What kind of "massive government subsidies" is Bachmann so worked up about? Programs like the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, which will likely lose all of its funding thanks to the shutdown – potentially leaving millions of low-income women, babies and small children hungry. The same thing may happen to Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, causing many more Americans to go unfed. If the shutdown continues, disabled veterans could lose their pay next. ...
Today, the federal government is shut down because of Republicans' zealous opposition to helping poor Americans. Families across the country are worrying about how far they can stretch their meals. Federal employees (though not members of Congress) are wondering if they'll be able to pay their mortgages this month. Disabled veterans aren't sure how much longer they can count on the benefits they earned in battle.
But despite the Republicans' best efforts, the calendar still reads October 1st – which means the Affordable Care Act's most important provision has taken effect. The health care exchanges are now open to any uninsured person who wants coverage. For millions of Americans – including the 6 out of 10 uninsured who say they don't want Obamacare defunded – that's a victory.
Read more:
Republicans Shut Down the Government, But They Can't Stop Obamacare
SuccubaSuprema writes:
The trouble here is that the Right has no proper understanding of the word "compromise." To many of them, this is a religious bias (or is at least cloaked in terminology which will appeal to religious zealots), as they insist that they will not compromise their principles. This stubborn insistence on "My way or the highway" is precisely why no negotiation can be made with them. They want everyone else to give ground, but they refuse to do so. Worse, if anyone else does attempt to cooperate with them to the point of compromise, then that person is accused of "waffling" or being "wishy-washy," because to these Right Wing Extremists, any sort of compromise is nothing but weakness (and so they will not compromise, they will not cooperate, but instead they will continue to do everything they can to halt any progress). Even if the Republican Party first proposed a progressive idea, as is the case with environmentalism, the Right Wing Extremist Fringe which has taken over the Republican Party will oppose any cause vehemently because the Democrats embraced that cause. This is ridiculous partisan polarization. It is not patriotism. It is not serving the people. It is opportunistic demagoguery, but it will turn around and bite the Extreme Right in the ass, and justly so. This is why we should not have religious fanatics (or those who pretend to be such) in political office (no matter what their religion may be). Strangely enough, one of the voices of reason in all of this is the head of a religious group that has historically been at odds with reason. This person (whom I've referenced before) is quoted in a response to the Right Wing nutjobs in this Hightower Lowdown:
Ryan rants, and a new voice of morality responds.
Maybe there's some hope for rationality after all, but with the Right Wing being so obstinate, it will be an uphill battle.
Related:
Boehner to Obama: No Debt Hike without Concessions (or as I like to call it, "The GOP Threatens to Murder the Hostage Economy Unless Their Ransom is Paid" -- heedless of how they're alienating their own party members and how moderate Republican Representatives feel about the whole thing)
and The White House to Boehner: Hold the Vote Already (or as I like to call it, "The White House Refuses to Negotiate with Terrorists")
Unfortunately, House Democrats Have Offered a Budget Deal (video) - (which has resulted in enough Republicans saying they'll vote for the clean funding bill to show Boehner's refusal for what it is: bullshit).
Nevertheless, the shutdown has not been popular among voters, who now have a very low opinion of Republicans in the House of Representatives as a result, according to polls: NBC/WSJ poll: Shutdown debate damages GOP and NBC/WSJ poll: 60 percent say fire every member of Congress.
See also:
How the Shutdown Impasses Might Play Out
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