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Jewel Samad / AFP - Getty Images
Protesters demonstrate in front of the Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on April 6, urging for government spending cut. Republican US House Speaker John Boehner told US President Barack Obama he was "hopeful" that talks on sweeping spending cuts would reach a deal to avert a partial government shutdown at week's end. Boehner reiterated that the House's goal is to prevent a government shutdown and make real cuts in spending, which the Speaker has argued is necessary to support private-sector job creation and boost confidence in the nation's economy." US lawmakers and the White House are racing to make a midnight Friday deadline to have an agreement on legislation funding government operations through October 1, failing which key federal agencies will shut down.
J. Scott Applewhite / AP
House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, right, accompanied by Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., talks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, April 6, after meeting to work on a budget deal and avoid a government shutdown.
Evan Vucci / AP
Visitors gather in the main entrance of the National Air and Space Museum on the National Mall in Washington, Wednesday, April 6. The White House warns of a temporary cutoff in pay for troops in war zones if the budget impasse brings a partial government shutdown. The IRS wouldn't be able to process some tax refunds, and there also could be a holdup in mortgage applications and small business loans. National parks and museums would be closed, too.
NBC's Nomenico Montanaro says:
"The president isn't leading," House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) charged, noting first that he liked the president personally and that they "get along well."
He criticized the president for not implementing any of his own fiscal commission's recommendations in his budget.
And he upped the ante, saying House Republicans were prepared to go forward with a bold one-week continuing resolution that would cut a whopping $12 billion in spending but continue to fund the Pentagon through September.
Read the rest of Montanaro's story in First Read.
Leave a Comment:
This guy (dressed in teabag garb) is holding a sign "Shut 'er down" and he is grinning.... ? .... that grin will be wiped clean in 2012!
Yes, upon the return of Nibiru all will be cleansed
Franklin D. Roosevelt---"THEY (WHO) SEEK TO ESTABLISH SYSTEMS OF GOVERNMENT BASED ON THE REGIMENTATION OF ALL HUMAN BEINGS BY A HANDFUL OF INDIVIDUAL RULERS...CALL THIS A NEW ORDER, ITS NOT NEW AND ITS NOT ORDER."
obama and ilk want to continue to bankrupt this nation because they hate it, and bush was no better. we can no longer trust our elected ones to act in our interest. they are all bought and paid for to advance the old elite dream of a totalitarian one world government, and the media is on board.
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2011/04/06/george-soros-events-weekend-aim-remake-financial-order-media-wheres-reporting/
why is this not in every headline on every news site?
Git 'er dun TEA baggers!!! Git 'er dun!! Then get lost...
Giggidy
:^/
I dont' think so!!!! American taxpayers are sick of these entitlements!!!! So if you are a ward of the state, you better find a job.
What hiheels, no sense of humor? It is called satire, and your buddy Sarah Palin thought it was important enough for her to appear on the show. I am sorry that didn't work out for her! :(
Hiheels, I just read your post again. Heck, it is pure word salad!
Niburu & Planet X (planet of the crossing), some would say Wormwood , is probably myth. That being said, there is a cleansing that is necessary in how we value human life.
The guy with the tri-cornered hat waving the flag just doesn't get it. It's very clear that the baggers don't care about the welfare of the 800,000 government employees whose personal and family well-being is up in the air. For some only temporarily, but also for many, permanently. But what about the 1.5 million or so true patriots serving in our armed forces, who, by the way in many cases are woefully underpaid already and are in financial dire straits as it is who now might have to endure a delay in getting paid. True patriot shut er down guy with the ridiculous grin on his face. I hope someone kicks his arse, if they haven't already.
Excellent Jobe, ha ha. I should've clicked on your link before all of the keystroke expenditure.
Yes Jobe you most certainly are.
That f'in oompa loompa needs to find a compromise. Shutting down the government while they keep their cushy salaries is unforgivable.
You mean the folks who have not passed a budget in 2010 and won't even consider any proposal from the house to fund the gov for another week (the White House lockstep with Senate Democrats just refused to keep the government going for 12 billion in cuts)? Yep. Those Democrats sure want to shut it down.
Are you just selective in what you read or do you just not understand a timeline?
"oompa-loompa"
You racist are so disrespectful.
It's your republican brethren that are shutting down the government, and keeping their cushy salaries.
Can't you be just a little original......instead of repeating the same thing over and over. Ironically, racism is not mentioned in this article . . . . that makes you a big racist. Why are you so racist????? Ignorant people tend to be racist. Why are you so racist??????
Cut the racist crap.. the point is that those in the military will be affected by this shut-down..haven't they had it hard enough...So Reps, especially Tea party, get your act together and agree on this, you've been given everything you want and more.
Yes, the racism comments are sometimes, note I said sometimes though, unnecessary, so let's move on to how the baggers remind me of The Far Side subjects from way back. Ninnies and Cretins.
