This promises to be even less cared-about and more beneficial to the welfare of the republic than the recent strikes closing Hollyweird. Imagine, for but one example, Emperor Poopypants having to babble incoherently and fall down in private, all by himself, unnoticed and unseen. That alone argues for its indefinite continuation.
There are a precious few parts of government that need to operate year-around (the Post Office, air traffic control, the military) but by and large, there's damned little of it that needs to operate 24/7/365, and almost nothing in Washington D.C. that doesn't involve sweeping up public monuments or the like.
We could cut Congressweasels' salaries to a modest $20K/yr, plus one round trip airfare, and a week at Motel 6. And with all that free time on their hands, they could all get full-time paying jobs in their home districts, and live under the exact same laws they passed for us peons.
If we put this on the ballot, it would pass overwhelmingly. And ought to.
6 comments:
I’d also add: “they have to pay the national debt’s interest payments out of pocket.” That’ll encourage fiscal responsibility in no time!
"There are a precious few parts of government that need to operate year-around (the Post Office, air traffic control, the military) but by and large, ..."
Could not agree more. Just shutdown the USPS. Nobody but bulk mailers use 1st mail that much. FedEx and UPS can take up the rest of the slack. ATC could be privatized paid for by landing fees. TSA as well. TSAs presence at an airport is voluntary on the airport's part. The military is the only justification I see for the govt to tax me at all and even there we could be more resourceful with the money spent.
The USPS funds itself with fees, and is not part of the government shutdown. Mail will be delivered normally.
I do worry about my shipmates, our government has no problem with shafting the military. Then they wonder why no one wants to sign up.
Only one problem with that idea. Turkeys don't vote for Thanksgiving.
I don't know about shutting down the government for 51 weeks a year... But I can definitely see cutting at least half of federal employees (and cutting regulations to match; some of the cuts would be from eliminating entire agencies).
I'd start the cuts at high level in the DC area. Look at how DC denizens howled in complaint when Trump talked about moving agency HQ out of DC! (the only that actually did as far as I know is the Bureau of Land Management, an agency who should have handed their mission to the states years ago).
J
@tweell,
Yes indeed they do fund themselves via fees. But USPS is like FreddieMac or TheFed, not totally private. USPS received $50Bn in funding from Congress in 2022. That is why they deserve to be shutdown.
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