The United States is closed! Go home!

[Havoc]

I've seen a lot of bullshit spawn in the United States of 'Murica, but this takes the cake.

The Republicans are fiercely opposing 'Obamacare', because god forbid everyone has affordable healthcare. In turn the Democrats aren't willing to move an inch on the matter and refuse to change the plans for Obamacare at all.

Because no agreement was reached the entire United States government is now in lockdown. About 800.000 non-essential government employees are being sent home without pay until further notice. Damage to the economy is estimated at about 1 billion dollars a week.

It's absolutely ridiculous. The level of leadership and sense of responsibility is no higher in Washington than it is in fucking kindergarten. How people in the US constantly put up with this is completely beyond me. Backwards ass country.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/01/politi...html?hpt=hp_t1

[Slog Bait]

Pretty sure something similar happened when Clinton was in office. Hahaha I was like 2

At least something was passed allowing military to still get paid during the shut down.

Please get me out of this country

[STM]

Just when the American economy was in phase one (or two depending on your perception) of recovery, labour markets were growing and companies were turning out ore profit, the government do this. I think politicians in general, are forgetting that they work for us.

[Varrok]

Good thing I live in Poland, which suck all the time.

[Manco]

Pretty sure something similar happened when Clinton was in office. Hahaha I was like 2

Didn’t something like this happen more recently, too? Like last year or something?

[Bullet Magnet]

How is this not treason?

[Havoc]

Didn’t something like this happen more recently, too? Like last year or something?

I think it nearly happened last year.

[Spooce-aholic]

So is America an anarchy now?

[DarkHoodness]

Things may be bad in the UK with the government increasingly screwing over the poor while letting tax evaders walk free and continuing to spend money they don't have on white elephants, but at least it's not as bad as throwing a hissy fit because you can't agree on a compromise. (Although we don't have a decent left-wing opposition any more, anyway...)

Still, it's yet another thing which further reduces the credibility of politics. I'm sure the American people didn't vote for a shut down. Guess it's just a big game for some if they think doing that to make their point is acceptable.

[OANST]

It'll only last a day or so.

[STM]

That gives Nicholas Cage 24 hours to steal the Declaration of Independence.

[Varrok]

Does stealing it equal it stopping working?

[Wings of Fire]

It's actually the only way to keep it working.

[Varrok]

I don't get it.

[Wings of Fire]

It's called a plot twist!

[Bullet Magnet]

Among the non-essential services currently being ransomed is science. All of it. The NSF is shut down, Pubmed is off-line, NASA has closed it's doors, everyone who isn't keeping the ISS astronauts safe is on unexpected vacation. Curiosity is taking a furlough in safe mode on Mars. The USDA is down and out. NIH is on a skeleton crew. According to Francis Collins they'd had to turn away 200 people due for clinic trials this week, including 30 kids, most of them cancer patients.

[Jordan]

Everyone in this world is fucking retarded.

[Havoc]

So what exactly needs to happen to solve this problem? One side needs to give in to the other?

[OANST]

Yup.

[STM]

You mean, politicians will have to put aside political difference and personal squabbles to benefit the rest of the population?

American government is going to be adjourned for millennia!

[Wings of Fire]

A bipartisan compromise over this would only damage the US in the long run. Both society and the legitimacy of the government.

[Bullet Magnet]

Did you know there is actually a debate within the republican party about the legitimacy of compromise in their politics? The Democrats have already compromised themselves into oblivion, effectively selling their souls. Very little of what they have passed has been what they actually wanted. They can't actually compromise any further. But they aren't being asked to compromise. The GOP's magazine-letter ransom note basically says "If you want to see your country again, repeal everything you have done for the past five years."

[Havoc]

Wasn't there some sort of law that enables to common citizen to overthrow the government if they mess up this badly? Oh right, that's why you're allowed GUNS!

Not that I'm saying that people should go into Washington guns ablazin', but the this bullshit has to end at some point. Kick everyone out and start over. Fresh elections, fresh everything. And for the love of god, lose the two party system, it's ridiculous.

[moxco]

Yeah, mob rule is a great idea. Especially when enacted by the demographic enthusiastic about guns.

[Bullet Magnet]

They're the ones actually supporting the government shutdown. I expect that they'll soon be discovering just how dependant they really are.

[Nate]

Not that I'm saying that people should go into Washington guns ablazin', but the this bullshit has to end at some point. Kick everyone out and start over. Fresh elections, fresh everything. And for the love of god, lose the two party system, it's ridiculous.

Sadly, there's nothing in the US constitution to allow elections aside from on a regular schedule. As compared to Australia, where the last time a party tried to block the bill of supply everyone got fired and elections were held immediately.

[MA]

Things may be bad in the UK with the government increasingly screwing over the poor while letting tax evaders walk free and continuing to spend money they don't have on white elephants, but at least it's not as bad as throwing a hissy fit because you can't agree on a compromise. (Although we don't have a decent left-wing opposition any more, anyway...)

put me in charge and we'll go so far left you'll think we've done a 360.

Among the non-essential services currently being ransomed is science. All of it. The NSF is shut down, Pubmed is off-line, NASA has closed it's doors, everyone who isn't keeping the ISS astronauts safe is on unexpected vacation. Curiosity is taking a furlough in safe mode on Mars. The USDA is down and out. NIH is on a skeleton crew. According to Francis Collins they'd had to turn away 200 people due for clinic trials this week, including 30 kids, most of them cancer patients.

so another dark age then?

if all these top scientists and shit made a false religion, like The Faith of Science or some shit, made it that furthering the bounderies of science was their way of praising The Science God, and actually managed to pull this off and have it as a religion, would that mean people wouldn't be able to just pull funding and stop work because of it being a religion and all? or does work come before god?

or is that a stupid question?

[Bullet Magnet]

It means they wouldn't get funded at all. but they would be tax exempt, which I'm sure will build plenty of particle accelerators.

[Havoc]

It means they wouldn't get funded at all. but they would be tax exempt, which I'm sure will build plenty of particle accelerators.

Churches in the US rake in millions of dollar a year and don't pay any taxes. It's business model like any other. If science made itself a religion (oh the irony) they might even raise more money than they did before.

[Wings of Fire]

Cafes and restaurants are offering discounts and freebies to any of the 800,000 federal workers who are no longer at their desks.

At Sugarfire Smoke House in St Louis, the so-called Government Shutdown Sandwich - beef brisket, smoked turkey, pulled pork, lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle - has been snapped up by employees unexpectedly kicking their heels this week. And it's free, no identity card required.

"We have a lot of government employees in St Louis," says restaurant owner Mike Johnson.

"I'm upset they're out of work just because these guys can't get along. We gave away 50 yesterday and 100 today. I'd give away 1,000 and I wouldn't care. If I lose a bit of money, so be it. I opened a year ago and it's been a good year."

There are dozens of similar deals - especially for sandwiches and baguettes - to be found in the cafes and restaurants of Washington DC and over the Potomac River in Arlington, Virginia.

If I were American I'd feel very proud about that.