Author of Be Ready for Anything and Bloom Where You’re Planted online course
In general, when the government shuts down, I post a few funny memes about how it’s the most boring apocalypse ever and my life goes on exactly as it has before. I’m not personally very affected by it and I think the government is far too large anyway. But, with the MSM literally proclaiming it doomsday, the emails I’ve received have shown that for a lot of people, a government shutdown is a cause for concern.
The longest our government has ever been shut down was 21 days, and that was under President Clinton in 1996. Today, the current shutdown has matched that one and if it continues, will be the longest in history.
A few words about government shutdown theater.
The government deliberate makes a shutdown as painful as possible for us, the little guys. They have to do that, to prove to us that they’re “essential” to our existence. Otherwise, why would we continue paying the taxes that fund their salaries and cushy lifestyles?
You’ll see a lot of heartwrenching stories about children showing up to the Smithsonian only to find it closed and about trash piled up in our national parks. You’ll hear about government employees who cannot pay their bills and who are having to visit food banks to feed their families.
What you won’t hear about are tearful Senators and members of Congress who are being evicted because they cannot pay their mortgages. You won’t see those folks lined up at the food banks because – they still get paid. (Aside from a handful of Congress members who have eschewed a paycheck during the shutdown, anyway – that number has grown to more than 70, but remember that there are 535, so most of them are still taking their fat salaries..)
The choices about what is essential are not made to make our lives any easier. Any hardships we may face are simply collateral damage that one political party will blame on the other political party.
So keep this in mind whenever you see the sad tales of government shutdown woe. Someone, somewhere, made the decision that this person’s hardship doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of them getting their own way.
The “doomsday” stuff the media is talking about
According to an article on NBC, we’re facing a doomsday scenario if the shutdown persists. You’d think, from the language, that NBC had suddenly become a prepping site, with phrases like “economic hellscape” and “devastating impact.”
Here are the issues that Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytic, and other experts interviewed by NBC have predicted, should the standoff continue for much longer:
If the worst were to happen, experts say the devastating impact would be widespread:
- 38 million low-income Americans lose food stamps
- 6 million face an uncertain timetable for collecting tax refunds
- 2 million without rental assistance and facing possible eviction
- 800,000 paycheck-less federal employees plunged into dire financial straits
- Shuttered parks and museums while overstressed airports cause tourism to tank
- Federal court system slows to a crawl
- Disaster relief money doesn’t get to storm-ravaged areas
- Lapsed FDA and EPA inspections lead to dangerous outbreaks
- Private companies looking to go public are stuck in limbo
- Stock market plummets
The end isn’t near — yet. But if …Congress and President Donald Trump can’t reach a deal on raising the debt ceiling in a few months, “it’s game over — you’ll have a pretty severe recession,” Zandi said, adding that given the trade war with China, and Brexit looming, “you could start seeing some pretty dark scenarios” worldwide. (source)
I mean, these certainly aren’t positive things. But again please note how the people who suffer the most are NOT the ones responsible for the current stress. I assure you that any member of Congress who wants to fly somewhere will have no problem working around sluggish airport security.
Obviously, stories like this are pretty alarming to anyone with a pulse. I received a lot of emails citing the article above. People are really concerned and scared and this is truly part and parcel of the shutdown theater. They want you to feel scared and insecure without them.
Here are some of the most common concerns I’ve gotten emails about, and advice about what you can do, to the best of my ability.
I’m a government employee and I can’t survive without a paycheck.
It’s got to be terrifying to think you have a stable job with a reliable employer and then suddenly, BOOM, you are without a paycheck. If you have an emergency fund, now is the time to crack into it.
If you do not have an emergency fund and you’ve been struggling a paycheck to paycheck lifestyle, things will be a lot tougher.
The first thing I suggest you do is to talk to anyone to whom you owe money: utility companies, mortgage companies, banks, credit card companies, etc., and let them know about your situation. Everyone knows what’s going on and these businesses may have some suggestions for you. Mortgage companies may be able to offer you a month of grace, credit card companies may make arrangements with you, etc.
If you have only a limited amount of money, you’re going to have to prioritize where you spend it. This will probably affect your credit negatively but there’s nothing that can be done about that. Keep a roof over your head, utilities on, food in the kitchen, and a car in your driveway if your job depends on it. Credit card debt should be the last thing you pay in a situation like this. Go read this article, How to Survive When You Can’t Pay Your Bills, for more detailed information and see my recommendations for people who won’t get their EBT money above for ideas on keeping your family fed.
I rely on EBT to feed my family and my payment may not be coming.
This is a terrible situation for millions of people who are aided by government assistance for food. Before we get a barrage of unsympathetic pseudo-Christians proclaiming how glad they are that “leeches will get cut off,” please remember that elderly people, disabled people, and children will be among the ones starving and get back on track here. Not everyone on assistance is taking advantage of the system.
If you are in this situation, you’re going to need to expect a very lean month. Hopefully, you have a few things kicking around your house like some canned goods, pasta, and beans. But if money has been tight for a long time, I know that you may not have much back-up food. Here’s an article to help you figure out what food to buy during a difficult month and it contains an offer for a free PDF book for those who need it.
Take any money you do have available and purchase some inexpensive staples to see you through the next month: dried beans, plain rice, canned fruits and vegetables, a bag of apples, a bag of onions, a bag of potatoes, and a bag of carrots (the large, inexpensive, unpeeled type.) Also, purchase some pasta and canned spaghetti sauce. Canned diced tomatoes can get you a long way in making soups and casseroles. Peanut butter, oatmeal, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and sugar are also worthwhile additions. While I rarely recommend things like this, you can add a few packs of boxed mac and cheese to get some extra calories in your meals.