The Teathuglicans was met more than half way.They still cried like a baby sheep looking for it's mother.The creepy sneaky bunch of American taliban want to destroy this Country as the Democrats are doing what they have to do to rebuild it. Cutting the programs that the people paid for out of their paycgecks is another way of stealing our money. Cut the part of their paychecks,insurance,plane rides,food and hair cuts.See how the despicable cocky imp from Wi. like that.If the teathuglicans don't go on the next election,this whole Country will.Every registered Democrat in this Nation need to flood the voting booths. Let no Rightwing nazi slow you down. Disregard the palin targets,beat the hell out of anyone you see with one and keep marching on. The teathuglicans must go.They are evil people planning to do evil things.
Boehner looks like he's about to cry. Man up!
From Wisconsin to Washington D.C., Republicans are taking advantage of a crisis they created when they gave away tax cuts to the rich.
Speaker Boehner is threatening to shut down the government if they can't cut funding of groceries for low-income pregnant women and children, but two months ago he insisted upon tax cuts for people making more than a quarter of a million dollars a year.
That's not all, Republicans in Congress are insisting on cutting many vital programs to support police, fire fighters, teachers, nurses, and the list goes on and on. Not to mention the fact that even though Social Security does not contribute to the deficit, Republicans are insisting that cuts to Social Security should be on the table.
Cuts to Social Security and other vital programs are job killers. Speaker Boehner says that if the Republicans kill jobs, then "So be it."
It's obvious that Boehner is not a leader but the err on boy of the Tea Party that lead the speaker around like he has a ring through his nose.
You mean the Democrat Senate who won't vote on a bill to fund the government due to a 0.83% reduction in spending. Or do you mean the Democratic congress that didn't even pass a budget in 2010?
Wait - that protester means that what I said is not valid (in a Democrat mindset).
There is a reason why the Republican party is called the party of no. They obstructed a budget last year and are obstructing now.
Tricorn hats and antiquated soldier costumes are all the rage for idiots this year!
I wonder how many people out there think this guy is a Democrat, or even a conservative Republican, his custom would lead on to believe he is possible a, wait a minute, a Teabagger?!!
So the country is being held hostage by these enlightened, far sighted, always informed group of Patriots.
OK, I see. Maybe there is someone to point a finger at after all, that is if it there is someone to blame.
Come on people, at least try to work together. Why are so many working so hard at killing the New Deal, for the last 60 years the country has done pretty well under it, right up till the 80's and Mr Reagan gutted the budget and we have been in dog fight and downward spiral ever since.
"Teabagger". Another hypocrite from the left. Go figure.
How about the Republicans compromise. What the Republicans fail to remember is that they don't work for their voters, they work for the whole of America. Do what's best for the country, not what's best for yourself. C'mon politicians, time to start working for the people, not just your party, and not just yourself.
"How about Republicans compromise?" They did. They offered an extension for 12 billion in cuts. The White House and Senate Democrats refused. Oh... and didn't Obama say "We won." ? Yeah... the hypocrisy from the left knows no bounds.
Republicans are still slashing programs very important to the people, like medicaid and medicare and other programs vital to the poorest of our nation.
Democrats have made many compromises, republicans have made a few, but they are far from meeting halfway. We need to compromise before the government shut down, Republicans have to give away more ground, too many jobs and people's lives hang in the balance. In my opinion, Democrats have made too many compromises, we need cooperation from both sides.
Shutting down the gov't means I can't go to work in my underpaid job, pay my mortgage, feed my family, put gas in my car, pay my health, dental, life insurance and pay my taxes. I hope our lawmakers will not get paid as well (unlikely). Will the madness ever end.
Same here, except I was actually in the process of possibly buying my first house and contributing to trying to lift our economy back up after scraping and saving for many years. But forget that now. If "the people" want lawmakers who aren't willing to compromise on doing what is best for the entire country rather than just those who voted for them, all I can say is let them have it. People who call for the government to shut down and gutting programs that many don't even realize impact their everyday lives deserve the chaos and trashed economy that will ensue when thousands of federal workers enter the ranks of the unemployed. If people think the economy has been bad, they haven't seen anything yet.
You know, maybe we should just kill the whole thing. I like the idea of no government-who needs em?! Teachers, na! Police? Na! Firefighters-forget em! Oh and taking care of the elderly? Let me starve! Babies too! No government-that's the way to go!
I can barely even imagine the chaos. Oh wait-I think that's Afghanistan, or some other god awful place. But wait! That would stop illegal immigration which would make so many people happy! Sounds perfect. Yes! No government! And then I am getting the heck out of here and moving to Canada! Where they have a government that works and health care for all!
None of the things you listed shutdown when the Federal government 'shuts down'. All essential services are provided. Your argument is invalid and nonsensical.
