It's About the Noise, Stupid!

 

by Pa Rock

Taxpayer 

The United States government officially "shut down" at midnight last night which, in reality, means damned little because most essential services to the noisiest segments of society will continue uninterrupted.  The Defense Department will roll merrily along, though they will certainly furlough some of their civilian staff during this well-controlled "crisis" to look as though they don't have the keys to the US Treasury and are taking the situation seriously.  But in the end, those civilians will be back as soon as Congress gets its act together and comes to some consensus - which they always do - eventually.  Service members and "essential" civilian staff may have to go to work without pay, but, by law, they will be reimbursed after the crisis is over.

(In a former life a few years ago I was a federal civilian worker at a military base and was furloughed for over two weeks during a government shutdown.  We had been told to be careful with our money during the budget mess because we would likely receive no back pay for the time we were out, but when it all ended, our back pay showed up.  It had been a paid vacation.   The only actual downside to the entire situation was that we had to remain in the area during the furloughs in the event the crisis ended abruptly and we were suddenly called back to work.)

The government usually takes care of its own, but the Trump administration has shown little empathy for federal workers, so the current group may not be as well treated as me and my cohort had been.  In fact, they are now talking "lay-offs" instead of furloughs, which means some people could lose their jobs permanently.  The adolescents at the phony Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) tried that earlier this year, and many employees who had been dismissed in Elon's bloodlust purge ultimately had to be quietly rehired in order to keep the government functioning.  (They were more necessary than Stephen Miller and Elon Musk had realized.)

The US Postal Servicc (USPS), a quasi-government agency that generates much of its own income, will keep running, too.  Not only is the USPS less dependent on government largess than other agencies, it is also a necessary service that, if interrupted, would generate a mighty public howl that would be heard throughout the halls of Congress.  

Air traffic is another "essential" public service, so TSA and Air Traffic Controllers will remain on duty.  Airport closures or a spate of air disasters would harm commercial interests and enrage air travelers, and US politicians would not have the courage or the desire to unleash that level of wrath among the American flying public.

Social Security and Medicare are safe and will continue to be paid, at least for now, because. the elderly are a growing block of well-informed and active voters.   If gramma gets pissed-off, her lazy-ass congressman will hear about it!  The checks will keep coming, although some who are currently in the process of trying to enroll in these programs may face delays.  Medicaid payments should also continue uninterrupted.

Federal retirees (yeah, team!) are old, well organized, and loud.  They, too, are expeccted to keep receiving their retirement checks uninterrupted.

US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) are also expected to remain operational, and new citizenship applications will continue to be processed.

And, the US President and Members of Congress, the very people who caused this financial and government boondoggle, will keep getting paid.  (Praise, Jesus!)

(Presumably, too, work on Trump's gymnasium / ballroom addition to the White House - a $200 million project - will continue uninterrupted, as will the estimated $5 billion upgrade to the plane that the Royal Family of Qatar gave to Trump as a personal gift - a plane now temporarily owned by the government but which will be gifted to the Trump Presidential Library for his personal use in the event he retires or leaves office.)

So, if the government is "shut down," yet all of the aforesaid remain funded and operational,  what, pray tell, is being "cut?"

Some government employees deemed "essential" will be required to work without pay during the shutdown.  (I've been there and done that dance also.). Other government employees including active duty military, air traffic controllers, may have to work on an unpaid basis until the shutdown is over, but they are guaranteed eventual backpay for that time by law.

Federal contractors may be furloughed or laid off during the crisis without the guarantee of back pay.  

Small business and housing loans may cease.

And, of course, SNAP and WIC assistance benefits will dry up and cease to be offered.

Loud-mouthed grannies and gramps, angry air passengers, and the military will keep on keeping on, but hungry babies will have to make other plans.  Our politicians and leaders are well insulated from the sad eyes and hungry cries of malnourished  babies.

Trump told the nation's military leaders yesterday that he is going to give the Pentagon a trillion dollars next year.  Wouldn't it be nice to live in a world where governments were focused providing their citizens with those levels of funding on things they could use - like nutrition assistance, clean air and water, safe housing, good educational opportunities, first-rate healthcare, safe working conditions, and decent wages?

Wouldn't it be great if everyone had a voice in our government and were't gerrymandered into the silence?

Wouldn't it be life-altering if everyone, even the least among us, could be heard?

Inequality:  in the end it's all about the noise.