That may not sound delicious, but it will keep you from starving and provide decent nutrition throughout a tight spot. You can get creative and make a lot of different meals from the foods above if you have some spices and seasonings on hand.
If you do not have any money to purchase the foods I recommended above, you may have to visit your local food bank. If family members ask how they can help, provide them with a list of the foods I mentioned above. Local charities and churches may also be able to offer some assistance.
Will I still get my social security or disability check if the government remains shut down?
Finally some good news – social security and disability payments WILL be made throughout the shutdown.
The good news is that Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare payments won’t be interrupted by the partial shutdown. All three programs are considered mandatory spending and are not affected by a federal budget debate. New applicants to the programs, however, may experience delays in processing. The U.S. Postal Service will also remain funded, so checks should arrive in the mail on time…
…For military veterans, Veterans Affairs disability and retirement checks are expected to go out on time, as will survivor benefits. (source)
So, if you’re relying on these payments, everything should be just fine, at least for the next few months.
TSA workers are calling in sick – how easy will it be to slip in terrorists?
Interestingly enough, the TSA has never once since its inception, directly stopped a terror attack.
In fact, when tested by Homeland Security, they failed at an epic rate of 95% to detect planted “terrorists” who sailed through the annoying process of removing their shoes and being patted down by Bubba-who-feels-important.
So Homeland Security officials looking to evaluate the agency had a clever idea: They pretended to be terrorists, and tried to smuggle guns and bombs onto planes 70 different times. And 67 of those times, the Red Team succeeded. Their weapons and bombs were not confiscated, despite the TSA’s lengthy screening process. (source)
Here are a few more facts about the TSA and their rates of failure.
- The TSA has never caught a terrorist.
- When the TSA does catch something, like toy guns or bullets accidentally left in a bag, they crow publicly about it. Everything they do find is trumpted as a “good catch.”
- But they miss 95% of the dangerous items taken through the checkpoint. That wasn’t just a one-off anomaly, the number has been over 90% in tests for a decade. (Of course even if they didcatch dangerous items, their air marshal program brings guns through the checkpoint for the terrorists.)
- TSA is too focused on water bottles and pocket knives, there’s a limit to what you can actually find, but they have to alert law enforcement to pot, and miss the dangerous stuff.
…But government is bad at directly producing security. The FAA regulates safety for airlines but doesn’t actually fly the planes. Private screeners are more effective and efficient than TSA screeners while over 20,000 TSA employees have been accused of misconduct, more than half multiple times.
- They’re a lawless agency that does whatever it wants.
- Agents steal things from passengers going through their checkpoints (is that an ipad in your pants or are you just happy to see me?)
- And take toys from children under the guise of security (mind you, the TSA hires child sex abusers, too)
- And TSA agents have been known to work together to see the most attractive passengers naked and ‘alarm’ in order to fondle them (source)
The TSA is a waste of money and travelers’ time. The only thing that the TSA “blue flu” will do during this shutdown is making the lives of travelers even more inconvenient. I don’t think that a lack of TSA makes us any less safe than we were before this shutdown.
And if we do see an attack on a plane during the shutdown? Well, my first thought would be to wonder whether the government really, really wanted to prove how necessary they are. It certainly wouldn’t be the first false flag in history.
The FDA and USDA aren’t inspecting food and there are already so many recalls when they ARE working
Everyone knows we’ve seen a massive barrage of recalls in the American food supply over the past few years. It’s pretty scary when going to the grocery store makes you feel like you’re navigating restaurants in a third-world country.
So it isn’t an unreasonable concern that even more contaminated food might get missed and make it to the grocery store shelves.
There are a few things to remember with this. First of all, most recalls occur not due to a failed inspection, but due to consumer complaints to the manufacturer, who then issues the recall.
A food recall occurs when there is reason to believe that a food may cause consumers to become ill. A food manufacturer or distributor initiates the recall to take foods off the market. In some situations, food recalls are requested by government agencies (USDA or FDA).
Some reasons for recalling food include:
- Discovery of an organism in a product which may make consumers sick
- Discovery of a potential allergen in a product
- Mislabeling or misbranding of food. For example, a food may contain an allergen, such as nuts or eggs, but those ingredients do not appear on the label. (source)
To avoid potential dangers, it helps to know what things are more likely to be recalled.
In recent years, many recalls have been of foods that have been processed or handled excessively:
- Ground meats
- Breakfast cereal
- Pre-sliced fruits and vegetables
- Prewashed salad greens
Of course, the romaine lettuce recall was not processed at all so there are always exceptions.
There’s no better time than this to start supporting your local farmers. If you are able to purchase meat locally (the requirement for USDA inspection varies from state to state) you are much more likely to get carefully processed, healthy meat. You can also purchase a roast at the grocery store and have the butcher grind it for you if you want ground beef.
Focus on the produce that is actually IN SEASON right now (hint: not lettuce) but things like parsnips, turnips, and rutabagas. (Here’s an article about 15 foods that are in season now.) You can get seasonal produce from grocery stores too. Look for foods that you peel.
We survived for thousands of years without our food being inspected for us – but then our food wasn’t processed in plants and shipped across the globe.
My housing is paid for by HUD. Am I going to be evicted?
If your housing is paid for in part or in full by HUD, then it’s possible that payment will not be made if the shutdown continues. My advice to you is to be in contact with your landlord. He or she knows that the shutdown may affect their payments and they’re probably just as worried as you are.
It wouldn’t make sense for landlords to begin evicting tenants whose rent is generally paid unless you’ve otherwise been a bad tenant. It’s possible that some landlords may try to pressure tenants with the threat of eviction to get them to pay some or all of their rent if the HUD payment does not arrive. You need to understand the eviction process in your state. Here’s an article with some information about evictions state by state.
