Federal Government Shutdown Impacts

 

The combination of a radical right-wing Republican House caucus and spineless and powerless "leadership" to change course will almost certainly mean a shutdown of the Federal Government at midnight on Saturday. For those who wonder what the impacts would be not only on the civilian and military employees of the Government, but perhaps on their lives, the Associated Press has a primer:

Millions of federal workers face delayed paychecks when the government shuts down, including many of the roughly 2 million military personnel and more than 2 million civilian workers across the nation.

Nearly 60% of federal workers are stationed in the Department of Defense, Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security.

While all of the military’s active-duty troops and reservists would continue to work, more than half of the Department of Defense’s civilian workforce, which is roughly 440,000 people, would be furloughed.

Across federal agencies, workers are stationed in all 50 states and have direct interaction with taxpayers — from Transportation Security Administration agents who operate security at airports to Postal Service workers who deliver mail. [snip]

Beyond federal workers, a shutdown could have far-reaching effects on government services. People applying for government services like clinical trials, firearm permits and passports could see delays.

Some federal offices will also have to close or face shortened hours during a shutdown.

Businesses closely connected to the federal government, such as federal contractors or tourist services around national parks, could see disruptions and downturns. The travel sector could lose $140 million daily in a shutdown, according to the U.S. Travel Industry Association.

Lawmakers also warn that a shutdown could rattle financial markets. Goldman Sachs has estimated that a shutdown would reduce economic growth by 0.2% every week it lasted, but growth would then bounce back after the government reopens.

Others say the disruption in government services has far-reaching impacts because it shakes confidence in the government to fulfill its basic duties. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce warned, 'A well-functioning economy requires a functioning government.'”

Our broken media will usually balk at specifically identifying the persons and party responsible, laying the blame on "Congress" not getting its act together. The first thing would be to select a more honest news source. The second would be to understand that this latest hostage taking by the Republican/Forced Birth/Shooters party won't be their last. Every year they've got majority power particularly in the House, expect the debt ceiling, the Federal budget and more to be held ransom to their outrageous demands, which the general public rejects by a significant majority.

 

It's The Media's Default

 

Well, once again, when a Democrat is in the White House, Republicans act like they always do, and the media is happy to enable them.

The issue today, as Press Watch's Dan Froomkin writes, is Republican stonewalling on increasing the debt limit and the media both- siding the crisis:

Republican congressional leaders are flagrantly ginning up a major political and financial crisis — safe in the knowledge that the Washington press corps will blame both sides.

At issue is a formality: raising the debt ceiling so that the U.S. government can continue paying the bills as previously appropriated by Congress.

But Republicans are refusing to go along, threatening a catastrophic government default and shutdown that could send the U.S. economy into an immediate recession and destabilize global markets.

They’re saying that keeping the government solvent is a Democratic problem now.

It’s an abandonment of the responsibility of governing. It is aberrational behavior by a political party that is willing to take extreme and potentially damaging action to score political points. It’s a hostage crisis.

And by not calling it out for what it is, the political press is enabling it.

Froomkin goes on to name names and provide examples of the media's lazy enabling of Republican maliciousness. But, of course, this is a continuing practice for the media, so much so that you could say it's their default position:

In 2013, when Senator Ted Cruz and his fellow Republicans shut down the government for 16 days in an attempt to defund Obamacare, the Washington Post blamed it on a “bitterly divided” Congress that “failed to reach agreement,” while the New York Times called it “a bitter budget standoff” left unresolved by “rapid-fire back and forth legislative maneuvers.”

As I wrote at the time, how can democracy self-correct if the public does not understand where the problem lies? And where will the pressure for change come from if journalists do not hold the responsible parties accountable?

It's easy to say we get the media we deserve, but after the last 4 years in particular, why are so many of them still so eager to enable the party that's out to destroy our democracy?  Why is there no reporting on the nihilism and hypocrisy that's in plain view that's killing us, slowly but surely.  If these ugly times don't call for accountability and the plain truth, when will they?  "Democracy dies in darkness," my ass.