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Would You support Shutting The Government Down In This Situation?

Would You Support A Government Shutdown Under These Conditions?

  • I am Liberal/Democrat: I would support a shut down in that situation

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • I am Conservative/Republican: I would support a shutdown in that situation

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    32

Redress

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As most should know, the government will face the prospect of another shutdown soon if congress and the president do not reach yet another deal soon. House and senate negotiators are working towards finding a deal to avoid that outcome. I saw this story a couple days ago: Are Democrats backing the GOP into another government shutdown?

After spending two months on the defensive over ObamaCare, Democrats are back on the attack. And with another budget deadline looming early in the new year, they're signaling that they're not about to let up — even it it means pushing Republicans toward another government shutdown.



Senate and House negotiators are working toward a reportedly small budget deal that would undo some of the sequester, across-the-board spending cuts that have taken a bite out of the economic recovery. But believing the odds are tilted in their favor, Democratic leaders have suggested they may insist that an extension of emergency unemployment benefits also be part of a final deal.

The article goes into much more detail, and I am not going to vouch for its veracity. This is a what if question. If this is true, and we reach a point where the only disagreement for a deal is extensions of unemployment benefits, with republicans opposed and democrats for, would you support shutting down the government over that issue? In other words, if you are a democrat/liberal, is having that extension worth shutting government down, and if you are a republican/conservative, is it worth shutting the government down to block it?

Note that for the purposes of this poll, the unemployment extensions is the only issue of contention. I realize that you may have other issues with a budget deal, but those are separate issues.

Please be patient while I add poll options. I type slow...
 
Since the character count is forcing me to shorten the options, for clarity:

1: I am Liberal/Democrat: I would support a shut down in order to ensure an extension of unemployment benefits
2: I am Liberal/Democrat: I would not support a shut down in order to ensure an extension of unemployment benefits
3: I am Conservative/Republican: I would support a shutdown to block an extension of unemployment benefits
4: I am Conservative/Republican: I would not support a shutdown to block an extension of unemployment benefits
5: I am other: I would support a shutdown over unemployment benefits, my position on the issue is worth it
6: I am other: I would not support a shutdown over unemployment benefits, my position on the issue is not worth it
7: My position is different from the above options. Please specific and remember we are talking only about unemployment benefits. Anything about the sequester/ACA/Obamacare/military spending/Iran/your love life is irrelevant to this question.

Please assume the above options where what was typed in for the poll.
 
The American government should never have to shut down ever.
 
As most should know, the government will face the prospect of another shutdown soon if congress and the president do not reach yet another deal soon. House and senate negotiators are working towards finding a deal to avoid that outcome. I saw this story a couple days ago: Are Democrats backing the GOP into another government shutdown?



The article goes into much more detail, and I am not going to vouch for its veracity. This is a what if question. If this is true, and we reach a point where the only disagreement for a deal is extensions of unemployment benefits, with republicans opposed and democrats for, would you support shutting down the government over that issue? In other words, if you are a democrat/liberal, is having that extension worth shutting government down, and if you are a republican/conservative, is it worth shutting the government down to block it?

Note that for the purposes of this poll, the unemployment extensions is the only issue of contention. I realize that you may have other issues with a budget deal, but those are separate issues.

Please be patient while I add poll options. I type slow...

I still claim the Reform Party Label and no, I wouldn't support another government shutdown over unemployment benefits which ever way they go. But I do believe since the sequester is about the only thing holding down spending and lowering the deficit by just a tiny tid bit, I would have to think about it. But in the end, even that, probably not although I am not sure.

I think I had enough of government shutdown last October and unless one side or the other really wants to hike spending tremendously or slash spending tremendously, it is not worth it to me.
 
I voted no government shutdowns as they are being used PURELY for political reasons only.
 
If this is true, and we reach a point where the only disagreement for a deal is extensions of unemployment benefits, with republicans opposed and democrats for, would you support shutting down the government over that issue?

I don't see this as very realistic at all but I voted in your poll anyways. The government has shut down twice in the last 17 years. I don't remember what it was about in 1995 but this last time it was a big f***ing deal. The 2013 Republican Party Platform has two planks. Number 1-Prove that Obama is a bad president. Number 2-Abolish the Affordable Care Act. There is no #3, 4, 5 or 6. The October 2013 shutdown was a justified situation for an once every 20 year event.

