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I really hate that the media has labeled this a government shut down. Is the NSA going to stop spying on us? Are they still printing money? Are corporate sub
by throwaway420 13y ago
I really hate that the media has labeled this a government shut down.
Is the NSA going to stop spying on us?
Are they still printing money?
Are corporate subsidies still proceeding as normal?
Will they stop taxing us?
Will they stop giving out checks to the military industrial complex?
Will they stop military attacks? Will we still be felt up at airports?
Are they still going to throw people behind bars for illegal plants?
The reality is that all of the worst parts of the government are still running.
- jMyles 13y agoNailed it. I'm surprised there isn't more talk about this.
- Q6T46nT668w6i3m 13y agoYeah! Treasonous National Parks!
- rhelmer 13y agoNot sure who counts as "military industrial complex", but the Pentagon has already said that troops will not be paid: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gC5rwPOPzH3nTjqtHiOZE3z6LtXg?docId=6e822e78-125b-46a9-a3a6-fd545c8b2c76 http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gC5rwPOPz...
- deleted 13y ago[deleted]
- selmnoo 13y agoIt is worth noting, incidentally, that the DoD is the largest employer in the world: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_employers http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_employers
- icambron 13y agoWhich I think says something very sad about our national priorities.
- ars 13y agoThat we prioritize jobs? The DOD is a jobs program, with a side benefit of being a military. But mainly it's a jobs program that also does basic research and engineering.
- icambron 13y agoAll the other jobs being furloughed are also jobs. Why not prioritize them instead? It seems crazy to say, "yeah, those people we hired because we actually want them to work should go unpaid first, and the people we hired just as a jobs program should be kept hell or high water." Edit: s/laid off/go unpaid
- ars 13y agoI misunderstood you, I thought you were talking about the DOD being the largest employer, and our priorities about it existing. As for funding it, it's just because it was an easy vote, not because of priorities.
- icambron 13y agoEr, right. Reading back through the thread, I can see how that was confusing. My fault. As you've now surmised, I was just complaining about the military's special status vis-a-vis the shutdown, for which "that's a lot of jobs!" is inapposite. But while we're on it, I guess I should say this: I'm for the government providing jobs, but I am against them being in the military, and strongly believe they should be employed more productively and less violently. I can think of a lot of things a make-work program could fix but I can't think of anyone I want to kill.
- ars 13y ago
- wavesounds 13y agoI think he means the contracts are still in place for building more weapons and those weapons will continue being used despite the fact that soldiers and their families will not be receiving their pay.
- chaz 13y agoHours before the shutdown, Obama signed a bill that granted an exception to the military, ensuring it will continue to operate and troops will be paid: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/09/government-shutdown-senate-sends-obama-military-pay-bill-97582.html http://www.politico.com/story/2013/09/government-shutdown-se...
- icambron 13y agoWhich is also in the article: >But 1.4 million uniformed members of the military will stay on the job and will be paid, thanks to a last-minute bill unanimously passed by both houses and signed by Obama on Monday night. Which goes to show that no matter how dysfunctional our government becomes it will go to any length to ensure that it's still capable of killing lots of people.
- tedunangst 13y agoSomeone else might rephrase that as "no matter how dysfunctional our government becomes it will go to any length to ensure that those people who are asked to die in its name still receive the token remuneration promised them."
- icambron 13y ago"...and thus can continue being asked to die in its name."
- twoodfin 13y agoNot so: The House, Senate and President got a military pay bill in under the wire. http://www.politico.com/story/2013/09/government-shutdown-senate-sends-obama-military-pay-bill-97582.html http://www.politico.com/story/2013/09/government-shutdown-se...
- drill_sarge 13y agobill was passed right before to pay them. I don't think they want to risk not to pay the biggest police/military complex ever.
- vacri 13y agoWill they stop taxing us? Taxes are not evil, bad, or wrong. Excessive taxes are something you can argue about, but the mere existence of them is not evidence of evil.
- throwaway420 13y agoThanks for clarifying for me what opinions I'm allowed to have.
- ThomPete 13y agoClaiming that taxes are evil or good is hardly HN material. You are entitled to your opinion but please focus on factual matters, not just opinion pieces. I am sure we all have ours.
- deleted 13y ago[deleted]
- 001sky 13y agoClaiming that taxes are evil or good is hardly HN material. There was no such claim. Irony is not logic. Have the thought police out-lawed it on HN?
- davidw 13y agoThis whole article is not HN material, really. You can see why, too: most of the comments are extremely predictable, and predictably bad.
- vacri 13y agoIt appears that you don't think I should be allowed to share opinions of my own. This is curious, given your clear opposition to the trappings of oppression.
- aroman 13y agoI think he was objecting to your presentation of your opinion as axiomatic fact. (Notice, for what it's worth, that I said "I think" and not "Actually, he was". The core meaning is the same, but the former phrasing makes it more clear that I am aware the statement was my opinion. Acknowledging that something you say is an opinion is an important part of having a healthy discussion, I think.)
- Aloisius 13y agoAbout half the DoD is going home (civilian side). Also the IRS will stop all audits since it is losing a huge chunk of its staff.
- ewoodrich 13y agoI'm sure that the 98% of NASA staff that will be furloughed will consider it to be shutdown.