US "Government Shutdown" (1 Viewer)

ColinEssex

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I'm (as usual) a bit confused.

We see snippets of news that some US government workers are on strike and have been for a few weeks This has caused a major problem in the US as some museums have been closed. (Yawn) big deal. Obviously this causes major disruption in the USA!

Then we see that those same people are getting free food handouts as presumably they're not getting paid.

What are they hoping to achieve by this action? I'm guessing that most Americans haven't noticed any difference.

From what I see on the telly, they are shooting themselves in the foot as the only people to suffer are themselves.

Col
 

June7

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Government workers on strike? What news have you been watching? Government workers are on forced furlough because of shutdown by President Trump. Some workers are required to work without pay because they are considered 'essential'. Of course they have thoughts of striking. How long would you work without pay?

Maybe what you read about is the concern that hackers will strike (i.e. attack) because government cyber security is being neglected due to the shutdown.
 
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NauticalGent

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I was wondering why CE had not posted on this sooner. Getting slow in your advanced age Col?
 

NauticalGent

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And, just to add more confusion, not all gov workers have been furloughed. Those that are funded by the Department of Defense (Offence?), for example are still being paid due to some creative accounting. Other groups, such as the Coast Guard (not part of the DoD) are not. Does this mean their ships are welded to the pier and our coasts are not "safe"? I do not know that answer.

Not sure how the TSA was affected either. Living abroad shelters me from the US "News" and I only know what I seek out - which isn't much.
 

Gasman

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A friend of mine was going on holiday and said the TSA was working as normal.

So all these workers, working for nothing, will they get paid retrospectively when the situation is rectified.?
 

NauticalGent

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So all these workers, working for nothing, will they get paid retrospectively when the situation is rectified.?

Historically, that has been the case. All a real big political stunt, nothing more, nothing less.
 

June7

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"Retroactively". I worked for US Gov 20+ years and experienced a couple of shutdowns but nothing this protracted. I was not 'essential' so I basically had to use vacation time or not get paid.
 

AccessBlaster

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"Retroactively". I worked for US Gov 20+ years and experienced a couple of shutdowns but nothing this protracted. I was not 'essential' so I basically had to use vacation time or not get paid.

Many government workers at 20 years of service will receive 1/2 of their yearly salary in retirement. So if you make $80.000 a year you would receive $40.000 after 55 years of age correct?

Maybe a few other benefits the private sector doesn't get?
 

ColinEssex

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I was wondering why CE had not posted on this sooner. Getting slow in your advanced age Col?

Yes, I reckon so. Plus it doesn't get much airtime on the BBC news so I just guessed it was a strike and they (the BBC news) only mention a couple of museums in Washington that are closed. So it made me wonder why bother? Is it to do with the workers wanting more money and multi-billionaire Mr Trump has denied them?
So from your posts, I gather it, the strike or whatever it is, is more widespread than museums in Washington?

Col
 

NauticalGent

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So from your posts, I gather it, the strike or whatever it is, is more widespread than museums in Washington?
Col

Much more. According to a few sources, about 800,000 workers suckling from the teat of Big Brother are going without pay. Now, while I am of the suckling variety, I am still getting paid because the DoD has been funded. As I said before, when it comes to numbers and accounting, the numbers do not lie, but liars figure...

June7 has a lot more years and experience in this matter his/her remarks are more detailed...
 

ColinEssex

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800,000 people? That's quite a lot of museums.

Ok, so what is the dispute about? Obviously The Docs hero Mr Trump is involved somehow so what prompted him to be so nasty?

Col
 

NauticalGent

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There is no way you are that uninformed, but becuase I have nothing better to do, it is the Great Wall. He wants to put one up along the Mexican border. He refuses to sign the budget ( now THERE’S a real joke) unless funding for the wall is included,

I am really shocked the WC did not have something about it. I came back from my trip totally expecting a thread started by Nyla with a lot of fur-flying involving Doc and Frothy...but nothing.
 

June7

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Many government workers at 20 years of service will receive 1/2 of their yearly salary in retirement. So if you make $80.000 a year you would receive $40.000 after 55 years of age correct?

Maybe a few other benefits the private sector doesn't get?

What does federal retirement plan have to do with government shutdown? The federal retirement plan is in line with what private sector does.
 

