Shutdown is here.

[waltj]

@waltj,

If you are recalled to work you are working and you should be paid. Kinda simple.

You missed the point. Everybody is taking excessive time off and not attending to the work they were elected to do. Congress out till...? The Senate, another long weekend.

 

[Boghie]

You missed the point. Everybody is taking excessive time off and not attending to the work they were elected to do. Congress out till...? The Senate, another long weekend.

There is truth to that, but whatever...

Everybody wants Congress to work deals to cross party lines. With a debt load of $38 Trillion and annual deficits in excess of $1.7 Trillion the game has finally become dog-eat-dog, a true zero-sum-game. There can no longer be: I'll trade funding for my 'Bridge to Nowhere' for your funding of a 'Woodstock Museum'. There ain't no money, honey.

This is the way of the future and it will get harder.

Math has no bias.

 

[Zapple]

Well said. We're in uncharted budgetary territory to say the least. The next economic crisis won't be the same as previous ones, but it will rhyme and be painful for a lot of folks.

 

[nasa1974]

Why don't they just take back the tax breaks given to the millionaires and billionaires. That should help. Of course that means less in donations for the ballroom.
Bottom line is unless they sit down and talk nothing will get done except hurting the American people.

 

[Boghie]

Why don't they just take back the tax breaks given to the millionaires and billionaires. That should help. Of course that means less in donations for the ballroom.
Bottom line is unless they sit down and talk nothing will get done except hurting the American people.

It's a filibuster. The House bill would pass if/when the filibuster clears.

And, it is a spending problem, not a revenue problem.

Inflation adjusted:

Fiscal Year	Revenue	Expense
2019	4,247 Billion	5,455 Billion
2024	4,918 Billion	6,751 Billion
% Increase	+15.8%	+23.7%

This is not an issue with millionaires and billionaires. Inflation adjusted revenue has increased dramatically, but we decided to spend lots more than that huge increase!!! Did you get any real value from that amazing spending growth?

There is no money floating around for CongressCritters to bargain with. They've spent the design margin. Winter is coming.

 

[Boghie]

Obama tax code (pre-Trump)...

Inflation adjusted:

Fiscal Year	Revenue	Expense
2016	4,268 Billion	5,037 Billion
2024	4,918 Billion	6,751 Billion
% Increase	+15.2%	+34.0%