Generally when a shutdown is over, the government will make good on any backpayments that were due during the shutdown.
Are you expecting civil unrest if EBT and HUD don’t pay out at the end of the month?
It seems like we’re always a country on the verge of civil unrest these days, and a sudden withdrawal of benefits could certainly incite people across the nation.
Will hordes of hungry people storm grocery stores across the country, Black Friday-style? It’s not impossible, but I think we’d be more likely to see large protests before that kind of thing occurs.
This doesn’t mean we’re going to see riots in the streets of every small town in America, however. I could foresee more issues in cities or communities with a higher percentage of people receiving assistance. I certainly urge you to be prepared for the possibility if the shutdown continues to this point. This article discusses how to prepare for civil unrest.
If the situation persists for multiple months, however, we’ll absolutely see an uptick in crime as people become more and more desperate.
Do you have concerns about the government shutdown?
If you’re affected by this shutdown, my feelings about the government theater aside, my heart goes out to you and I wish you the very best. I hope the suggestions I provided here are helpful.
Did I miss covering your specific concern about the shutdown? Have you been personally affected by this? Please share any questions or thoughts in the comments section below.
You’re not only a great writer and reporter, Daisy, but also a good-hearted, kind person. I don’t like paying for those who abuse the system or generations on welfare, but any one of us can fall on hard times. I know my family sure has. But I always remember that “God has a funny way of humbling you” when I meet haughty people.
If we could only force Congress to leave Washington for an extended “vacation”. Just go away. The longer they are gone, the better. While out of DC, they can’t cause trouble. In reality, we don’t need them. And oh, cut the pay off. They are nothing more than parasites.
Absolutely! Stop Congress’ pay before anyone else’s, and they don’t get it when the shutdown is over, either! Admittedly most of them wouldn’t be much affected by losing their Congressional pay, but it would make a point, and free up that cash for others’ paychecks, food stamps, etc. (Oh, and by the way, stop their platinum health care plan during the shut-down, too–and close any other Congressional perks like gyms, haircuts, meals…)
I don’t know about sending them home, though–after all, when the shut-down first began, look who took a nice vacation in Hawaii (vacation from her own–immorally?– walled mansion). Keep them all there, and make them do the sanitation work for the furloughed employees. After all, they don’t mind doing that, given that some of them were perfectly willing to pick up trash elsewhere, ship it cross-country (hello, global warming!) and take it to the White House.
Of course the above should also be applied to the President involved. Except that this particular President has already waived his pay anyway, and other than official travel, he has stayed in D.C.
Hi Daisy-
Avid fan and follower here. I enjoyed this article but I want to give some insight as to how this shutdown is affecting folks at the state level. I work for a County Assistance Office in Pennsylvania, that falls under PA Department if Human Services. I am also an EBT receipient, because my salary, after bills and other necessities are covered, isn’t enough to buy food. We’re worried because according to Governor Wolf, after February’s EBT payments, there won’t be any money for the months after. Also there’s supposedly not enough money to continue paying employees salaries. This is because at least 60% of the state’s budget comes from the Federal government. The trickle down will be disastrous if the shutdown continues, not only for Federal workers but those at the state and county levels. I do have a little savings and in the event I’m laid off, I’ll do what is necessary to continue receiving an income but the fear of always being “short” on my rent or my children’s tuition is beginning to worry me. A lot.
With your permission Daisy, I’ll like to post the link to the article with Governor Wolf outlining how PADHS budget is funded.
Dear Islandgirl:
Of course, you have permission! Please share!
I hadn’t considered the trickle-down effect, but that is a very real concern. I hope that everything works out well for you. Please keep us posted.
https://www.wgal.com/article/pennsylvania-workers-could-be-laid-off-if-government-shutdown-continues-governor-says/25809896
The above is the link I mentioned previously.
Island girl, it seemed like a pretty good deal for women years ago when women had husbands to make a living for them and take care of them. At least until women started getting liberated and getting career minded and then men either left, got run off, or turned gay or all of the above. The court system kinda left men sleeping and living out of their old cars. A few of them were smart enough to avoid the modern marriage trap.
When People ask me why I never got married I tell them that I’m already paying child support to several million women through the tax and welfare system so I can’t afford a woman of my own.
Hi, Jay.
I’m not trying to start a big argument with you, but I thought you should be aware that this website is run by a single mom. Your string of comments has been pretty derogatory toward women and, for some reason, gay people in the military, despite the fact that both of these things are totally off-topic.
You’re certainly welcome to stick around but you may have stumbled upon the wrong website if the entirety of your contribution is how awful women are and how much you dislike gay people. It’s just not what we’re all about here.
Best wishes,
Daisy
Well Daisy, we live in a day and age where good is called evil and evil is called good as The Bible clearly states. Unfortunately most people can’t see just how on topic and relevant my comments are to the current situation. I guess when I made those comments I believed that you might be accepting of them because I linked to you Via Steve Quayle’s website which is generally conservative and somewhat Christian oriented in nature. I guess things aren’t always as they appear. But you might want to keep in mind that the welfare state which some enjoy has to be painfully paid for by others. Refusal to acknowledge that leads to the boot heel of Communism which must be endured by all.
Mr. Jay, respectfully, I’d like to start by saying that everyone is entitled to believe as they choose. That is something that is taught in the New Testament, Although the Lord called it Free Will. I’m also not trying to argue with you or begin an argument, I just really felt compelled to touch on a couple things after reading what you wrote. it made me sad. Sad because while I truly believe with all my heart that we are to keep to the 10 commandments, I feel that our biggest responsibility as Christians is to Lead By Example. By that I mean that we are not to judge, thats not our job. Our job is to be the kind of people who carry ourselves in a way that is worthy of Jesus Christ. That he can look at us and when our time comes to go home we can hear the words “Well done.” When I read what you wrote it made me so sad because your words sounded so venomous. I’m sorry if you are so angry that it carries over to every one you have grouped together. I hope from the bottom of my heart you find Grace.
