SO What Happens With This Government Shutdown?

With a looming government shutdown, thanks to the intransigent Tea Baggers who want the results of the last election repealed, people are now wondering what will transpire.

Based on Financial Times, Wall Street Journal and other inputs, here's what you - Joe or Jane Smith - can expect:

- All 401 National Parks will be closed, including Washington Monument, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon and others. Campers will be given two days to pack up and leave.

- Passport and visa applications will all be delayed

- Mortgage applications, i.e. for federal home loans will not be processed.

-Gun permits will not be processed.

-VA Benefits will be delayed

-The FDA will stop making routine food safety inspections.

- Service members will see delays in payments but they will still be expected to report for duty.

- Service member families of those deceased will see a delay in payment of death benefits.

- About 800,000 government workers will be furloughed which means loss of pay for those additional days (on top of those demanded by the sequester) for not showing up.


The services - benefits that will not be affected include:

-Border patrol

- Air traffic control

- Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid

How long will this last? No one can say. According to Nancy Cordes reporting from Capitol Hill this morning, Repukes are adamant that will only fund the government if they can weaken the health care law, the Affordable Care Act.

Let there be no mistake here, that if these terrorists succeed, it will set a god-awful precedent for the future wherein any disaffected minority (like the Tea Baggers) can use hostage taking to make inordinate demands to repeal or defund any law they don't like if it doesn't comport with their agenda.  This is why, as Bill Clinton stated emphatically yesterday morning on George Stephanopoulos' ABC program, that Obama and the Dems must not give in.

My projection? A shutdown of at least one week. One thing the repukes don't want is for this to merge into the really big battle, over raising the debt ceiling.

Hold on to your seats.

See also:

http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/richard-eskow/51868/a-formula-to-fight-the-shutdown