PrestonSturges wrote:If this issue is not solved this week, there will be devastating as it spills over in the Christmas shopping season.
If this ain't solved in time before Nov 1, Christmas is the least of our worries.Checks that will not go out:
* 62.69 million Social Security checks. That is *devastating* to the economy. That's rent and mortgage payments not going out. Besides old folks and people with serious disabilities literally starving, it means all that money is not spent in the economy. That's somewhere around $62 billion dollars sucked out of the US real main street economy for the month of November.
* 2.44 million federal employee pension checks
* 856,677 military pension checks
* And whatever other veteran checks there are that go out. We're talking combat vets with brain injuries and missing limbs, who need their checks to pay the rent and buy food and keep the heat on.
The lack of comprehension among these people is terrifying..
I know. Tea Party is literally stupid, uneducated, and batsh*t crazy.
But I criticize Obama some on this too though Preston. Situation is very serious, he should have addressed the nation by now, I don't think people realize.
You've got Obama throwing his hands up, giving up, as the Tea Party hurtles us off the cliff. But he can't do that, he's still the President and needs to step up even if the Tea Party is utterly insane he can't just let them tank the whole country.
I totally get the "don't give in to hostage taking" thing, but it's time for some reasonable compromise. But nobody's budging, Obama called Boehner's plan too far to the right, while Boehner couldn't pass it anyway with his base saying too far to the left! Maybe Dems need to give them something substantial, Preston. A year delay on the individual mandate, some other things that honestly most Americans would be for, there's things Dems could compromise on but they don't want to. Give them that stupid medical device tax delay. Go ahead and make congressional staffers pay for their healthcare premium -- these are really small potatoes, it's time to compromise. We need some reasonableness here, and both sides have that responsibility.
I don't see Obama doing enough. He's acting like this is a normal sequester shutdown thing but we're bumping up against social security checks here. At minimum there needs to be a nationwide address with him at a desk like old Reagan used to do, let folks know how serious it is.
Enough of the press conferences and business as usual, if we get into national emergency territory then the president has to step up and let people know he's got it under control.
(I may be worrying too much, I think the House may at least pass a few week CR just to buy more time.. and Boehner always has the option of just grabbing 20 sensible Republicans and all the Democratic votes. If he will make that choice, and risk his speakership.)