The Military may not shut down, but they won't get paid.
Derek
You are correct. No they do not shutdown when the Federal Government shuts down. They shut down when the GOP House budget gets adopted. Then we lose. Remember--Elections have consequences.
Derik,
I wouldn't discount what Amy says. The last time anarchy was in vogue, they shot a president and an archduke. Don't forget the military doesn't get a paycheck. I can't imagine that will make them happy. Congress will be unable to question employees of the IRS to ask them their opinion on tax questions. Veterans will not get their services. We don't know what damage this will do to a very fragile economy. Don't look at this as unimportant. This is not something to encourage or look forward to.
I merely meant lets think about what a country without a working government looks like. It was tongue in cheek! The Tea Party from my understanding is very close to Libertarian in its viewpoint. Libertarians like the idea of one acre, a mule, and a gun. We have a society folks. With people who have needs. And our "free market" economy is a sham. Got a mortgage? Or a house with negative equity? Talk to me about a self regulated free market economy. A big giant mess!
I got that. Some folks are a little too literal.
moshuluu
"The Military may not shut down, but they won't get paid."
The Republican party specializes in supporting the Military...They Support sending
everyones kids (but theirs) to foreign lands for corporate interests, They support keeping them
there for much longer than they planned, They support not giving them the items they need in the battlefield, They also support reducing their pay and benefits as much as possible, They support court martialling a kid for sharing evidence of military brutality in foreign land...........All while supporting the idea of using them for an emotional vote sometime around November.
That grinning fool does not realize how much it will COST for the government to shut down! A hundred million dollars a DAY! For these same nimrods who whine and cry about the deficit, they don't see that this just ADDS to the deficit. These Tea Baggers are so ignorant and are truly fringies, yet, so many are still cow-towing to them. Why?
You don't understand how it works. Passing short continuing resolutions (that's what those little one-week extansions are called) is actually more damaging because it does not allow for any part of the federal government to plan what is happening. The President has said we have been under continuing resolutions since October 1. This is NOT the time to extend by another week. Congress has had MONTHS to hammer this out. We need a budget (trust me, I work for the federal government -- WE NEED A BUDGET). We don't need another stop-gap so they can argue even longer. The very foundation of democracy is compromise, NOT digging in your heels (that would be more akin to a dictatorship, where law makers say it can only be one way and there is no room for compromise). Our elected officials need to stop pointing fingers and playing games. Obama proposed a $50 billion dollar cut as a compromise -- that is $13 billion less than what the republicans want and $13 billion more than democrats. Sounds like the President is the one who is trying to avoid the shutdown.
If the Republicans are going to shut down the government and not pay or slow pay Social Security to the elderly who may have no other source of income, or not pay the military fighting the war that they got us into under GWB, or cease payments for children's healthcare and subsidized meals, or any number of ridiculous actions for purely political reasons, then the House and Senate should not receive their salaries during the shut down. If you can't run the government in a bipartisan manner for the good of all, not just the rich, then you shouldn't be paid for your service. Yes there is waste in the government, but cutting taxes for the rich and corporations on the backs of the working class is beyond understanding. Cut non-essential government support for programs that don't protect the welfare of the public if you must, but don't be spiteful for political gain. I voted for Obama and have been a bit disappointed, but seeing this ridiculous Republican leadership ( or really tea party leadership), I just jumped back to Obama in 2012.
Agreed!
What'll you bet that retarded moron in the 3 cornered hat has plenty of money and nothing to worry about except how to get to the next protest?
You hit the nail on the head Charleyb!
The only possible way to blame Dems for a shutdown...Watch Fox News. The only news agency in history to fight for it's right to lie on air under the guise of our 1st ammendment. Derek...goto fox.com and leave your insane comments with them.
Why do so many tea baggers at these rallies seem to be fat, angry, retired white guys and gals on Medicare and Social Security? They've got theirs and to hell with everyone else, right? And they know about as much about economics as I do about aeronautical engineering, which is to say zero. And how 'bout that Tea Bagger cry from last fall about that there Obama Cerr cuttin' Meddicurr? Well, you invited the GOP over for dinner, and for some reason you don't seem to be protesting the fact that they are trying to eat all the food in your house. Where are the protests against GOP proposals to slash Medicare and basically hand it over to those nice insurance companies that are our real "friends"? I thought you wanted the government to keep its hands off your Medicare? Seeing you guys carrying signs and chanting something so obviously ignorant made it easy to assess the Tea Party as a bunch of angry imbeciles led by the noose by kooks. You people make it so easy to be an elitist.
I'm retired, not sure I'm a tea-bagger, never been to a meeting, but I'm sure you can't spend more than you take in forever. If this keeps up and the Fed starts printing money to pay for it, new cars will be $150,000 and gas will be $30 a gallon in a few years, if that's what you want, keep on supporting more spending.
