscal issues in Washington next year: The clash between the parties over spending.

In the short term, it means the House and Senate will have to take up the issue again next week as they try to figure out a solution for the current fiscal year, which ends in September.
The Washington Punch List

The good news, if you can call it that, is that Congress has come down to the wire many times before and has usually managed to pass a funding bill without causing a government shutdown.

A shutdown would throw a real monkey wrench into both public and private operations, as the government shifts to performing only essential operations.

The circuitous process used by lawmakers this year is not how things are supposed to work.

Normally, lawmakers pass 12 appropriation bills for the president's approval. Those bills give federal agencies the legal authority to spend and conduct business.

This year, not one of the 12 has been approved by the Senate.

"In a rational world, we would pass all these things [12 appropriation bills] before the fiscal year begins," said Rudolph Penner, a former Congressional Budget Office director who is now public policy scholar at at the Urban Institute. "I think it's outrageous that we have gotten so used to passing continuing resolutions."

The last time Congress failed to pass funding bills, in 1995 and 1996, both political parties were damaged, with Republicans attracting most of the public's ire.

"They'd be crazy to let this happen again," Penner said.

That's right, no funding bills have been passed. Thank the GOP. I wonder if the Tea Party realizes they lose their social security and free scooters when their loyal dogs prevent the government from running?

[GrandMasterTerwynn]

That's right, no funding bills have been passed. Thank the GOP. I wonder if the Tea Party realizes they lose their social security and free scooters when their loyal dogs prevent the government from running?

Rush "I'm a rock-and-roll clown and I do cocaine Oxycontin" Limbaugh will tell the GOP's mindless minions that a government shutdown is good for America and that it will screw over the liberal welfare queens, food-stamp parasites, Social Security defrauders who are obviously young enough to work but choose not to do so, and evil Godless public education; and prevent evil LIE-berals from getting their GUBBERMINT PORK!!11 The impression that government shutdown is hurting the liberals worse than it's hurting them will be enough for the teabaggers and other mindless minions of the Radical Right to swallow government shutdown hook, line, and sinker.

[The Spartan]

Indeed, they will blame it on the Democrats. "Well if they'd just do the right thing we wouldn't be in this position." For our purposes, "the right thing" is whatever the GOP would do.

[Broomstick]

Rush "I'm a rock-and-roll clown and I do cocaine Oxycontin" Limbaugh will tell the GOP's mindless minions that a government shutdown is good for America and that it will screw over the liberal welfare queens, food-stamp parasites, Social Security defrauders who are obviously young enough to work but choose not to do so, and evil Godless public education; and prevent evil LIE-berals from getting their GUBBERMINT PORK!!11 The impression that government shutdown is hurting the liberals worse than it's hurting them will be enough for the teabaggers and other mindless minions of the Radical Right to swallow government shutdown hook, line, and sinker.

Hmm... hadn't occurred to me that this could affect food stamps....

Good thing I've been stocking up on emergency supplies anyway, and have about $700 left in my EBT account. If I recall the last Federal government shutdown it didn't last that long, I should be fine. Dad's social security check might be delayed (Merry fucking Christman, Happy damn New Year, right?) but he's also got a pension and he's not paying rent since he lives with my sister so HE is OK... My other sister and her kids might be hurting, but I think the family has enough resources to help her out.

So....

FUCK YOU ASSHOLES. We'll see who lasts longer, me or you. At least this "welfare queen" knows how to fucking budget (something Congress hasn't learned in two plus centuries). God, I'm so sick of this partisan shit that finds defeating the other party more important than the overall welfare of the nation and its citizens.

Of course, the fact I'm hunkered down doesn't help the other people on various forms of Federal aid who are even worse off than I am.

[Flagg]

You've hoarded $700 in food stamps? Or is that money assistance too?

[Pelranius]

I thought Boehner didn't want to repeat 1995, especially during a recession? Unless he's banking on Obama and the congressional leadership caving in as usual.

[Bakustra]

That's right, no funding bills have been passed. Thank the GOP. I wonder if the Tea Party realizes they lose their social security and free scooters when their loyal dogs prevent the government from running?