Daisy, what is really sad is that modern day preachers will no longer preach repentance from sin as God commands. Instead they have brainwashed their congregations with pop culture and political correctness to the point where most church members actually believe that God approves of homosexuality and fornication. But judging, which God commands Christians to do is now the only thing they consider to be a sin. Modern churches are so top heavy with people who don’t know God that they are only angry and intolerant with those who tell the truth about sin. Homosexuals and adulterers get a free pass in today’s churches. Do you really believe that God approves of homosexuality and that He never commanded the death penalty for it or destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for it as The Bible says?
Jesus told the Pharisees not to judge because they were in open rebellion against God. But God commands Christians to judge all things in 1 Corinthians 2:15 and 6:1-3 and again in verse 9. Romans chapter 1 says homosexuals are worthy of death and that is Gods Word. 1Corinthians 6:9 says that these people will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
Now if you want to label Gods Word as hate speech, I’ll let you take that up with God, but you’re very soul destiny is determined by what you do with Gods Word and listening to the host of false teachers of today who stand in the pulpit as hirelings who don’t even know God will lead you to destruction. It’s your website and I can’t make you honor God with it, but I can tell you that banning Gods Word as hate speech is a long and treacherous road to travel when false teachers tell you that God tolerates any sin except judging by His Holy Word. If you tell someone else not to judge and then you judge them for judging that’s called hypocrisy. My advice is to read Gods Word for yourself instead of listening to the false preachers of our day who are paid to misrepresent the truth to you. Gods Prophets of old told the truth in much more forceful language and in some cases the people repented and were spared from Gods wrath. Telling people the Truth in order to help them avoid Gods wrath is the most Christlike thing a person can do. Sugarcoating Gods Words and not warning of Gods wrath to come is cruel considering how long eternity in the lake of fire will be.
Thank You!! A truth speaker who, like Jesus, didn’t pander to people’s ‘feelings’. Our ‘feelings’ are never supposed to be what we act on. Good job!
Jay, again, I don’t want to have an argument with you. I’m sure you are a very nice person.
But, as a woman, a single parent, and a business owner, I wanted to point out that your anti-woman rhetoric was really not appropriate. You’re (albeit virtually) in my place of business. I’ve raised wonderful, hardworking daughters. We don’t deserve to be insulted because we are women. And certainly not in my place of business.
This has nothing to do with God or with religion or with faith. That is a personal matter and I wouldn’t presume to preach to you or anyone else. This is not a religious website (there are some excellent ones out there for this specific conversation) but one that is devoted to the practical matters of prepping.
I sincerely want to help anyone get prepared who wants to get prepped within their budget, and that is my function here. Conversations in the comments that relegate an entire gender or any other group of people to second class citizens won’t encourage them to prep.
To boil it down, my purpose is to help as many people as I can get physically prepared – not to teach them about Christianity. There are people much more well-versed than I who can do that on websites dedicated to that purpose.
Again, I wish you the best.
Ok, I understand where you are coming from now Daisy and I didn’t before. Your last post made it clear. I still think that the best way to prepare for what’s coming is to understand how we got to this point and to follow Gods Word because when you get down to your last jar of canned pickles you’re going to need someone much bigger to bring you your next meal. But nothing wrong with canning pickles. They’ll last a little while.
You ought to read “Why Beautiful People Have More Daughters”. It’s written by a couple of evolutionary psychologists. They explain why men are of far less significance than women in keeping our species alive (in evolutionary terms, at any rate). That, in turn, might alter the way you view the blessings of a culture which holds that people are important, and creates systems to support those folks who are less well off and who are in difficult straits often through no fault of their own. You rage against women holding jobs, yet resent having to help them rear their kids when they are struggling Men impregnate women and then abandon them – as you snidely allude to in your “I’m already paying child support to several million women through the tax and welfare system…” Damned nice of you to help raise those kids who were abandoned by you selfish co-gender neighbors. Resenting that you are doing the socially correct thing is a shame. Too bad you’re not religious. Many religions teach an obligation of charity and sympathy toward those in need. Since the richest members of our society control our government and thus pay little to help, it’s left to us working class to make up for the injustices of human experience. That’s made harder by people who support the killing of all kinds of foreigners (and then resenting when they try to flee to our country to escape the persecutions we’ve placed them within) done generally to profit those obscenely rich folks. It’s also obstructed by those who see injustice in having to help. Human life is about culture. Our culture claims to value human life. But so many within our culture resent the importance of their contributions to this societal duty. Perhaps you should move somewhere that will not tax you, where you won’t have to help neighbors less fortunate than you? Where women won’t be treated like fellow humans, but instead will resume their roles as subservient lesser mortals? I can’t think of any country here that fulfills all these requirements (though there are many that would cater to the latter), but there is a waiting list for people wanting to travel to other planets. You should sign up.
Jay, I have to tell you as a stay at home mom that my husband brings home the money, but without my work at home sewing all clothes etc, medicine making , cooking, making healthy lunches for he and our son, washing everything, he would not have half as good a life even on his own. Marriage is not about who does what as long as it returns to full circle with everyone working hard. I once was in the work world and we do better on his one income only because I am able to produce and aquire more things on far less money. I hope you get a chance to meet more productive women in the future as God always has the will for our hearts desire!
Among the many things you mentioned in this excellent article, I did not find anything about Social Security. Would those monthly payments be impacted by the shutdown? I am sure a lot of people are curious about this. Thanks.
