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Seven stupid things the gov’t spent money on during the shutdown

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waggy said:
to a point it was. the vets were going anyway teh GOP just talked them into storming it instead of just leaving.

but you don't think that closing down places that were NOT MANNED and barricading them is not a publicity stunt either?

both sides are guilty of it.

They are closing down parks (well trying lol) where they don't have any manned people. bike paths etc.

that's idiotic.
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Agreed. Anything that costs zero money to keep open it would be retarded to close down and anyone who defends this practice is a partisan hack.

I think Republicans by and large are responsible for this mess however the closing down of things that cost more money to close than just keep open is very petty and childish on the side of the Obama administration.
 
Army Corp of Engineers actually spent a crapload of money this week erecting barricades, fences/gates with chains, and signage all around Saylorville Lake. They've closed off parking lots and roads that costs nothing to remain open. Nothing like going out of their way to spend money.

I could understand the campgrounds being closed as it actually takes personnel to man them but a fucking parking lot? Unreal how some of this is just going out of the way to get noticed. What a clown show.
 
I don't care what party you belong to, this has to be a wake up call. The system is broken. The politicians need to start representing us and stop representing interests.
 
IronWing said:
The veterans storming of the WWII memorial was a Republican propaganda event. Try to apply even a bit of critical thinking to what you see and read.
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I highly doubt that to be the case. There has been an ongoing effort by private organizations to have all the remaining vets of WW2 see the memorial for some time now as they are dying off in droves. I think it's more likely the vets could give two shits about the politics and just want to visit an open air memorial, honor their comrades and pushed the barricades aside.
 
Angry Irishman said:
I highly doubt that to be the case. There has been an ongoing effort by private organizations to have all the remaining vets of WW2 see the memorial for some time now as they are dying off in droves. I think it's more likely the vets could give two shits about the politics and just want to visit an open air memorial, honor their comrades and pushed the barricades aside.
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It was Republican Congressmen who just happened to be there with camera crews that pushed the barricades aside.
 
If folks don't like federal sites being shut down they need to stop voting for clowns who shutdown the government. What we are seeing is only a minor taste of the Republican base getting the government they demanded and deserve.
 
1. Federal agencies created new websites to tell visitors that they don’t have enough funding to run their old websites.
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Stopped reading after that. 1) It doesn't cost that much to say "Our website isn't available" compared to maintaining access to all of the government's various databases and 2) OMB has already acknowledged that much of their planning for this shutdown is just a rehash of work that was already done all the way back in 2011 when a shutdown first looked like a real possibility.

Our federal agencies have been in 'get ready to switch off, switch on' mode for the last 2.5 years because of constant shutdown and debt default threats. Is that inefficient? Of course it is. But blame your political 'leaders', not the government agencies that are being subjected to their whims and uselessness. Agencies are obligated to plan for the worst at every turn because there is no consistency from Washington.
 
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rudeguy said:
I don't care what party you belong to, this has to be a wake up call. The system is broken. The politicians need to start representing us and stop representing interests.
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Those elected that pledged support to the ideals of the tea party are the only group attempting to abide by the interests of the people. If change is what you want, you must support them. Old school Republicans and Democrats wish to maintain the status quo. They want to stay in the comfort zone they've created around themselves. Don't let the media do your thinking for you, think for yourself and you'll see this to be the truth.

If the movement is successful, this time in history will be looked upon not as one of revolution, but one of restoration. If it is not successful, it will be seen as the time when what was once widely accepted to be the greatest nation on earth abandoned the principles it was founded on and become fundamentally transformed not into something new, but into an old failed model that too many have been taught is the path to fairness and equality.

If we're fortunate, this will be a battle of words and ideals. Many days I don't think we're going to be that fortunate. For 100 years, a faction within our nation has sought to transform it. They have done a very good job. Our political system is totally and wholly corrupt. We're borrowing and spending far beyond our means. Our people have cast off the values that bound us as a society. The family unit has become passé. Our children have been brainwashed on a wholesale level and our level of education has plummeted. We've been taught that ambition, hard work and a moral compass are old values that are no longer needed because there is a "new" way, a way in which government will take care of our needs. Greed, envy, jealousy and contempt are now the bastions of our society and we have generations that know of nothing else.

You can choose to transform or you can choose to restore. Choose carefully but know there are no guarantees. On one side of the chasm is certain failure on the other only hope. Many millions are too brainwashed to understand and many millions are too entrenched in the new America to care. If you truly want a better future, make the leap.
 
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Does this qualify:

The prison guards at federal prisons are working but not getting paid...however, the prisoners are still getting paid. I know it's very little but talk about a WTF moment? This was on NBC news yesterday morning.
 
boomerang said:
Those elected that pledged support to the ideals of the tea party are the only group attempting to abide by the interests of the people. If change is what you want, you must support them. Old school Republicans and Democrats wish to maintain the status quo. They want to stay in the comfort zone they've created around themselves. Don't let the media do your thinking for you, think for yourself and you'll see this to be the truth.

If the movement is successful, this time in history will be looked upon not as one of revolution, but one of restoration. If it is not successful, it will be seen as the time when what was once widely accepted to be the greatest nation on earth abandoned the principles it was founded on and become fundamentally transformed not into something new, but into an old failed model that too many have been taught is the path to fairness and equality.

If we're fortunate, this will be a battle of words and ideals. Many days I don't think we're going to be that fortunate. For 100 years, a faction within our nation has sought to transform it. They have done a very good job. Our political system is totally and wholly corrupt. We're borrowing and spending far beyond our means. Our people have cast off the values that bound us a society. The family unit has become passé. Our children have been brainwashed on a wholesale level and our level of education has plummeted. We've been taught that ambition, hard work and a moral compass are old values that are no longer needed because their is a "new" way, a way in which government will take care of our needs. Greed, envy, jealousy and contempt are now the bastions of our society and we have generations that know of nothing else.

