Preparing for changes

[calmloki]

Ok, this may affect some of you:

Local breweries can't release new beers nationally due to government shutdown
Breweries making new labels for national releases need federal approval, which is on hold right now during the shutdown.

https://www.kgw.com/article/news/lo...down/283-13c7ceac-aaae-430f-80a3-0c78597dfaa4

 

[USGrant1962]

Without going into details, or politics... We have made a number of short term changes in plans, based on the government shutdown, even due to the parts of the government that will return to "normal" when it is over.
Wondering how much the changes might affect things like travel, IRS interactions, processing of legal actions, and the recovery time for societal support operations.
Thusfar, there seems to be little press involvement in forecasting effect on the economy.

Not looking for trouble, but know that there will be long term changes, and trying to stay prepared.

Back to OP, why do you think there will be long term changes? This is the something like the 19th government shutdown since the 1970s and nothing substantial changed from the last 18.

 

[ugeauxgirl]

We went to the mountains after Christmas for a week- we found Smokey Mountains National park to be open, but some of the picnic areas were closed. A picnic area, really? It didn't stop many people. They (and we) just parked on the side of the road and walked to the picnic tables. Also the bathrooms were closed- even the kind without running water or trash cans. The only one that was open had a broken lock and couldn't be closed off. It was getting a lot of use- as were some of the trees in the park!

 

[RobLJ]

We're volunteering with the Sierra Club to help with Park cleanup, so I guess we'll see, but I don't think it will be fun.

We're celebrating our 35th anniversary with a 12 day hiking tour of the Dingle Way in Ireland, but that's in May; I hope it will be cleared up by then.
If I were flying over the next week or two, I wouldn't be feeling very good about the prospect.

 

[RobLJ]

And to those of you who commented on the lack of effect: yes, the first 2-4 weeks will only affect the trivial and the least protected or most vulnerable. Not those on FIRE here.

Others' suffering is never all that serious, as I know is often true of my own response to others. But when/if it affects your flight to Disneyland, tax returns, or SSecurity, well then..... (it usually transforms into serious).

 

[brewer12345]

If this doesn't get sorted out before the end of the month, things might get real interesting. The USDA is part of the shutdown and they administer foodstamps. In cases when EBT cards did not work due to a technical glitch in the past, there have been riots.

 

[marko]

Ok, this may affect some of you:

Local breweries can't release new beers nationally due to government shutdown
Breweries making new labels for national releases need federal approval, which is on hold right now during the shutdown.

This is one of those cases I was thinking of when I wrote: "There's always bumps in the road of life but part of a successful life is finding a workaround" in this case, one word: vodka!

 

[truenorth418]

I don't watch the news anymore as every "news" channel and program seem to be designed to get people worked up and angry.

As for the government shutdown, I agree there should be a law that whenever the president and congress can't agree on a budget, and that results in a government shutdown, then no member of congress or the president should get paid during the shutdown (or even retroactively, afterwards).

Why should innocent government bureaucrats suffer because the elected politicians can't get their act together?

Although in this case, the current President is wealthy and does not even accept his salary (he donates it all), and many of the current congresspeople are extremely wealthy (gee how do lifetime "public servants" get to be so wealthy anyway?), so who knows if such a law would make much of a difference.

 

[flintnational]

The shutdown is one more reason, as a society, we should keep in mind the inherent inefficiencies with government (any government). Rarely does the private sector throw a temper tantrum and shut its self down. Its interests are too closely aligned with its customers. I am all for essential government, but we should rethink what is "essential".

Headline you will never see - "Walmart management fails to agree on a budget and closes it's doors until the impasse is resolved"

 

[marko]

I don't watch the news anymore as every "news" channel and program seem to be designed to get people worked up and angry.

Personally, I think most of this is more about a media event than an actual government event. I tend to start most media stories with the question: "What does it have to do with me?" and most times, my answer is 'Nothing'.

On this particular subject, most posters on this thread have said the same.

To me it's just another 'end of the world as we know it' media story that will sort itself out in the next week or so and by March it will be all but forgotten.

Yes, they will always find someone out there who is seriously impacted but I have more important things on my plate than to worry about the guy running a deli in DC who's business has dropped off.

Maybe I've just gotten older (or maybe it's media overload) but my 'care about' window has become quite narrow.

 

[Montecfo]

No impact here. Temporary job loss is unfortunate but a government too derelict to keep itself funded, and perform basic functions of government, is the greater tragedy in my view.

 

[30yeardraw]

Out of work as I am a contractor.
Filed for unemployment.

 

[Spock]

The gov is running 1 TRILLION $ a YEAR in additional deficits.


A friend of mine became a US citizen in August. As a gag gift I handed him a bill for his share of the national debt. It totaled $1,012,038 per citizen (not per tax payer which is a much smaller population to distribute the bill across) not including local bonds collected through property taxes.