Dr. Victoria – that’s a very good question. YES – people on Social Security will still get their payments and I’ve updated the article with more information about the payments that WILL get made.
I just get the warm fuzzies every time I think about how much Washington DC cares about my financial stress and wellbeing.
And I’m sure they care even more about these poor people who live in tents under bridges.
I’ll bet they care enough to take all of us to a nice warm FEMA camp and feed us a hot meal.
Yep–we find the focus now of politicians is real…real about illegal immigrants, not veterans and tent dwellers.
Please keep in mind. We are arguing that we need to spend .013% of an over $4 Trillion spending bill on border security and a barrier.
Think about that.. Democrats are refusing to spend 5 billion when they’ve already spent over $4 Trillion.
Government is about compromise. Obviously in the end Dems should offer less than 5 billion and Repubs should expect less than 5 billion.
So why is one side not offering anything? That’s not compromise.
It turns out that this estimate is perhaps only 20 percent of the actual final cost. And that’s not counting the typical government cost overruns. Then there is maintenance. Have you noticed lately how run down our roads and bridges are, despite the 22 TRILLION dollar deficit and rising rapidly? Snarking about a small sum ignore the reality that every amount spent stupidly is money removed from really important projects. A penny saved, and all that. I’d rather see the Congressfolks lose their pay and health care… that would not only save a bundle, but they’re already stealing enough to take fine care of themselves without our money.
EVERYTHING is about compromise. I can’t get along with my wife – whom I desperately love – without compromise. But compromise in government has to be RATIONAL. A stupid wall is a horrid waste of resources which will to little to benefit anyone except to drive up the incomes of smugglers. There’s no rational compromise available when a proposal is too counter-productive to make any sense at all.
As a Canadian, I can certainly say we are taxed like crazy. This is what causes our needs to get more frugal. I am a Christian also and as such I was always taught that charity was part of our beliefs. I don’t think unsympathetic should be mingled with the word Christian unless the concept was not taught properly. I am sure it’s not only in Canada, eh?
Agreed! I noticed that as well
Charity is seeing a need and taking care of it on a person-to-person basis. Charity is not throwing a bunch of money at an organization who is going to p*s most of it down a hole, and saying, “you take care of the needy for me.” And charity is definitely not doing the above when the organization is the state and they would extract it from you at the threat of a gun anyway.
Charity is also feeling for others or empathy
For once,Washington is feeling the economic pain felt by average Americans,as a result of THEIR policies.
Hey, here’s an idea…why don’t we “shut down” a few wars? Stop funding the TSA and have the airlines switch to private security. That will maintain some jobs in that sector but be off the governments budget. Also, funding for the arts could be cut —I KNOW, the horror of the thought! Get rid of the FDA, as mentioned, it doesn’t really protect us from anything anyway. Shut down the EPA, monies that got to that could perhaps really protect us if people were left to donate to the most aggressive, effective private organization. Need I go on?
“Stop funding the TSA”
Funny you should mention that…
http://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/tsa-union-holds-rally-at-atlanta-s-airport
A long time friend told me earlier this week that her husband who works for BLM in Colorado told her that he just was going to pay their bills via credit cards till the shutdown ends. To me that’s a scary proposition but I have a feeling that many folks will have to do just that. Hopefully this ends soon but at least her income comes from another source. I feel bad for anyone who is impacted by this.
We are from the government and we’ve got what it takes to take what you’ve got.
Once had an IRS agent tell my Dad “We are not concerned with legality or morality but collectibility.”
And guess what? I believe we should pay taxes.
I supported the military until it turned gay and I tell police officers thank you for doing a tough job. If I can find a straight military man I’d thank him too.
I worked for the feds for 30 plus years. I have been through 6 shutdowns, the one in 1994 was the longest, 21 days until now. I am retired, got my money this month, people I know on SS got theirs, congress and staff get paid, WH and staff gets paid, military gets paid, anyone who carries a gun gets paid.
This is not true, my husband is federal law-enforcement and we do not get paid. Customs and border patrol employees go to work for no pay. Every time there is a shut down, it hurts our family immensely. Even though they say that this is about border security, they don’t really care about the people securing the borders or they would pay us.
In all the shutdowns that I was in, the LEO got their pay. I retired in 2001
All employees still required to work, like coastlines and the border patrol will get their full pay and allowances when this stupidity is over. The banksters can just suck hind tit about interest and such. Should they close of your credit card, ok, just refuse to pay the balance. Pay what’s important first, food housing, and car. All the rest can stop till this is over. Let the banksters deal with a pissed off yellow vest public and get run out of town.
Not entirely correct.
Gun carrying federal agents are not getting paid but are required to continue working. Makes me wonder if the Secret Service guarding the Prez are feeling a wee bit resentful?
I saw a news item on President Bush buying pizzas for his Secret Service detail as a “thank you” for working without pay.
Considering what this shutdown is revolving around, I find it VERY ironic that the Border Patrol, of all people, is working without pay!
I heard an older gentleman talking at the dentist office the other day and he said, “I’m not getting married again cuz I just can’t find a woman who makes enough money to pay me the alimony that I think I deserve.”????
I am listening right now to CSPAN 2 where Senators are calling to reopen the govt.. Senator Durbin and others are bashing President Trump as doing the shutdown for POLITICAL REASONS. Surely they are joking. Do you mean to tell me that out of 235 Democratic Congress people, that there aren’t at least 48 who support a wall? Talk about towing the Democratic party line. Are they that afraid of Nancy Pelosi that they would deny a border wall that protects all of us? There are 199 Republican Congress people and 1 independent and if 170 of them vote to fund the wall in addition to 50 Democrats then a majority of 220 should be able to pass a bill today and the same reasoning goes for the Senate.
