There is a partial government shutdown this morning. After weeks of hype about how much of a disaster this would be, I was wondering if the sun would even come up, or if it had been placed on furlough. (Hey, is that a remedy for global warming?) We have watched news reports with countdown clocks in the corner and minutes and hours ticking slipping away until the calamity of a government shutdown occurred. We have been told that the stock market would crash due to the terrible uncertainty of such a shutdown. And we have also been told that this entire problem is the result of the GOP Tea Party conservatives being unreasonable and essentially criminal.
So what has happened? The sun came up and it is a beautiful day. The futures for the stock market indicate that the markets will open higher, an indication that investors don't care if the government is partially shut. There are no riots in the streets. Nothing much has happened. Oh, Obamacare exchanges have opened (why are they funded?) and some of them have already crashed.
For the media, however, it is Armageddon. And it is all the fault of Republican conservatives. CBS radio reported at length this morning that the standoff would continue until Republicans were "willing to compromise". You cannot make this stuff up; CBS actually said that. The truth, of course, is that president Obama and the Democrats refused to negotiate at all. The GOP made a series of offers and got no response but a resounding NO! When CBS says "willing to compromise" it actually means that the Republicans have to surrender and accept the opening position of the Democrats. Then there is the New York Times. It too is slanted in its reporting. (OK, no surprise there.) Yesterday, one of the items sought by the Republicans was to end the special treatment for members of Congress and administration officials and their staffs; the GOP in the House passed a measure that requires that the government people be treated like every other American when it comes to getting subsidies for healthcare. That move was required because president Obama waived provisions of Obamacare for these folks and arranged for them to get subsidies even if they make six figure salaries. The Times, however, reports this attempt to treat government honchos the same way that everyone else is treated in this way: Republicans seek to have government workers pay more for healthcare. For the Times, a battle about ending special privileges for Congress, the president and their staffs becomes an attempt to squeeze the poor federal workers (many of whom make $175,000 a year.)
So what has happened? The sun came up and it is a beautiful day. The futures for the stock market indicate that the markets will open higher, an indication that investors don't care if the government is partially shut. There are no riots in the streets. Nothing much has happened. Oh, Obamacare exchanges have opened (why are they funded?) and some of them have already crashed.
For the media, however, it is Armageddon. And it is all the fault of Republican conservatives. CBS radio reported at length this morning that the standoff would continue until Republicans were "willing to compromise". You cannot make this stuff up; CBS actually said that. The truth, of course, is that president Obama and the Democrats refused to negotiate at all. The GOP made a series of offers and got no response but a resounding NO! When CBS says "willing to compromise" it actually means that the Republicans have to surrender and accept the opening position of the Democrats. Then there is the New York Times. It too is slanted in its reporting. (OK, no surprise there.) Yesterday, one of the items sought by the Republicans was to end the special treatment for members of Congress and administration officials and their staffs; the GOP in the House passed a measure that requires that the government people be treated like every other American when it comes to getting subsidies for healthcare. That move was required because president Obama waived provisions of Obamacare for these folks and arranged for them to get subsidies even if they make six figure salaries. The Times, however, reports this attempt to treat government honchos the same way that everyone else is treated in this way: Republicans seek to have government workers pay more for healthcare. For the Times, a battle about ending special privileges for Congress, the president and their staffs becomes an attempt to squeeze the poor federal workers (many of whom make $175,000 a year.)
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