Editorial

No quick answer to government shutdown likely

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

The sun came up this morning and the electricity still works, but that doesn't mean the overnight shutdown of the federal government won't be felt in McCook and Southwest Nebraska.

We don't have any federal parks nearby, like the Scottsbluff National Monument, Niobrara Scenic River or Homestead National Monument -- those will be shut down -- but we do have the Nebraska National Guard, which planned to furlough about 560 full-time technicians, including vehicle and aircraft maintenance workers, and about 70 state employees whose salaries are partially or entirely paid by the federal government.

Payments on farm programs may delayed, as 72 Farm Service Agency offices around the state shut down, including one on the Red Willow County Fairgrounds, which planned to close by noon.

Mail service by the independent U.S. Postal Service should continue, as will Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid services, border patrol, meat inspection and air traffic control, but the clock is ticking.

It's probably appropriate that the shutdown, triggered by Republican opposition the Obamacare, occurred on the same day state health insurance exchanges were scheduled to open for business.

A Washington Post blog about previous government shutdowns should provide perspective on the current impasse.

They included 10 days in 1976 over funding for the department of Health, Education and Welfare, one 10-day and two 8-day shutdowns in 1977 over abortion, another of 18 days in 1978 over funding for an aircraft carrier, 11 days in 1979 over congressional and civil service pay and abortion, two days in 1981 over spending cuts, one day in 1982 because of funding delays, three days in 1982 over funding for jobs and the MX missile, three days in 1983 over education and foreign aid, two days in 1984 over a crime bill, water projects and civil rights and another one-day shutdown for the same reasons, one day in 1986 over labor contracts, oil rig spending and welfare, one day in 1987 over Nicaraguan Contra funding and the FCC Fairness Doctrine, three days in 1990 over deficit reduction, five days in 1995 over Medicare premiums, a balanced budget requirement and environmental regulations and 21 days in 1995-96 over a balanced budget.

All of the issues were important enough, in their own way, to shut down the government for a short time. Few however, involved reasons as sweeping and divisive as the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare.

The president and congressressional Republicans each have too much at stake to compromise easily. Obamacare is perhaps the president's most important achievement. Opposing mandated coverage is perhaps the Republicans' most important position if they wish to gain support in the next election.

We will be surprised if the shutdown is resolved, in a meaningful way, any time soon.


Read the Washington Post blog here: http://wapo.st/1fZSYmR

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  • The Democrats could have avoided the shutdown if they would have agreed to have all members of the federal government required to have the same insurance plans as they are requiring all other Americans to have.

    -- Posted by dennis on Tue, Oct 1, 2013, at 2:29 PM
  • Oh, come on, all this is about is the Republican's

    loosing the election. After all they are the ones

    that held meetings and decided to disrupt the government when Obama won the 1st president election. Do you think the Republican's care about you, whether you have a paycheck, your children have food on the table, you have a good insurance plan like they have? Obamacare is just an excuse to shut the government down like they have planned. Politics at the people's expense, hold the people hostage, blackmailing, bulling. Politic's. Have you ever looked into what and who are the people that are TEA Party members? Those people are not good for this country. They don't care either whether you work or not. Less government they say. How much are you willing to give up??? Senator Marsha Blackburn, Republican,

    of Tenn. said the people are just going to have to learn to live with less government. Do you see Senator Blackburn, Cruz, Cantor, Paul, going with less? Yes, how much are you willing to give up?

    -- Posted by S&P1958 on Thu, Oct 3, 2013, at 6:38 PM
  • The TEA Party branch od the republican party absolutely cares about the citizens of the USA? They absolutely want you to have pay checks, so they propose laws that promote business growth and expansion so everyone has a paycheck. People with paycheck buy their own necessities and wants.

    It is the liberal democrats that continue to push more and more government spending that require more of a tax burden. That tax burden requires business to either raise prices or cut expenses, usually the labor force. It is also the liberal democrats that propose a regulatory burden not only on business, but also on the back of all Americans.

    Solution, get rid of liberal democrats.

    -- Posted by Hugh Jassle on Fri, Oct 4, 2013, at 5:25 PM
  • The Tea Party promotes the value of work vs. multi-generational hand-outs. They support helping but not enabling. Remember the tax returns of Clinton, Gore, and other libs? They gave little to charity but Romney did. The Senate could have opened parks, helped vets, helped children but voted no. The liberal policies have not helped the minority population out of poverty, they trap people in poverty that requires them to continue to vote for the Dems to keep their handouts.

    -- Posted by dennis on Fri, Oct 4, 2013, at 6:48 PM
  • *

    Amen Dennis!!

    -- Posted by divorcedugly on Wed, Oct 9, 2013, at 2:30 PM
  • I wonder how much money, if any the country saved since the shut-down?

    -- Posted by dennis on Thu, Oct 10, 2013, at 8:25 PM
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