We should empty the prisons, turn off the radars, unman the borders etc. you’d change your tune in about 3 hours.
You can act like your uneffected but that can change and might need to.
I’ve taken part time work, have savings and a support base. I’m not even remotely worried about food because of what I am.
I’ve been through tough times before and this ain’t got there yet. I can assure you though if it does get tough it will for everybody.
“The government deliberate makes a shutdown as painful as possible for us, the little guys. They have to do that, to prove to us that they’re “essential” to our existence. Otherwise, why would we continue paying the taxes that fund their salaries and cushy lifestyles?”
Is it more or less painful than a shooting war? Right. And it actually does ultimately hurt them more than it hurts us. Threats by Democrats that they will leave big government shut down are about as hilarious as threats by five-year-olds that they will eat all their Brussels sprouts. Especially since:
“Someone, somewhere, made the decision that this person’s hardship doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of them getting their own way.”
And that someone is expecting these people to vote for them in the near future.
Woops.
So I’m down with it. TINVOWOOT. Any possible solution to the American cultural crisis is going to be deeply painful. This one is, so far, the least painful.
And I’m not a Christian — pseudo-, quasi-, crypto-, or otherwise.
Daisy, I have to disagree a little on a few things – not many.
This would be a good time for these government-furloughed workers to find alternative employment or, more specifically, self-employment. Start a small business. This shut-down is a harbinger of things to come.
Get used to dysfunctional government. It is NOT EVER going to get better. Many of these government jobs need to go away. Start with the Department of Education and the TSA gropers, as you point out have NOT EVER caught a terrorist.
Speaking of food recalls, I just just finished reading Wenonah Hauter’s book, “Foodopoly.” It explains in great detail why the food supply in this country is broken and why our commercially-grown, factory-farmed food is just filthy and unsafe to eat. Bottom line: it’s huge corporations controlling the food supply in this country who care less about human health and nutrition than their bottom lines, MONEY and PROFITS. The USDA stamps on meat and poultry means nothing. USDA inspectors inspect only the end of the processing line, not what goes on at the front end (believe me, you may not want to know what goes on at the front ). Company inspectors do that and self-report. Like the foxes guarding the hen house. Know your organic farmer and buy local.
As for my Congressional delegation, the two of the three are already self-made multi-millionaires in business before their election and their opting out of their Congressional salary means nothing to me.
Daisy I agree with you about many of these agencies that need to cease and desist. A few weeks ago when Romain lettuce was quarantined the only place I saw that had any Romain on the salad bar was a casino. Give me a break. All you have to do is wash the stuff. I think somebody doesn’t want us getting our greens for health.
The DOE and NEA are two that really should not exist or have government funding.
Under Communism the people said that the government pretended to pay us and we pretended to work.
Jeff – I’ll check out that book. It sounds very interesting. Thanks for the recommendation!
government employees need supervisory approval for outside employment and many of those approving officials are furloughed. Excepted Employees working without pay cannot take outside employment. Especially gun carrying feds. Any self-employment also requires approval. Don’t be so hasty to assume…
I’m wondering who decides which portions of the government stay open and which portions of the government get closed during a shutdown.
Several funding bills have already passed. Those are funding the agencies and programs that they cover. The ones that fund SNAP, border patrol the Coast guard/homeland security contain the parts that trump really wants, so the democraps knew where to pick their fight
I take the view that the shutdown is an indication of how many parasites the fedgov is keeping alive on our dime. All gov employees are on welfare, from judges to mayors to sailors to soldiers to the president, all of them are on welfare and none of them produce anything. The soldiers and sailors and border patrol are excused as they are, in most cases, serving their country, the rest are just taking a paycheck while awaiting a fat pension. My life hasn’t been hindered in the least by this latest political theatre and I didn’t expect it to be, matter of fact I think this indicates there are far too many fed employees and they can be fired.
The most bullshit thing about the entire fedgov mess is they tax us yet our money is mere ink on paper essentially created out of thin air, and we pay the nonfederal nonreserve face value, interest, materials, and labor on every fed note – that they printed at no real cost to themselves. Such a deal!
I hope the fed crashes the economy thinking they will blame Trump for the crash, and Trump says fine I’ll play your game, we will print US notes that bear debt to no one. And maybe even get rid of a few dozen worthless federal agencies and departments too. No more foreign handouts, no more welfare for citizens who can be put to work.
It would appear that President Trump has them in a position that they are not very fond of. There are a lot of dynamics to an economy this size and President Trump is intelligent enough to use those dynamics in ways that the likes of Schumer and Pelosi will not comprehend.
Good point about more civil unrest in areas where there is higher participation in the SNAP program. It could get rather dicey in those areas and quickly spread out to other areas. To think it will be non-violent demonstrations only is rather naive. It could turn ugly really fast. More than likely it will be violent property and people destroying mobs. If 1 % of the people think there will be civil unrest, the ammo shelves will be empty within a few days.
Daisy if I may post this link https://www.newsweek.com/russia-cancel-visit-american-civil-war-1287282 it says that a Russian official just cancelled his visit to the United States saying that a Civil war is now underway in the U.S.
If that’s not something to prepare for then what is?
Congressmen and the President both have said the same thing in recent months.
While I realize that each of us can be in a hard situation, I have to take issue with IslandGirl.
Quote: “because my salary, after bills and other necessities are covered, isn’t enough to buy food.” So, as a taxpayer, who has her OWN bills and necessities-IG’s rent is now MY problem?
“to continue receiving an income but the fear of always being “short” on my rent or my children’s tuition “. Since public school is free; either this child is in private school or in university. Again, why am I paying for this as a taxpayer, when this lady has a job?