The government won't shutdown over this issue. That's dumb so I voted Option #4.
 
How could we tell if they were shut down? They do very little anyway and I'm sure the important functions, like spying on us, will continue apace.
 
The American government should never have to shut down ever.

If I could get the US government to shut down for 364 days a year I would.
 
The government should not be shut down over this issue, or any issue, and there should be serious financial and political consequences for elected officials irresponsible enough to cause it to shut down.
 
I don't see this as very realistic at all but I voted in your poll anyways. The government has shut down twice in the last 17 years. I don't remember what it was about in 1995 but this last time it was a big f***ing deal. The 2013 Republican Party Platform has two planks. Number 1-Prove that Obama is a bad president. Number 2-Abolish the Affordable Care Act. There is no #3, 4, 5 or 6. The October 2013 shutdown was a justified situation for an once every 20 year event.

The government won't shutdown over this issue. That's dumb so I voted Option #4.

Learn history. The government was shut down during the Reagan administration 7 times in eight years. We didn't even notice. Shut the government down much more often I say.
 
As most should know, the government will face the prospect of another shutdown soon if congress and the president do not reach yet another deal soon. House and senate negotiators are working towards finding a deal to avoid that outcome. I saw this story a couple days ago: Are Democrats backing the GOP into another government shutdown?



The article goes into much more detail, and I am not going to vouch for its veracity. This is a what if question. If this is true, and we reach a point where the only disagreement for a deal is extensions of unemployment benefits, with republicans opposed and democrats for, would you support shutting down the government over that issue? In other words, if you are a democrat/liberal, is having that extension worth shutting government down, and if you are a republican/conservative, is it worth shutting the government down to block it?

Note that for the purposes of this poll, the unemployment extensions is the only issue of contention. I realize that you may have other issues with a budget deal, but those are separate issues.

Please be patient while I add poll options. I type slow...

I would use ANY reason to shut down the government. I don't understand why the Republicans don't say "Sure go ahead make my day shut it down, shut all down." call the Democrats bluff or play or whatever it is they are doing. The government under the Reagan administration was shut down 7 times in eight years. We didn't even notice. So yes shut it down. Let the government pukes scream bloody murder. I find it fascinating that people have NO idea their government has been shut down MANY times, and its NO big fricken deal. I sure wish I was president cause I would have shut it down until I got a balanced budget or the Congress got a spending bill with 2/3s majority to override a veto.
 
The federal government "shutdown" typically involves a paid vacation (sometimes with added unemployment benefits) for "non-essential" federal workers and unpaid forced leave for some gov't contract personnel. As we saw with the white house tours, a cut means that priorities can still be supported even with less in the total budget. The insane assertion that only by maintaining "full funding" can the gov't operate effectively, has thus been proven false.

Another point is that budget cuts are really just lower increases than our congress critter's are comfortable making. The federal labor (GS) system contains built in "automatic" pay increases (grade/step), what most in the private sector call raises, but the federal gov't pretends are mandatory. In other words, while the taxpayer gets no increase in pay, they are expected to accept giving each federal worker regular, periodic "time in grade" or "step" increases simply because they exist and did not get fired.

Reaching a federal budget agreement is a basic annual requirement (now turned into a circus) and often replaced by simply rubber stamping a 5 year old "budget" with a few across the board increases and calling it a "continuing resolution". This saves the congress critter's from actually having to make choices or appearing to support any moronic individual item in the "budget".

I support a permanent federal shutdown until funding each department, program and agency (over $10M) is given an independent up/down vote using a roll call procedure, placing on the public record the yay/nay of each congress critter. This is the only way that the voting public can determine who actually supports what federal spending. Only by shining a light on exactly who voted for the Cowboy Poetry Festival, a military "super toy" not even requested by the Pentagon or the study of shrimp on a treadmill can we ever hope to get federal spending under control.
 
Unemployment extension is a sticky issue. After not thinking about it at all;), I'd say no, don't shut down the government.
 
No, it should not shut down. The only angle I would propose is the following: can you convince, seduce the media into believing that the government shut down is as a result of GOP refusing to deal. If so, then go ahead. If not, then that makes you a bloody fool.
 
