Just the phrase, government shutdown has such a forbidding tone to it. But what does it mean when the U.S. government shuts down? Well, that seems to depend on which political party is trying to explain it.
The right wing Tea Party types rage about the out of control spending in the government. Yet, during the eight years of Bush, they never let out a peep about the massive amounts of $ that went into the creation of the TSA, Homeland Security, or the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Instead, that administration gave tax cuts to the wealthiest one or two percent of Americans. Since the Obama administration foolishly extended those tax cuts, the conservatives want to cut social programs – Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid. Meanwhile, they refuse to touch 88 percent of the budget that largely includes defense spending. They actually want to give the Pentagon more money.
They want to cut education, too, you know, that socialist program that enables every child to receive a free education from kindergarten through high school. They want to eliminate unions that represent employees of these social programs – you know, teachers and policemen and firemen. The real core of this whole thing, though, is the social agenda, which boils down to two things: cut funding for Planned Parenthood and to the EPA. In other words, deny women access to health services and don’t bother regulating the pollution in the air we breathe.The dems say they won’t cave on these two issues. But we wonder.
It seems they always cave to Republican demands. Even when they had the majority, they caved in the interests of “bipartisanship.” John Boehner, the majority leader for the Repugs, wanted 32 million in cuts; the Dems gave him $33 million. Or is it up to $35 billion? But money really isn’t the point. It’s those two critical social issues for them.
From a Huffington Post article on this topic: “A government shutdown occurs when a government discontinues providing services that are not considered “essential.” Typically, essential services include police, fire fighting, armed forces, utilities and corrections. Interestingly, Congress and the President are exempt from the furlough and continue to receive compensation despite the fact that other services are suspended.”
The last time this happened was in 1995, under Clinton, when Gingrich was majority leader. Even though Clinton came out of it stronger in the polls, look at what happened to him afterward – the Lewinsky scandal, impeachment, a personal shutdown. Clinton recovered, of course, and has gone on to become, like Carter, a stellar ex-president. But what does this bode for Obama?
On March 23, he was locked out of the White House, certainly not a good sign for keeping the government functioning. In fact, if the shutdown occurs, the lockout was a precognitive synchronicity.
If the government shuts down, it means our massive interest payments on debt to China and other countries won’t be paid. That alone could spell cataclysm to financial markets. On a personal level, Social Security checks will be delayed, no new applications for SS or Medicare will be taken, even checks to the troops will be delayed. During the last shutdown in the 90s, about.com reports that more than 800,000 calls about SSD claims went unanswered, that FHA mortgages and loans were delayed, and forget obtaining a passport. Oh, and don’t count on a tax refund getting to you any time soon.
Of course, certain functions within the government are exempt from a shutdown. The war machine continues. Members of Congress continue to receive their pay checks and benefits and so do employees in the executive branch. But if you tighten the torture screws on the general populace to the point where the pain becomes unbearable, revolution ensues, something shifts, and it isn’t because of weapons and violence. It’s due to a tipping point in consciousness. And that’s what 2012 may be about.
If Obama, the man who ran on a mantra of change, wins the 2012 election, it probably won’t be by the huge margins that ushered him into office in 2008. The synchros and signs seem clear on that. Part of the reason is the disenchantment of the Left, which sees Obama backtracking on closing Gitmo, getting out of Iraq, rescinding the Patriot Act, and eliminating big tax breaks for the richest Americans. If those voters stay home in 2012, Obama is in trouble.
Meanwhile, he continues to attempt to appease conservatives, who are not impressed. Whatever action Obama takes, they’re opposed to it. Libya is a great example. The warmongers, who supported and continue to defend Bush’s two wars, suddenly turned into war critics. Talk about hypocrisy.
We’re entering a period of transition where nothing is certain, there are no guarantees. That’s why so many are grasping for the good ol’ days, clinging to the past. But it’s all up for grabs and where these chips fall seems to depend on our collective consciousness, on how closely we listen to and follow our personal synchros.