Welfare payments have become a “right” rather than a need. Taxpayers should worry about the elderly, as being 80 is a hard time to get a job. Taxpayers should provide a TEMPORARY stipend to a single mother or father.
All of our government workers are spewing forth the sob stories of being unable to pay their rent, their credit cards, their car payments………Exactly how much sympathy and help did Joan Q Public receive after losing jobs due to the engineered bank/mortgage meltdowns? She just got evicted and her pets went to the animal shelter because she couldn’t pay another $50 per month, per pet, at another apartment. She also lived on Cup o’ Noodles while the people she supports were chowing down on lobster. (Can you say Moochie Obama?) I am all out of sympathy for these government workers.
Yes Sandra, this is the whole public problem with the communist mentality of our day and one more thing to prep for. Her bills are now my problem and she wants the government to take my money to pay her bills. Why is this always so one sided? She has a government job so why can’t she pay our bills instead of letting us sweat it out? The government never offers to help me and I voluntarily help others that no one even knows about.
I really don’t want us to pick apart the comments of people who are sincerely worried. That’s not the purpose here.
We don’t know her situation. We don’t know why tuition is needed. Some people with small children refer to daycare payments as tuition. (And daycare is an outrageous expense that when my kids were young, cost as much as my rent). Maybe her child has special needs or is blind or is hearing impaired. Maybe she lives in an area where the public schools are unsafe. There are a multitude of reasons and we all, as parents, do the best we can for our children.
There are many, many jobs out there that aren’t paying enough for people to both live and eat. Two employers in particular that have been under the microscope are Amazon and Walmart.
While I understand your frustration, please remember we don’t know all the details. Every single one of us is just trying to get by the best way we know how. Be kind.
Thank you for this response Daisy. I pay almost $1000 a month in daycare fees (and that’s on the cheap side)and the public schools in my area are a joke so I send my son to a private school for a quality education. Sue me and vilify me for that if it makes you feel better about yourself. Did I choose to be forced to apply for assistance? No but when my husband got sick and had to resign from his job that paid more than I made, after trying to do it on my own for almost 2 years, I had to. FYI that’s also MY tax paying dollars that I’m depending on Sandra. Not everyone on assistance is lazy or doesn’t want to work or is out to cheat the system or whatever you think. Jay, I’m not depending on you, the federal government or anyone else to pay my bills so you can rest a little easier today and Sandra to your comment my family’s necessities are life saving medication that I pay for out of pocket. God forbid anyone of you fall on hard times and have to ask for help. Oh and if you think that I make a handsome amount of money working for the state, think again.
I’ve worked in the private sector almost my entire life, barring one tour in the Navy. I guess that’s why I find it hilarious that people can get so comfortable in their everyday lives that they freak out when they suddenly realize they’ve been living a lie…that there’s no such thing as “job security” or any other kind of security.
The world is a dangerous and uncertain place at the best of times. We’re all just one slip and fall away from life in a wheelchair at any given moment. One stroke away from becoming a gibbering idiot. One heartbeat away from death. Such is life…the only game that kills everyone who plays. If you haven’t accepted this, then you are not alive…you’re merely existing.
We are all defined by the actions we take in this life. My advice to those worrying about their all powerful Government having the sniffles is to use the time to re-evaluate everything you ever believed about that malignant tyrannical entity and then seek TRUE comfort and protection in the arms of the Lord, Christ Jesus.
it’s the same with unpasteurized milk. If it was so dangerous nobody would be alive today since they been drinking that stuff since there were cows and humans.
So, unpasteurized milk is dangerous is BUNK. Of course, you need a good farmer who cares for his cows naturally.
Where the danger started was when they made factory-farmed milk. Now you NEED inspectors which means BIGGER government.
As they said they are not really concerned about global warming. It was all about BIGGER government.
And of course big government is doing all it can to drive the family farmer out of business so they can do whatever they want to your milk and your cow.
I live very rural in a rural state and have friends who are USFS and BLM workers who just want to work hard and make a buck. A few are helping me prune fruit trees and a bit of clean-up we can do in the snow. We make trades, and I roll over some of my supplies. We have got to work together, Good Luck. Sorry to see you picked up a troll.
Shamefully, our govt is illuminati.
Last year’s govt shutdown ended on Jan 22..
The 22nd is double 11s. 11 for the 2 pillars of solomon (temple of the antichrist).
The 22nd is an important number re numerology of the illuminati (double the 2 pillars of Solomon depicted as 11).
I don’t know if they counted the 22nd as day 1 or not. If so, it makes today, the 22nd day of the shutdown. If not, then it makes tomorrow (Sunday, Jan.13th) the 22nd day of the shutdown.
Keep your eyes focused on the number 22.
Since the shutdown occurred on Dec 22 (what did I just tell u about the # 22), and did not end on the 22nd day of the shutdown (yet, anyway), watch for the shutdown to end on the 22nd of January, at the latest. Just like last year.
It has nothing to do with the ‘wall’, & everything to do with illuminati numerology.
The ‘wall’ is nothing but the excuse. This will end on Jan 22 (same as last year’s shutdown that ended on Jan 22).
Trump is merely the present illuminati puppet.
When I was a civilian federal government employee, and before that, when I was a military member, I was sometimes mocked to my face (and I am sure I was mocked much more often behind my back) by bosses, co-workers and subordinates for my modest lifestyle. They ate at restaurants almost daily, drove $30k to $50k SUVs, lived in big expensive houses, owned expensive clothes/shoes/handbags, took extravagant vacations, etc. In my own personal life experience, I never personally knew another fed or military member living within or below their means. I personally knew one man with a $60k military pension plus a $125k federal civilian salary who was living paycheck to paycheck. TLDR: It is hard for me to sympathize.
Thank you for your service, and may YHWH bless and keep you.