You can choose to transform or you can choose to restore. Choose carefully but know there are no guarantees. On one side of the chasm is certain failure on the other only hope. Many millions are too brainwashed to understand and many millions are too entrenched in the new America to care. If you truly want a better future, make the leap.
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The "tea party" can not transform the Republican Party,; it is the Republican Party. To say otherwise is like saying a Mercury is not a Ford or a Chevy is not a GM. The tea party is simply a brand name. Furthermore, the actions of the Republican Party, taken under the tea party brand in no way constitute a movement. They are simply tantrums and unsavory political stunts for which the Republican Party leadership does not wish to accept responsibility.
 
thraashman said:
Exactly. If we think things like budgetary fights and government shutdowns are bad now, imagine if the minority party could completely fuck over the majority just be being obstructionist (I mean more than the GOP minority is now, which I'm not sure is even possible, but if it is those asswipes will find a way). Congress is already acting like school children, I'd hate to see what happens if they were given the ability to be even more so.
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In NY the state government run by the majority party is using the Federal problem as an excuse to screw over us here so politics has a long arm. My wife is setting up a program with another teaching institution which needs state approval from state agencies funded by state taxes.

The offices are not even answering their phones because of the federal crisis.

I agree that the whole thing is ridiculous, but if it suits whatever agenda then what is in the best interest will become secondary to partisan concerns.
 
IronWing said:
The "tea party" can not transform the Republican Party,; it is the Republican Party. To say otherwise is like saying a Mercury is not a Ford or a Chevy is not a GM. The tea party is simply a brand name. Furthermore, the actions of the Republican Party, taken under the tea party brand in no way constitute a movement. They are simply tantrums and unsavory political stunts for which the Republican Party leadership does not wish to accept responsibility.
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Change is scary, huh?
 
boomerang said:
The house just passed a bill to give those workers retroactive pay. So they're getting a paid vacation.
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Frankly, I'm amazed at how overwhelmingly that passed (407 - 0), considering how much time Congress spends shitting on federal employees these days.

I guess they didn't want the states stuck with the tab for unemployment benefits.
 
Balt said:
Stopped reading after that. 1) It doesn't cost that much to say "Our website isn't available" compared to maintaining access to all of the government's various databases
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It still costs more than just letting a server run unattended.
 
boomerang said:
The cynic in me believes that they were just looking out for "their own".
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I would expect looking out for "their own" from Democrats, who have most of the support from the federal labor unions. "Their own" for Republicans would mostly be private contractors, who they want to use in place of lot of federal employees. That's why I'm surprised that both sides appear to be onboard with the backpay. As far as I can tell, Republicans don't have much love for federal employees (despite the fact that many of them are military veterans).
 
Interesting conversation that Rand Paul had with Mitch McConnel on a hot mic...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gXIgAAN3o4

just goes to show that there are people on both sides that are really out of touch with regular citizens.



Speaker Boehner was rather upset over a report about an unnamed White House Administration offical saying "We're winning" then the above video comes out.... It be (kind of) funny if Representative Boehner went all Al Capone from the untouchables on that.


========
 
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Ya'll having a hard time with the term shutdown. The Republicans gleefully shutdown the government. Their action has consequences. Quit whining.

The common theme running through these NPS examples is very simple. Under a shutdown, the NPS is authorized to spend funds to protect life and public property. They are not authorized to spend funds to provide customer services. If people want their parks back they need to tell the Republicans to grow up and pass the appropriation bills.
 
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IronWing said:
Ya'll having a hard time with the term shutdown. The Republicans gleefully shutdown the government. Their action has consequences. Quit whining.
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pfft.

Point is THe govenment is going out of its way in making this "hurt". how much did it cost to pull the docks out of the water and forcibly remove people? who had paid to live there.

How much does it cost to put up baracades around OPEN air monuments? to have a armed guard standing there 24/7 to make sure a WWII vet does not go give his perhaps last goodbye?

the GOP is idiotic for forcing the shutdown. The govenment/OBAMA is looking like a whiny baby doing shit like this.

Obama would have looked better if he had done little to piss people off. keep the monuments open, not fuck around. It shows the GOP has no clue what tactics to use or how to do it.

he fucked up and is making it worse.

neither side is going to come out of this well. Sadly though Far to many are so far into the party they don't give a shit what they do. they will continue to back the DNC/GOP . they all need to be thrown out. to much "what can i do for me' and not "what's best for the people"
 
waggy said:
pfft.

Point is THe govenment is going out of its way in making this "hurt". how much did it cost to pull the docks out of the water and forcibly remove people? who had paid to live there.

How much does it cost to put up baracades around OPEN air monuments? to have a armed guard standing there 24/7 to make sure a WWII vet does not go give his perhaps last goodbye?

the GOP is idiotic for forcing the shutdown. The govenment/OBAMA is looking like a whiny baby doing shit like this.

Obama would have looked better if he had done little to piss people off. keep the monuments open, not fuck around. It shows the GOP has no clue what tactics to use or how to do it.

he fucked up and is making it worse.

neither side is going to come out of this well. Sadly though Far to many are so far into the party they don't give a shit what they do. they will continue to back the DNC/GOP . they all need to be thrown out. to much "what can i do for me' and not "what's best for the people"
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See my edit above. The NPS is spending money in accordance with the law. The parks are closed and the NPS is doing its job under the law. The solution is simple; Congress needs to do its job.
 
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