October 5, 2013

How long did the government shut down of 1995-96 last? 21 days (and straight through Christmas)

http://www.policymic.com/articles/65859/how-long-did-the-government-shutdown-last-in-1995-depends-on-which-time

The scenario was a Newt Gingrich-led House of Representatives, at war with a Democratic-led Senate and Bill Clinton in the White House. Gingrich had recently unveiled his "Contract With America," and having trouble pushing it through the Senate, he threatened not to have the chamber vote on raising the debt ceiling as a negotiating tactic.

Disaster was averted when a continuing resolution was passed, giving the parties another month to negotiate. But at the end of it, they were still at odds. As a result, on November 13, 1995, the federal government shut down. On November 19, Clinton and Congress agreed on the broad concept of balancing the budget in seven years, and another continuing resolution was passed.

The talks yielded no progress and on December 15, 1995, the most recent federal government shutdown went into effect and lasted 21 days, which only ended on January 6, 1996, when President Clinton and Congress agreed to a seven year balanced budget, with modest spending cuts and tax increases.

In the end, Gingrich and the Republicans managed to wrangle Clinton into negotiations over the budget, but lost heavily in a political sense. A plurality of Americans were deeply unhappy about the shutdown itself, which they blamed on Republicans.

If you look at the polls, a similar scenario could play out this time. Will it be another policy win, but political loss, for Republicans?
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I remember people calling Newt "The Gingrinch who Stole Christmas". The shutdown cost the Republicans politically, but they only lost a couple of seats in Congress in the 1996 elections. I really want to hope for the best, and I would love to see Nancy Pelosi back in charge of the House, but the cynic in me says that history often repeats itself. Also, the way the House districts are currently gerrymandered means that the Reapers have a virtual headlock on about 190+ of those districts.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_House_of_Representatives_elections,_1996

October 4, 2013

Shutdown fulfills GOP’s Confederate fantasies

http://www.salon.com/2013/10/02/shutdown_fulfills_gops_confederate_fantasies/singleton/

It's a way of acting out a deeply held secessionist dream
BY STEVEN ROSENFELD
WEDNESDAY, OCT 2, 2013 07:41 AM PDT

<...>

The most apt historical precedent for today’s marauder Republicans is the old Confederacy, where the provocateurs are not merely intent on stopping federal governance, but withdrawing from it or sabotaging it if they can’t get their way. Today’s Tea Party darlings like Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and the House right-wingers driving the federal shutdown are cut from the same disunionist cloth as the old Southerners who fomented secession and the Civil War.

They have branded Obamacare as their Tariff of Abominations, which were export taxes imposed by Northern industrial states the South railed against before the Civil War. Fox News is the disunionists’ Charleston Mercury,egging on the rebels, and seeking to convey legitimacy to their crusade to save government not by fixing things, but by blowing it up piece-by-piece.

The Republican confederates don’t want to follow any law or election result they don’t like. Whether it’s Obamacare’s coverage of the poorest of the poor, federalgun control, reproductive choice or even the Voting Rights Act, there’s been a parade of red-state politicians in recent years working to exempt themselves and their states from federal rights, laws and remedies.

This is not a new list or trend, but it is growing and is ominous. At its base, it does not share a belief in national government. It includes the 28 states that sued to overturn Obamacare or not participate in it. It includes the two dozen states that passed so-called firearms freedom legislation, which thumbs its nose at federal gun controls. It includes states that don’t want new voter suppressionlaws subject to the 1965 Voting Rights Act. They include states whose public health options do not include family planning.

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October 3, 2013

Man Shoots Off Gun In Pants During Hug, Accidentally Kills Girlfriend

Man Shoots Off Gun In Pants During Hug, Accidentally Kills Girlfriend
Posted: 10/02/2013 1:22 pm EDT | Updated: 10/02/2013 1:49 pm EDT

An Arizona woman died after her boyfriend accidentally shot off a handgun he had tucked into his waistband Tuesday morning.

The 18-year-old man had been hugging his 24-year-old girlfriend when she complained that the weapon was making her uncomfortable, according to KTVK.

The man discharged the gun while attempting to remove it, shooting the woman, according to police.

The woman was rushed to an area hospital and later pronounced dead. Police have not released names in the shooting. Phoenix Police Department spokesman Sgt. Tommy Thompson told ABC Phoenix that the shooting appears to be accidental, but is still under investigation.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/02/man-shoots-off-gun-pants-kills-girlfriend_n_4030640.html

Why was he carrying, anyway?

October 2, 2013

Slimdown? SLIMDOWN??!! What kind of Orwellian doublespeak is this?

I mean what the f'n fuck, Faux News? You guys come up with some doozies, but this one is so...irksome!

Every other source out there is calling it a shutdown, but in your bubble of Rethuglican slant and spin, you are choosing to portray this as some kind of "slimdown" diet for the government?

God, I hate you people. Why don't you call it what it really is, which is a full-on assault on the poor of this country.

Personal anecdote: I went to the EDD office today in Watsonville, California to apply for a Worker's Retraining program where the government will pay for classes to get you into a field which is currently in high demand. I went there hoping they could help me to complete a paralegal certificate course. (I worked as a paralegal for several years prior to being laid off a few months ago.) There were 20 people in line for 30 spots when I showed up at 7:55 AM. The doors opened for us at 8:30 and the enrollment class was supposed to start at 9:00 AM.

Guess what they told us? Their funding comes from the federal government at the beginning of every month, and due to the government shutdown, the enrollment was cancelled until they get their funding. They had us fill out the forms and told us they would contact us as soon as the funding is provided. I am quite sure that similar cases are being played out for millions of people around the nation.

When the director asked if there were any questions, I raised my hand and said, "Yes, I have a question. Why does anyone still vote Republican?" It got a big laugh from everyone, even him, although he did maintain his professional demeanor.

Anyway, there's my rant. Thanks for reading.

And, so how the F does, Faux Snooze get by with calling this a "slimdown", like the Rethugs are just putting the bloated Federal gubment on a diet and feeding it some Slimfast? What they are really conducting is a blatant assault on Americans and especially poor Americans because the big babies did not get their way in the last election, except in one house of one branch of government.

God, it's so obvious. They are immature little brats, children, who are basically saying, "If you don't play the game by my rules, I am taking my ball and going home with it. And I don't care how many of my countrymen's lives are adversely affected by this. I just want my way! Wahhhhhh!"