I don’t know about you, but I’m baffled. I went to work today and my office was closed. Shutdown. Locked up tight. Lights off. No one was home. But there was a sign on the door that said:
“Management could not agree on an annual budget for the rest of the year. We tried to come up with a plan (well one of us did). However, since one of us couldn't agree to anything but the most miniscule one time budget cuts in time to stave off a shutdown (guess who)... we shut down. Enjoy the forced time off. We don’t know when we’ll open again, but we’ll let you know.”
Okay, so that didn’t really happen at my place of employment… but it’s what will happen if D.C. fails to finalize and pass a budget for 2011 by April 8th. As in Friday. As in tomorrow.
So what’s the President doing to avoid a shutdown? Well, on Monday the President announced his re-election campaign for the 2012 White House. Tuesday he refused to sign any more extensions for negotiations on the 2011 budget. He declared time was up – Capitol Hill had until Saturday to figure out a budget for 2011 and that was it. No more extensions, no more band-aid resolutions. He promised to meet with Congressional leaders around the clock until they figure out this pesky budget problem.
Know what he did next? Wednesday afternoon he left to give a speech in Fairless Hills, PA – a battleground area key to a win in 2012. Wednesday evening he attended the 20th anniversary party for Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network.
It seems to me our President is more concerned with 2012 then he is with the right here and now. Who the heck leaves to give speeches and attend social events when the government is facing its first shutdown in 15 years?! Even though the President promised to meet with Congressional leaders starting yesterday until an agreement was reached, he didn’t really mean yesterday… he meant today or maybe even tomorrow. Because hey, what’s a government shutdown besides a surprise vacation for government employees (read with heavy sarcasm)?
Here’s a list of “what ifs” to ponder in case the government does shutdown:
1. Our troops, who are serving in three wars, will only get paid through April 8th… after that, they don’t get paid until the government comes back online
2. Taxpayers will see a delay in receiving their federal tax refunds
3. Small businesses loans and FHA mortgages will be halted
4. Our economic recovery could slow or stop
5. The IRS will suspend tax audits
6. The 2011 Cherry Blossom Festival in D.C. on Saturday will most likely be cancelled
7. 800,000 federal employees will be furloughed during the length of the shutdown
8. National parks and the Smithsonian will close
And that’s just a short list. The last shutdown 15 years ago only lasted 21 days. It’s taken D.C. several months to reach the current stalemate – I shudder to imagine how long a government shutdown could last this time around. And I wonder, with a shutdown breathing down our necks, why our President is gallivanting around giving speeches and celebrating with constituents rather than participating in averting a crisis. I am certain about one thing though, shutdown or not – I’ll be working hard in Erie County to defeat him in 2012.
Below is a video I think everyone in the country should watch – in it Rep. Paul Ryan talks about his plans to save the United States from financial collapse. Take three minutes out of your day and watch it.
UPDATE: April 8, 2011 4:00 p.m. Democrats in the House and the Senate are claiming there's only one thing standing in the way of a budget for the remainder of the 2011 fiscal year: whether to cut or save taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood. Republicans claim (and I'll take Boehner's word over Reid's any day) there's more then just proposed cuts to Planned Parenthood holding back a deal. Now, Rep. Slaughter (D-NY) claims Republicans are trying to kill women with their proposed cuts. Sen. Reid (D-NV) claims the Republicans are against women's health. Kill women?! Against women's health?! Seriously?! How desperate are you Democrats to try to save face that you would use scare tactics that low and dirty?
The Republicans and the Democrats caused this mess, which didn't start last year or in 2008 but decades ago. The Republicans are trying to clean up the mess while the Democrats are just trying to muddy the waters. If the government shuts down in roughly 8 hours, at least we know our guys tried, and they'll keep trying until they get a deal that will help put the United States of America back on financial track.
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