The worst fear of government workers is that we will find that there jobs are redundant and not needed.
For yearsnow, we in the prepper community have been warning about how nessicary it is to prepare for problems ahead. Do we get listened to? No! PARTS of the gubberment is unable to fulfill its dubious duties and now we hear the world is ending. GOOD! I hope this really last a while. Maybe then some folks will wake up to the real world, not the snowflake world. As the worlds poor goes American poor are rich compared to them. Let them sell their tv’s, cell phones, turn off cable and internet to pay some bills. Wake up folks as much worse is yet to come, and can come at any time. It’s past time to get with the program.
There won’t be any terrorists trying to get past the TSA. They are on the same government payroll. Aside, the government shutdown is a good thing. Just about any department that’s affected is unnecessary to the public. 90% of government should be shutdown permanently.
Also the embassy in Nigeria is apparently closed for the government shutdown. Not that I use thier services. As far as I know they are not accepting or processing any new Visa applications but they are still here. This effects the people trying to get visas of course. Thier salary is pretty darn good for living in this country so with good money management they will survive. I was nervous when I first heard this embassy was closed indefinitely because I thought there was a serious threat like war and that would affect me. I was relieved to find out it was the government shutdown.
And being from Texas I sure do hope they build the wall…. I have enough personal experience from there to know both the wall and 2a is needed.
What do you do if you have a triple threat to your plans?
I’m one of those government workers affected by the shutdown. After 27 plus years I retired January 1, 2019. My retirement specialist who was to process my final checkout is on furlough. No final paycheck. No vacation leave payout. I saved my vacation leave to have a large final paycheck to hold me over for the 4-8 months it’ll takes OPM to finalize your retirement. Interim payments are about 30-50% of your monthly pension. Yes I’m “lucky” to have a pension; however 28 years ago my friends who took private high salary jobs mocked and felt sorry for me for my modest salary and mediocre future pension. Most of them have lost and regained and lost their high tech jobs, often for lengthy periods.
Growing up poor I took the hare versus their rabbit approach. I also socked away as much as possible into the government 401k, called the TSP. Now I cannot request a TSP loan or hardship financial withdrawal as I am not a current employee. I cannot take out any retirement pension money as OPM has not received my retirement paperwork and consequently notified TSP that I am retired and eligible to take out my money. All zeros across the board.
I live in the tropics on a hot humid island. Fortunately I have been saving for a concrete roof to put on my house to typhoon proof it. I had a tin roof that was secured to the concrete house via rebar and concrete pillars.
In retirement I was going to take out TSP money to add to my savings for the concrete roof, estimated to cost $80,000 or more. Three months ago a Supertyphoon (category 5, Typhoon Yutu) peeled my tin roof off like it was a piece of tinfoil. I have structural damage and cracked walls. I had a plastic shoe closet and all my right shoes disappeared through the roof. Most of my dishes and breakables did so. Furniture and shelving wrecked. Wind measuring devices broke at 220mph. Yutu was the strongest typhoon ever recorded in Saipan. The airport was destroyed. Schools destroyed. All concrete buildings collapsed. Over 7000 houses with major damage or destroyed. For 5 weeks, only military and one daily United flight was allowed to land, passengers limited to returning residents with valid ID and aid workers. The streets were filled with military vehicles and soldiers. Guam sent military personnel over to make drinking water. Day-long lines formed for people to get faucet water. We didn’t need to wait in lines as we have 7000 gallons of city and rainwater stored plus 300 gallons in empty plastic jugs for flushing toilets, plus 200 gallons drinking water, and cars full of gas and extra gas cans for the chain saw to clear our road. For several hours the house vibrated; finally the roof came off in one big piece, and decapitated the nearby power pole. All of my garden vanished. All of my 50 plus papaya trees whisked away. I now have Thai Basil and papaya seedlings in the oddest places, cast about in the winds and thriving. All four mango trees down. All coconut trees bare. Six months of food storage in buckets and my seed bank survived ok.
Looting/thieving has occurred but not on my street. A cardboard sign with “Looters Will Be Shot” next to a hand drawn Glock pistol hanging next to mg American flag sent the clear message. I wore my gunbelt while clearing roofing tin and downed trees and roofing wood during the times that vehicles were directed down my road after lining up for water.
FEMA, Red Cross and SBA are on the ground but are on furlough. They have rules that they follow that don’t apply here, so it has been a slog to get any help. SBA says that fed employees have to file fed taxes despite the law here saying otherwise. Red tape galore.
My third crisis is medical care for my daughter, unavailable here. So we are in the mainland USA having expensive treatment with no incoming $$ and no access to any of my retirement money (outside savings for concrete roof holding us for now).
What did I do right? Stored water and purification tablets (unused as yet). Stored food. Had cash on hand to buy temporary roofing supplies when there was no power to run credit card machines. Now my husbamd agrees that having a bunch of small to large tarps is a good idea, as it is hot after a typhoon, all the rain coming at once and then not for a long while.
Infuriating to be an insignificant hostage/pawn to the governmental shenanigans. Those rich Congresscritters won’t notice if you take their paychecks.
We will be fine. The concrete roof will rise with or without governmental assistance. We will not stay here (this is no place to be an old lady or a complexly sick child), but good lessons came from these crises.
Cheers
I get food stamp. And it’s a big concern to me in this small town i live in.on account some if not most ppl in this small city are barley getting by.this not only inclde ppl on food stamp.it also includes folks that are reciveing a monthly check of some kind.or both.in all above situations. Folks are barely getting by with the food the eat each month.some might not even have 3 days of food at any given time.that means anyone who don’t recive what ever.will be going around begging and/or stealing food ..so stocking up on more food and water is not only a must for me.but i also have to be extremly descret about it..safety first.