Maybe it should be shutdown to stop the bleeding.

 

[HFWR]

Yes, they will always find someone out there who is seriously impacted but I have more important things on my plate than to worry about the guy running a deli in DC who's business has dropped off..

Let ‘em eat cake!

And we wonder why “populist” ideas are so prevalent these days. Perhaps it’s the “I’ve got mine” attitude. “Those” people should have studied harder, worked smarter, saved more, etc., like “I” did...

 

[imoldernu]

Back to OP, why do you think there will be long term changes? This is the something like the 19th government shutdown since the 1970s and nothing substantial changed from the last 18.

1. Longest shutdown
2. Most people 800,000+
3. Work that doesn't get done. Make up later Double $$$.
4. Farmers loss effect. After 3 weeks of prep season.
5. Housing effect. Loss of new sales,starts
6. Loss of national wealth. Paying for work not done if furloughed workers get paid.
7. Already 13% of government productivity curtailed
8. % of GDP to be determined.
9. Independent contractors lose, without recourse.
10. 22 Trillion in US Debt. $855,000 Debt per US Family.

Not for me to say, but this article looks at a few of the understandable effects.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/01/09/federal-shutdown-impacting-everyday-american-life-jobs-vacations/2519465002/

We may never know what happened to the hundreds of thousands businesses and activities that produce the GDP.

I would submit that none of us really knows how much the government does, that affects our lives and fortunes.

Sitting on top of a mountain of cash might mean personal security, but none of us live alone. We are part of our society, and we have only to look at the poorest nations to see the difference between them, and the United States.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Wow Marlo I hope that my care about window never becomes as small as yours.

 

[imoldernu]

more...

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-shutdown-departments-factbox/factbox-impact-on-us-government-widens-on-18th-day-of-shutdown-idUSKCN1P22AB

 

[Teacher Terry]

That article really hit home about how people are being affected and how many. This is wasting a lot of money too. I can’t even imagine how disgusting the parks will be when the workers return. Ugh!

 

[Aerides]

Ok welp this might impact more folks... maybe skip the romaine and chicken for a while?

According to wapo: The furlough of FDA inspectors has sharply reduced inspections of the nation's food supply. The agency "has suspended all routine inspections of domestic food-processing facilities."

 

[razztazz]

Let ‘em eat cake!

And we wonder why “populist” ideas are so prevalent these days. Perhaps it’s the “I’ve got mine” attitude. “Those” people should have studied harder, worked smarter, saved more, etc., like “I” did...

HA, yes. It's always: Whatever you've been doing, obviously you should have been doing something else. Then it would have all worked out OK. Clearly it's all your fault

 

[marko]

Let ‘em eat cake!

And we wonder why “populist” ideas are so prevalent these days. Perhaps it’s the “I’ve got mine” attitude. “Those” people should have studied harder, worked smarter, saved more, etc., like “I” did...

Wow Marko I hope that my care about window never becomes as small as yours.

I get that a lot. Nothing about 'I've got mine', but more about dealing with childhood trauma.

I'm working on it but I still seem to be missing an empathy gene beyond those closest to me.

 

[HFWR]

HA, yes. It's always: Whatever you've been doing, obviously you should have been doing something else. Then it would have all worked out OK. Clearly it's all your fault

For every power broker taking the limo to catch their flight in first class to their room at the Ritz for a “luncheon”, there are literally hundreds of people driving, cooking, cleaning, refueling, clerking, etc., enabling said activities... Hell, most companies would grind to a screeching halt if it wasn’t for secretaries, er, admin assistants...

 

[joeea]

Ok welp this might impact more folks... maybe skip the romaine and chicken for a while?

Sticking with Spam until this long nightmare is over.

According to wapo: The furlough of FDA inspectors has sharply reduced inspections of the nation's food supply. The agency "has suspended all routine inspections of domestic food-processing facilities."

We don't need no gubmint!

 

[Teacher Terry]

Sorry Marko that you had that experience. I can see how that has colored your perspective. I was very fortunate to have 2 great loving parents. They also modeled helping others.

 

[HFWR]

I get that a lot. Nothing about 'I've got mine', but more about dealing with childhood trauma.



I'm working on it but I still seem to be missing an empathy gene beyond those closest to me.

Having spent a few years being on the poorer side of things, I’m a bit touchy about dismissing the “guy at the deli”. He probably crawled out of bed at 3am, took a bus to work, and spent all day slinging bagels to ingrates, all while making $8/hr.

Ever wiped old people’s butts for a living? Sure, get a degree, blah, blah, blah, but those butts will still need wiped...

But, no pun intended, back on topic, while these shutdowns are contrived political theater, the disruptions they cause, however few, are real. Sort of like pro athletes “striking”, while the hotdog vendor goes unpaid.