[Sixstrings]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'W')ASHINGTON -- House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) upped the odds of a government shutdown Thursday, saying he would not support a short-term funding bill if his near-certain budget battle between the House and the Democratic-run Senate takes longer than two weeks.

As the clock ticks down to March 4, when the current stopgap funding measure expires, Boehner shot down what many considered to be the surest way to keep government agencies running while the two chambers hammer out the differences between their respective spending bills.

(snip)

If a government shutdown occurs, thousands of government programs would shut down immediately, with workers and contractors losing their paychecks until funding started up again, at which point they would be paid retroactively.

If the House GOP's spending plan is passed as is, economists estimate that 1 million Americans could lose their jobs. Boehner, who previously said "so be it" when presented with the possibility of public-sector job losses resulting from budget cuts, seemed to stand behind that sentiment on Thursday.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/17/john-boehner-wont-back-budget-stopgap_n_824633.html

[Plantagenet]

When democrats want a government shutdown, they run away and hide.

That technique is working great in Wisconsin, where the democrats have run away and are hiding in another state so they can shut down the state legislature.

[basil_hayden]

2 months (16.67%) ought to be about right to balance the budget.

[Ludi]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Sixstrings', '
')Well lots of seniors and vets are gonna be mad if their benefits stop due to a shutdown.

[Timo]

It seems to me something BIG happened in Egypt recently. Something about a whole lot of angry citizens really pissed at their government. I believe that actually caused a government shutdown, too! Come to think of it, it actually caused someone to lose his job.

[Cog]

One million people should lose their jobs. That is we should cut the federal budget enough to make that happen.

The threatened shutdown is just political theater. When the Repubs get serious and start making $500-600 billion cuts from the budget and get rid of half of the federal worker bloat, I will take their efforts more seriously.

[Plantagenet]

They just found the Wisconsin democrats who ran away to shut down the Wisconsin legislature. Where do you think they are hiding?

They're all hanging out and playing shuffleboard at a poshy resort in Illinois!

[PrestonSturges]

Close the airports, close the locks on the Ohio river, furlough the customs agents and close the borders, send home the Capitol Hill police department, turn off the lights in Senate, and close the Smithsonian.

Then let Boehner pitch a fit and demand that Social Security be cut.

[pup55]

http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/politics/2011/02/06/sotu.simpson.extended.intv.cnn.html

This was on the other night. Simpson correctly says that all of the earmarks, discretionary spending, waste fraud and abuse and everything else is chicken feed, and unless they start to cut medicare, medicaid, social security and defense, the problem will continue.

And it also correctly says that the problem will not get fixed because the re-election of the politicians who have to vote for it is more important than doing the right thing....

[Plantagenet]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PrestonSturges', 'C')lose the airports, close the locks on the Ohio river, furlough the customs agents and close the borders, send home the Capitol Hill police department, turn off the lights in Senate, and close the Smithsonian... demand that Social Security be cut.

[Cloud9]

Nothing will happen.

[Outcast_Searcher]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pup55', '[')url]http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/politics/2011/02/06/sotu.simpson.extended.intv.cnn.html[/url]

This was on the other night. Simpson correctly says that all of the earmarks, discretionary spending, waste fraud and abuse and everything else is chicken feed, and unless they start to cut medicare, medicaid, social security and defense, the problem will continue.

And it also correctly says that the problem will not get fixed because the re-election of the politicians who have to vote for it is more important than doing the right thing....

[PrestonSturges]

The budget has to go to the Senate which will wrangle out the crap about defunding pap smears and AIDS testing at Planned Parenthood, which is a shame because I'd love to see a government shutdown over contraception just to convince the rest of the world we are completely insane.

Also, I'm not really sure the GOP's corporate masters really want to see this happen.

But yeah, I'd say close the airports, shut down the seaports, kill the feeds to the weather satellites and GPS units, lock the border crossings, close the national parks, and make Congress work by flashlight. Over birth control.

[Keith_McClary]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PrestonSturges', ' ')lock the border crossings

[gollum]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Outcast_Searcher', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pup55', '[')url]http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/politics/2011/02/06/sotu.simpson.extended.intv.cnn.html[/url]

This was on the other night. Simpson correctly says that all of the earmarks, discretionary spending, waste fraud and abuse and everything else is chicken feed, and unless they start to cut medicare, medicaid, social security and defense, the problem will continue.

And it also correctly says that the problem will not get fixed because the re-election of the politicians who have to vote for it is more important than doing the right thing....

[Keith_McClary]

What budget-cutting amendments has the House passed this week?
Dozens of 'em. See any patterns?

[Cog]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Keith_McClary', '[')url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2011/02/what-budget-cutting-amendments.html]What budget-cutting amendments has the House passed this week?[/url]
Dozens of 'em. See any patterns?

[vision-master]

[Lore]

What jokers, a pretty safe game of making tuff cuts when you know that the measures will never pass the Senate or the Presidential veto.

I say let them all go through and more, then watch the Tea Party hounds wail. It's all fine when you assume it's not your neck on the line. Just be careful what you ask for.

[Cog]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Lore', 'W')hat jokers, a pretty safe game of making tuff cuts when you know that the measures will never pass the Senate or the Presidential veto.

I say let them all go through and more, then watch the Tea Party hounds wail. It's all fine when you assume it's not your neck on the line. Just be careful what you ask for.