Steve R.

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I am really shocked the WC did not have something about it. I came back from my trip totally expecting a thread started by Nyla with a lot of fur-flying involving Doc and Frothy...but nothing.
Maybe the posters are a bit gun-shy. Now for my take.

The wall is merely a convenient prop for what is actually happening. This is a power play by Pelosi to "break" Trump and neuter the Republican party. Pelosi wants to elevate herself to be the Nation's power-broker (dictator).
 

ColinEssex

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There is no way you are that uninformed, but becuase I have nothing better to do, it is the Great Wall. He wants to put one up along the Mexican border. He refuses to sign the budget ( now THERE’S a real joke) unless funding for the wall is included,

I am really shocked the WC did not have something about it. I came back from my trip totally expecting a thread started by Nyla with a lot of fur-flying involving Doc and Frothy...but nothing.

Yes, I've heard of this proposed wall, Mr Trump referred to it in his election manifesto. This is to keep what Americans call "Spicks" out. (I heard Clint Eastwood refer to Spicks in a film I saw the other day)
Anyway, what is the problem with them? Surely if they have the correct documentation, then they can come and go at leisure.

So to sum up, Docs hero Mr Trump can't (for some reason) get his own way so he's having a tantrum and the 800,000 people and two museums are collateral damage.

The BBC may well have explained things but I tend not to have much interest in TV news here in the UK because it's all about Brexit and little else of interest.

Col
 

June7

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That's the point. Trump says we are being overrun by illegal aliens from Mexico. And that this is a point of egress for terrorists.

And that racial epitaph would not be used by any respectful American.

There's more collateral damage than impact to government employees and museums. The entire economy will begin to suffer. From the smallest business on up. For an example, micro-breweries can't get permits for facilities and new labels from BATFE. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-new...g-trouble-america-s-craft-beer-makers-n957751

Is it really worth $25 Billion to maybe stop a few illegals? Couldn't this money be better directed toward aging infrastructure improvements or health care?
 
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ColinEssex

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That's the point. Trump says we are being overrun by illegal aliens from Mexico. And that this is a point of egress for terrorists.

And that racial epitaph would not be used by any respectful American.

Except Hollywood, Clint Eastwood et al.
So it's ok to call them "aliens" as if they were a lesser life form? Or are they lesser life forms.

Col
 

Steve R.

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Your racial reference is inappropriate and displays ignorance of the fact that many US citizens in the Southwest are of Hispanic descent.

So to sum up, Docs hero Mr Trump can't (for some reason) get his own way so he's having a tantrum and the 800,000 people and two museums are collateral damage.
This is not a case of Trump having at temper tantrum, he has displayed unusual self-restraint. Pelosi is the one who is refusing to make counter offers or to compromise. Furthermore, if she really cared about those furloughed workers she would try to compromise with Trump. Instead she refuses.

Instead of attempting to show good-faith negotiation, Pelosi has left Washington DC on numerous junkets. Furthermore, she has already said that she will not compromise concerning the wall. She has made her uncompromising temper tantrum line in the sand. She is the one who should receive your rath, not Trump.


So it's ok to call them "aliens" as if they were a lesser life form? Or are they lesser life forms.
Playing childish word games.
 
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ColinEssex

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Who is this Pelosi? This is the first time I've heard of them.

I have to say American politics is weird. The one who polls the lowest votes of the populace wins, and becomes president, now people with strange names enter the field from nowhere and seem to have equal power as the president.

Is Pelosi American? Sounds alien to me.

Col
 

ColinEssex

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You see, the problem with our TV news is that we are missing out on the normal things. One of our hobbies on TV is laughing at the USA and its joke of a president.
Sadly with Brexit, there is no time for all that now, so what is well known to you, is totally unknown to us over here. You could say it's alien to us. So all this business about aliens from Mexico is alien.

But with this wall, I'm guessing it'll take a while to build so won't Mr Trump be superceded by whichever party who's turn it is next and cancel the order? I think (I may be wrong) Mr Trump is republican so it's democrats turn next.
Actually, it took about two weeks for a firm to rebuild our front garden wall after a car hit it, so to get a firm to build a wall 2000 odd miles long may take a while.

Col
 

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