Rush "I'm a rock-and-roll clown and I do cocaine Oxycontin" Limbaugh will tell the GOP's mindless minions that a government shutdown is good for America and that it will screw over the liberal welfare queens, food-stamp parasites, Social Security defrauders who are obviously young enough to work but choose not to do so, and evil Godless public education; and prevent evil LIE-berals from getting their GUBBERMINT PORK!!11 The impression that government shutdown is hurting the liberals worse than it's hurting them will be enough for the teabaggers and other mindless minions of the Radical Right to swallow government shutdown hook, line, and sinker.

Limbaugh was significantly more prominent in 1995 and yet people still kicked the Republicans out over the shutdown. I sincerely doubt that any part of your post has a useful resemblance to reality, beyond Limbaugh's hypocritical attitude to narcotics.

Why exactly is dehumanization becoming such a popular activity for leftists? Is it frustration? Tell me?

[Broomstick]

You've hoarded $700 in food stamps? Or is that money assistance too?

Hoarded my ass - the fucking government took two months to process my application, then I got another month's worth ticked on the account December 3. All the retroactive benefits hit within the same week, nearly $1,000 - we'd been living on chickpeas and rice and garden leftovers for the most part prior to that. That, and what my sister loaded my car up with before I left Buffalo. So the government "hoarded" it for me.

What you don't use one month carries over onto the next, and remains there for I think a year past your last benefit date. So if you're careful and frugal you can actually legitimately accumulate some and use it as an emergency food fund of sorts. Last time I upped my income sufficiently to get off the food stamps I was actually using the leftovers in the fund for about 2 months, mostly on stuff with a long shelf life. Which came in damn handy when Public Aid was dragging its feet this time around. I like to keep 2-4 weeks worth of food on hand for emergencies. It's usually not the most wonderful stuff, but it's edible and reasonably healthy.

[Flagg]

You've hoarded $700 in food stamps? Or is that money assistance too?

Hoarded my ass - the fucking government took two months to process my application, then I got another month's worth ticked on the account December 3. All the retroactive benefits hit within the same week, nearly $1,000 - we'd been living on chickpeas and rice and garden leftovers for the most part prior to that. That, and what my sister loaded my car up with before I left Buffalo. So the government "hoarded" it for me.

What you don't use one month carries over onto the next, and remains there for I think a year past your last benefit date. So if you're careful and frugal you can actually legitimately accumulate some and use it as an emergency food fund of sorts. Last time I upped my income sufficiently to get off the food stamps I was actually using the leftovers in the fund for about 2 months, mostly on stuff with a long shelf life. Which came in damn handy when Public Aid was dragging its feet this time around. I like to keep 2-4 weeks worth of food on hand for emergencies. It's usually not the most wonderful stuff, but it's edible and reasonably healthy.

I'm on foodstamps myself and don't get nearly enough to cover my expenses, so I was just surprised you had that much left to save.

[Carinthium]

From a strategic perspective the Tea Party's actions make sense- to roll over and let the Democrats win would make them look weak. If I was an honest believer in Tea Party ideology, I'd attack them for not going far enough- the idealistic thing for them to do would be to shut down the government, "welfare bums" be damned.

[Broomstick]

I'm on foodstamps myself and don't get nearly enough to cover my expenses, so I was just surprised you had that much left to save.

I'm good with working bureaucracies. I have impeccable documentation of everything I claim. And my spouse is listed as disabled under state rules so even though he doesn't have official Federal disability we do get somewhat more on his behalf because he is disabled.

Also, I'm an avid gardener - this year we were eating last year's garden vegetables through June. This also helps the grocery bill considerably. Now that Boss and I have (we hope, we hope, we hope) finally worked the kinks out of our hydroponic setup we'll be growing stuff year round.

[Bakustra]

From a strategic perspective the Tea Party's actions make sense- to roll over and let the Democrats win would make them look weak. If I was an honest believer in Tea Party ideology, I'd attack them for not going far enough- the idealistic thing for them to do would be to shut down the government, "welfare bums" be damned.

That's not strategic, though. Shutting down the government killed the Republicans in the '96 midterms after they won control in '94. If the Tea Party did so, then they'd be killing the Republican chances in 2012, and so the actual Republican leadership will not allow them to do so.

[Knife]

Yeah, last time the GOP tried this, they made sure the SS checks weren't affected, and still got their asses handed to them for the effort. If they shut it down, people will remember why they need/want the government all over.