I support spending just not stealing! How hard is it to only use taxpayer money for it's intended purpose and to tax all people and businesses with a flat tax? Quit trying to line your pockets and the pockets of your "friends". Party time is over for the Dems, Repubs, and Wallstreet thugs. Things have gotten too compicated to keep track of, we need to return to more simple means in all that we do.
Realsick- why are they giving tax cuts to the corporations, when clearly there is also a revenue deficit as well as a spending excess, you can't give away money to the rich with one hand, and load the cost of these tax cuts onto the backs of working people who barely get by with the other hand.
General Electric made billions in profits last year and paid NO FEDERAL TAX. NONE!!! Why do they and the other tax cheats deserve to get a tax cut? They already don't pay!
The Republicans , and most democrats, are doing what keeps the wealthy and corporate donors happy, and to hell with the middle class!!
The Democrats are crying about cutting 61 billion, sounds big, get real it's .02% of the budget. They should cut 10% to 20% . What I don't understand is that the government workers get back pay after a shutdown, last time I got a layoff I didn't get any pay until I went back to work.
Shove your tri-cornered hat where the sun doesn't shine. Wait. Your head's in the way.
That bonehead probably thinks teachers are paid too much too.......Apparently his didnt have an impact on him because he is an IDIOT.
If the government shuts down, we're about to see a real American crisis. We're all ready on the edge. This hurts a lot of every day citizens. Not just the rich, pompous butt politicians.
You don't get it, genius. America is broke!!!! We don't have any more money. It's that simple.
If they shut the government down for 30 days, and everyone took a 8% hit, that's about what 30 days would be. Anyone who can't take a one time 8% hit is living to close to the edge. Where I'm at I don't think I would notice a 30 day shut-down, might miss a SSI check, but I can stand that if they get spending under control.
Funny! We are not broke. Yes we are currently spending more than we take in...It's called stimulous. We are still in recovery from the last Republican dominated government. Why we would give up our income to the top 20% of us during this so called crisis is insane. Fix Entitlements! Drastic cuts to Defense! Tax the crap out of the top 20% and our Problem solved. Plus it will be alot quieter pissing off only 20 % of us. Every poll agrees with this. Both parties will pay for this come 2012...I'm guessing Republicans will pay more. Thank God for elections....can you imagine 30 years of one idiots policies?
Please Shut'er Down
SHE'S tOO fAT fOR mE
Shut it down. Obama and Dems know how unpopular this out-of-control spending is becoming with the middle class taxpayers. The CBO and Obama's own Budget Committee have warned that Amerian cannot sustain these endless entitlements and rogue trillion dollar deficit spending. We are broke. It will take decades to fix the economical catstrophe that Obama and his socialist administration have caused. It has got to stop, now. The middle class taxpayer has suffered and sacrificed so much through this recession and we refuse to stand by and let this country crumble. Shut it down and stop the Dems from bankrupting this country.
Gee, thanks. That means I'm out of a job until they get their act together. Thanks for lumping lower-middle-class-me in along with the rich pompous congressmen. You can pay my rent for my until it gets under control. Sound fair? I'll have to go panhandle for my grocery money instead.
These Republicans are idiots, and you know The teabaggers are probably worse. A teabagger is a former Bu@!$%#e that wants to distance themselves from the worst leadership in our countries history. In 2008 the American households lost an estimated 18% of their net worth,20% of retirement monies gone. When are you people going to Realize that the right wing brought you the corrupted wealth of Enron, Halliburton, 3 unplanned wars (for fictitous reasons), The wallstreet scandals, and the housing/mortgage scandals !! and all they can tell you is that teachers are overpaid and we have to cut back on their hi salaries, while we give tax breaks to corporations and millionaires. I sure hope that Kool aid you are drinking is good and cold.
I suppose the guy pictured in the article thinks he is making some profound statement on immigration with the upside down exclamation point? Or perhaps he just thought it made up in pizazz for what the sign lacks in wit.
Essentially, the Republicans (and especially the tea-baggers) are waging class war: they want a country in which the rich enjoy full citizenship and all the rest of us are second-class citizens. It's sad that more people don't realize this. The guy in the three-cornered hat waving the flag is more of a threat to America - in his ignorance and stupidity - than King George III was back in 1776.
What if we started by having every Federal, State, and Local government employee (including politicians) take a 10% pay cut?
They can have 10% of my SSI check if they would
Damn Derek... lots of time on your hands. You keep talking about this "extension" that the Republicans offered, yet you neglect to mention that they offered it so long as the WH and the Democrats promised not to touch a dime in the Defense Dept budget and to outlaw federal and local funds for abortions in DC. How about you share the whole truth? And if we are talking about cutting budgets, how can we justify not cutting DOD's? They have the biggest slice of the pie and waste our tax dollars by doling them out to countless contractors.