I would use ANY reason to shut down the government. I don't understand why the Republicans don't say "Sure go ahead make my day shut it down, shut all down." call the Democrats bluff or play or whatever it is they are doing. The government under the Reagan administration was shut down 7 times in eight years. We didn't even notice. So yes shut it down. Let the government pukes scream bloody murder. I find it fascinating that people have NO idea their government has been shut down MANY times, and its NO big fricken deal. I sure wish I was president cause I would have shut it down until I got a balanced budget or the Congress got a spending bill with 2/3s majority to override a veto.

Stupid. Only shut it down if you can convince the rest of the country it is in the best interest. If you don't then you look like a ****, plain and simple. It's about who wins and who loses, nothing else. The American people are against shutting down government, so you follow that doctrine, for ill or for good.
 
If I could get the US government to shut down for 364 days a year I would.

How do you picture a government working like this? For example how would a disabled veteran apply for claims if say he completed his medical examination the day after the shut down? Just suck it up for a year and hope you can process the entire claim and be issued a check in a day?

Stupid.
 
Stupid. Only shut it down if you can convince the rest of the country it is in the best interest. If you don't then you look like a ****, plain and simple. It's about who wins and who loses, nothing else. The American people are against shutting down government, so you follow that doctrine, for ill or for good.

The reason they even notice is because of all the screaming by the people who want MORE government. Like I said the government has been shut down plenty of times. Its time to start doing things old school, that means shutting the government down once a year or more. The republicans don't even bother TRYING to make an argument to shut the government down. They are gutless and ball-less. Winning requires risk. No risk no reward.
 
If government by crisis is the best the political left can do, deny them the crisis. Unemployment just this past week was heralded at 7%, so from that perspective there's obviously no "emergency" other than the political straights the left finds themselves in over the failed ACA start up. The left is doing a fine job of hanging themselves, and I wouldn't do anything to stop them from continuing that behaviour.
 
The government under the Reagan administration was shut down 7 times in eight years.

History of government shutdowns | 6abc.com

From the Article Above said:
1981-1990: Playing chicken.

With the threat of shutdown as a weapon, budget fights would never be the same, and a big one was brewing.

Republican Ronald Reagan moved into the White House in January 1981 with a promise to cut taxes and shrink government, setting up a showdown with Democrats who ran the House.

High noon came early on Monday, Nov. 23, 1981.

The government had technically been without money all weekend, but Congress approved emergency spending to keep it running. That morning, Reagan wielded his first veto. He was making a stand against "budget-busting policies," the president declared, sending confused federal workers streaming out of offices in Washington and across the nation.

It was the first government shutdown. But it lasted only hours. By that afternoon, Congress approved a three-week spending extension more to Reagan's liking. Workers returned Tuesday morning. The estimated cost: more than $80 million.

The pattern was set. Over his two terms, Reagan and congressional Democrats would regularly argue to the brink of shutdown, and twice more they sent workers home for a half-day.

President George H.W. Bush used the tactic only once, during the budget wrangling that punctured his "no new taxes" pledge.

That partial shutdown over the 1990 Columbus Day weekend mostly served to miff tourists who found national park visitor centers locked and Smithsonian museums closed.

Shutdown threats were becoming ho-hum, just more Washington games. After all, what politician would relish a full body plunge into the "unthinkable"?

maybe so
 
Shut the government down much more often I say.

Why? So we look dysfunctional to the world? Sorry, but no, shutting down the government is not a good idea in the grand scheme of things. It proves to the world our instability to even govern ourselves.
 
How do you picture a government working like this? For example how would a disabled veteran apply for claims if say he completed his medical examination the day after the shut down? Just suck it up for a year and hope you can process the entire claim and be issued a check in a day?

Stupid.

But less government! Hooray! Derp dee derp derp!
 
No, I don't think extending unemployment benefits is something worth shutting the gov't down over. However, what I see occurring with this situation is that both sides will frame it exactly that way and yet not budge on their position. Obviously, the GOP will lose because when in recent history has our society said "Hey, we should stop getting this free stuff even if I've been getting it for over a year!"
 
I think the government does far more harm then good.

As long as the military and potentially life-and-death programs get funded...I am for shutting the government down almost every time any of the following occurs...a full moon, the Dallas Cowboys winning a game or a cow passing gas.
 
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