text: The US shutdown | TES Community
  Discussion in 'Personal' started by catmother, Jan 12, 2019.
  Not a political thread about the rights or wrong of the current US administration but sheer amazement at the fact that federal employees are currently not receiving any pay because of a political dispute. What a strange system.
  catmother, Jan 12, 2019
  My thoughts exactly, especially as it enables a single person to hold everything to ransom so easily.
  The Americans seem to have an odd relationship with their government though at all levels, some almost despising it for existing.
  Mangleworzle, Jan 12, 2019
  MAGAorMIGA, TCSC47, JohnJCazorla and 2 others like this.
  But let's not forget - it's all about one paranoid idiot wanting to show how macho he is.
  TCSC47 and mothorchid like this.
  There have been shut downs in the past so it's not all about Trump.
  I read earlier that some airports are providing food banks for their security staff who are now working without money. It made me wonder about unionisation and strike action. Surely if you employer isn't paying you there are grounds to withdraw labour?
  koopatroopa, Jan 12, 2019
  This one - is all about Trump
  Sorry - but it is.
  TCSC47, monicabilongame and Laphroig like this.
  The longest government shut down in US history. On Trump's watch.
  A thoughtful analysis, as always.
  artboyusa, Jan 12, 2019
  All Government employees not being paid should not go into work - if that means emptying jails and freeing the prisoners...well, that's on POTUS
  FrankWolley, Jan 12, 2019
  monicabilongame, MAGAorMIGA and Stiltskin like this.
  but it isn't a temper tantrum though, lets be clear about that!
  U.S.—With the government shutdown in effect, life has felt incomplete for many Americans. "Everything is just too easy—it's boring," said restaurant owner Gloria Morgan, "and I realized it's because we're missing an essential challenge in life: soulless bureaucrats imposing arbitrary rules on us."
  https://babylonbee.com/news/with-go...tizens-forced-to-interfere-in-their-own-lives
  It's so terrible. I know someone who was forced to fine himself for a data protection violation when he walked away from his desk to make a coffee and left his computer unlocked. And he was home at the time.
  Of course the Democrats could just give Trump the $5.6 billion (just so you know what chump change that is, know that the US government spends over $10 billion every day) he wants for the wall but the chance to harm him and hurt America at the same is just to good to resist.
  Food banks? They get paid every two weeks (which is nice). No one's even missed a pay cheque yet. Last pay date was 28 December. Next one is 15 January.
  https://www.gsa.gov/buying-selling/...ces/payroll-shared-services/payroll-calendars
  What an odd way to run a country.
  vinnie24 and magic surf bus like this.
  There are reasons. The US constitution defines the authority of each of the 3 branches of government. The goal is to limit the power of each branch, so none can claim greater authority over the others, a balanced system intended as a bar to tyranny.
  The Constitution gives sole control over the federal budget to the Legislative branch, which writes the federal budget.
  The Executive branch has no funds of its own, which is why the president can't just order stuff to happen or things to be built - he can't pay for them. He can, however, refuse to sign the budget Congress presents to him if he is unhappy with any of its contents.
  Occasionally, you get these budget impasses. They eventually get resolved and the furloughed federal employees get all their back pay.
  As long as the FBI keep plugging away at shutting down Trump, that's the main thing.
  Exactly. As much as we could all discuss the current POTUS all day long,I started the thread about the weird US system where government employees (the type of jobs we see as secure in the UK) can just stop being paid because of a political dispute.
  The US workforce are a bunch of pawn sacrifices in his Ego Chess Game, which is a daft metaphor because I'm sure his stock response to losing (if he even knows the rules - oh rules! Tshah!) would be knock the chessboard flying.
  He knows his rep depends on The Wall, which is beginning to make the Berlin one sound like a garden fence, and is entirely delighted to let hundreds of thousands of citizens suffer to blackmail the money out of the govt.
  I hate him. I really hope* he dies of something soon.
  *hopes don't legally exist.
  What an odd way to run a country
  I'm not convinced... it's just the system of checks and balances at play. So spending by the Federal government is kept in check by the legislature... sounds fine to me. Sure, it can result in these sorts of deadlocks ... that isn't so good.
  And of course the legislature doesn't kick up a fuss about massive defence spending [that is in a separate budget and unaffected by this shutdown] or the ongoing ratcheting up of the national debt... so clearly the system is flawed.
  I'm not even sure our Parliament has much real control over government spending ... trying to think when a Budget last failed to pass through the Commons.
  I knew they's always regret getting rid of the Royal family. You wouldn't see the Queen behaving like that.
  Stiltskin and Aquamarina1234 like this.
  I was in US a few years ago and there was a shutdown, All the national parks were closed. Fortunately it didn't last long and they opened whilst we were there. It is a weird way of going on and not very secure for employees who have bills to pay.
  Bedlam3, Jan 12, 2019
  I'm not convinced... it's just the system of checks and balances at play
  So you work in a National Park cleaning the toilets and a big baby president decides you won't be paid until he says so and it's "checks and balances"?
  It is an appalling abuse by an employer of the workforce.
  Pity they can't just flip the fuse board at the Whitehouse, lock the doors, ground the helicopters, garage the cars and give him a bus timetable until it's over.