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Wolf Blitzer delivers the most important breaking news and political, international, and national security stories of the day. Tune to The Situation Room weekdays 5-7pm ET on CNN.
October 10th, 2013
11:50 AM ET
Shutdown outrage: The pain and the perks
Hundreds of thousands of federal employees have been furloughed, but Congress's gym, declared "essential," remains open. CNN's Erin McPike takes a look at the pains and perks of the government shutdown.
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The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer is the command center for breaking news, politics and extraordinary reports from around the world. Tune in weeknights from 5-7pm ET on CNN.
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Thanks White House @PressSec Karine Jean-Pierre for joining me tonight in the @CNNSitRoom https://t.co/sku1glBMR1
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A Canadian who can't fathom how the politicians in Washington can be so stupid with their ongoing shenanigans, I've just watched "shutdown fallout." Why don't the people take things into their own hands and catch crabs, make and dispense beer, enter the state and national parks, without the permits. If everyone did it, I'm sure people would support them with donations to cover legal costs just to get things moving in a positive manner.
The republicans have lost the power to govern this country and talk to the American people. The Dem. have gotten all the power and they have to stay strong the short bill for 6 weeks the republicans has to open the governmant and extend the deffiacent to pay all of are bills.Republicans and the Tea Party need to be removed from power sense they dont want to make America a stronger and powerful nation to live in,and they dont care about the people that are trying to make a living here and have a strong muddle class in this great nation. The republicans are greedy for money that is only thing they want to make middle class and any other class poor and the class making more than 250,000 or more a year richer with more tax breaks that they dont need. in my stat of mind the republican party has become a big joke of this nation.
Wolf – Gerrymandering to gain a permanent GOP majority in the House of Representatives is a genuine threat to Democracy in America. Why isn't there a debate to redistrict political boundaries more fairly and in accordance with actual demographics?
Republicans should take note: October is National Bullying Prevention Month, and they clearly fit the bully description right now. I am an independent so I do not owe allegiance to either party, but I have to ask, WHAT in God's name is the GOP doing? They are behaving disgracefully. Even if most of the irrational demands are coming from a small group in the GOP, the rest of them who just stand by and watch as these spiteful "bullies" hurt everyone around them for their own self-serving demands, must share the blame. Sadly, legitimate Republicans are either additional victims of these bullies, too weak to stop the attack, or worse, they are the sort of cowards who turn their heads and let it happen while saying it's not them throwing the punches. Either way, they seem pretty pathetic right now.
What I've come to learn over this shutdown and a possible default is as follows: The first line of "sacrifice" is payments from social security to the elderly, the disabled, and the children. The people least able to handle financial crisis are the first ones to suffer, and their suffrage would be devastating. The GOP doesn't care about the poor, or even the middle class. They care about their perks, their gym membership, and I heard one complain that the towel boys were laid off. Wow.
Instead of believing the President or the House Republicans on the impact of the debt ceiling being reached,. I checked the facts. I used as my major source "A Summary of the 2013 Annual Reports" by the Social Security and Medicare Board of Trustees for Social Security information. Contrary to the President's assertions that Social Security payments could be delayed. Benefits and administrative costs are paid out of the Trust funds taxes or reserves. All reserves are in treasury bonds backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. Taxes received for these programs are sufficient to fund all programs at least through the nest Congressional election( most for many years). There is no legal way to not make payments other than the entire Congress and the President agreeing to cut benefits by passing a new law or default on the full faith and credit of the United States.
As to the Republicans in the House who claim hitting the debt ceiling is not a major problem, I used 2012 Budget numbers and found once you remove Social Security and Medicare taxes from the budget and subtract other constitutionally safeguarded debts( items like bonds and pensions you are left with approximately 485 billion dollars to fund 1,285 trillion dollars in programs. Defense spending alone was 670 million. If we cut that number by a third, there would be virtually no money left for anything. That is total shutdown of everything or default.