The US government’s shutdown is a political battle on all fronts, and even though the military is one of the least impacted parts of the government, it has become one of the centerpieces for the political wrangling.
Officials, particularly President Trump, are trying to brand the shutdown as proof that the other side don’t support the troops, and that the cuts are a threat to national security. But what is actually happening to the military?
Not much. With materially everything military-related branded “essential,” it continues untouched. The one thing that’s not happening is that the troops aren’t being immediately paid. Rather, the troops will have to wait for back pay until after the deal is finally reached.
That really doesn’t have an impact on national security, not indeed is there any indication any other part of the shutdown does, as the “essential” services were stretched so far that the Armed Forces Network was still broadcasting the NFL playoffs on Sunday afternoon as “essential” services.
What rubbish! There is this lie that lives in all media — that nobody gets hurt! Tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands if contract employees will not get paid! How many IT professionals alone are in this group! These nasty politicians just save some money this way — to play with. While many go without, worrying about paying bills.
By not getting paid — I mean not getting paid ever. Most contracting corporations just do not pay staff if not working.
Yeah, so??? Again, EVERY PENNY that comes via the federal government starts with the THEFT from some hard-working American who, giving any REAL CHOICE, would NEVER pay for the tasks these people are performing (most of which likely violate or endanger his/her freedom. privacy, future, etc.).
Yes, I agree. How do you propose to fix this? Because today as you know, federal government is an employer, and while some prople think they are more important then others, and should be paid, while others should not. And until we figure out what to do — how to change the universe so that no federal government is needed, and thus — no federal government employyes, we need to support other fellow human beings.
If you think that a nirvana offered by globalist version of society is more just and humane, have a good look at the globe trotting billionaires, dispensing micro credits to poor around the globe, with the trail of suicides in thejr wake. Let us just not get rid of our institutions. They are rotting, but the very prople who would like to see them rot — cannot wait for us idiots to dismantle them. It us because are smart and have a goal, while we cannot see beyond the noise of this theater. But I have hope. God takes care of drunks and fools.
“How do you propose to fix this?”
Smashing the state wouldn’t fix everything.
But it’s the essential first step.
Open the ENTIRE marketplace up to free market competition. FORCE the government employees/government “services” to EARN the money they get (rather than simply STEAL IT). If they are good enough to make it….great. If not, we get something (many things) better that serve our needs likely for less. Its not that certain services are required. It should be up to the CONSUMER what they want, not politicians.
The people who get robbed to pay those contractors get hurt every day. Where’s your sympathy for them?
Strange logic. By extension, every family today is in in one way or the other involved in partaking in this robbery. And I am not talking about corporations whose tentacles are attached to federal government — but their employees. If you are one of the untold thousands of IT workers, you are neither a person, nor an emploee. You are not a corporation either. These are the people who sit in the same offices as federal employees, yet fhey will not get paid for days not worked. I am sure corporations have made sure their profits are secure, but their emploees are free to enjoy unexpected unemployment. And, yes, all those systems are a mess, with multiple generations of technology overlapping, making life interesting for the security experts, who can fo only so much.
I am surprised that you would target people who like anybody else are looking for jobs, investing in their careers, paying taxes. Why are we turning on each other?
I’m not “targeting” anyone. I’m just noticing where the parasitism takes place.
The military wasn’t a hot topic it was the ONLY topic.
Anything that we don’t deem essential, why is the government doing it at all in the first place? It’s definitely not essential to be continuously killing people on the far side of the world with nothing to show for it. If the government is really shut down, stop everything and let’s see what that looks like.
Members of both Houses of Congress certainly shouldn’t be paid while the government’s shut down; the vast majority of them have been acting as toddlers when threatening this shutdown, and they’re still acting as toddlers. Take away their “salaries”; that’ll end this idiotic shutdown in a flash .. After all, We the People are their boss. We definitely don’t need a bunch of toddlers on Capitol Hill.
the military might of the USA is for aggression and has no impact on national security. If the money could be used to feed, clothe, educate, house and give jobs and healthcare to everyone who needs it (ie most of the population apart from the very rich) the country would spend less, have people with high morale, fewer drug deaths and war injuries/depression and the only losers would be the weapons makers and their supporters in Congress. LOL