<p>If my ()*$)(^%$)^&$_@ relative continues to get his fat government pension through this shutdown, that WOULD be a colossal waste of federal funds.</p>
<p>Post 296 wins my “post of the day” award!</p>
<p>Pensions have never been cancelled due to the shutdown and as far as I can tell have been paid as they were earned over the years. The fed retires I’ve spoken with have not mentioned any gaps in their pension payments.</p>
<p>Will they be paying medicare payments to the doctors who have submitted charges for services rendered, or are the people in charge of handling those payments considered "“non-essential”?</p>
<p>And totally agree- the absence of the CCCCC reports is truly astounding!!</p>
<p>Personally impacted by a WaPo story or by the government existence? </p>
<p>Does that mean any theme is now open for debate since every American is personally impacted. I know I am as I wonder when the IRS will process my refund.</p>
<p>MODERATOR’S NOTE: “Blogs” published by authoritative sites, e.g., national publications, are not private blogs prohibited by CC. They are considered to be normal publication articles.</p>
<p>Okay, time to revert to a more serious tone, and end the quips and jocular interlude. I realize that there will be a great number of people negatively impacted by this, be it emotionally or financially. Although, I doubt that the government employees will belong in that category by the time the ink dries on that sordid event.</p>
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<p>Politics led to 800,000 people getting laid off on Tuesday with no clear return date to their jobs, while being told their work was “non-essential” and having their concerns and careers ridiculed by many of their fellow citizens, including several CCers in this thread. Thank goodness that isn’t emotionally affecting, and thank YOU for clearing that up for us. I won’t forget it.</p>
<p>I guess I don’t understand the entire point of a shutdown if workers will get back pay for days off. Will they then get time and a half when they go back to work, to catch up on all the work waiting for them? How does this save money? It just hurts people who needed government services, like my sister, who would like a passport. Aviation wise, I have not noticed a difference. Short security lines, ATC was fine, customs meeting us right on time.</p>
<p>I understand stress that government workers feel, but I hope they understand why, now that they will be getting paid time off, people are not so sympathetic. Civilian conractors are losing business and jobs. People who desperately need some government services join the contractors in suffering. In the civilian world, a furlough can be indefinite, no job waiting, never back pay. I was furloughed for 6 months without pay, my husband was furloughed without pay for 2 years. We had to get other jobs. Some pilots at AA have been furloughed for TWELVE years. That is how civilians experience furloughs, so understand now that back pay is guaranteed, there will be little sympathy.</p>
<p>I hope that explains a bit why people’s attitudes have changed.</p>
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“Furloughders” they are (coined by my dh)!</p>
<p>I am not an expert but there may be a notification requirement before an employee can be furloughed without pay. I would bet that the required notice was never given and therefore either by statute, union contracts or other clause they be required to be paid.</p>
<p>Busdriver, wherever did you get the idea that a shut down wasn’t going to cost us a boatload of money?</p>
<p>My attitude hasn’t changed even though they will be getting paid when this is all over. It could be months.</p>
<p>Well said, busdriver.</p>
<p>IIRC (and feel free to provide better info as this is off the top of my head) the Defense dept is required to notify congress 45 days before furloughing employees, and individual employees have to be notified 30 days in advance. So, if the govt is shut down, is there anyone there to formally notify employees of a furlough?</p>
<p>“I would bet that the required notice was never given and therefore either by statute, union contracts or other clause they be required to be paid.”</p>
<p>I disagree, otherwise there would have been no need to pass legislation authorizing the back pay. The gov’t was preparing for the possibility of shutting down for weeks before it happened.</p>
<p>Someoldguy, unless you believe that only one set of opinions should be heard, why would you be surprised that not everybody agrees on the toll of the shutdown? Was the retroactive pay ever in doubt for a certain … group of employees? </p>
<p>I shared that my friends were not worried about that part. That is their prerogative. You might very well have countless accounts that diverge profoundly from my own. Does not mean any of them is less valid. Yours and mine.</p>
<p>Is that not how it works?</p>
<p>After the last shutdown showdown between Clinton and Newt, the furloughed workers received back pay. Those workers had no say in the shutdown or it’s aftermath, just like today. They received back pay, just like today. There were winners and losers politically, just like today. It really wasn’t that long ago! Don’t any of these people know their recent history?</p>
<p>As far as I can tell, historically and this time, the shutdown was NOT about saving money for us taxpayers or the federal government; these shutdowns and restarts are expensive for the public, the government, and many others. Can’t wade into politics on this thread, but this is just economics.</p>
<p>As a practical matter, those workers deemed, “essential,” end up working harder and longer because they have to do the work that their missing co-workers would normally help with and they run into more barriers because some of the people and orgs they are normally working with an communicating with are not available due to shutdowns. When things start up again, there is a big backlog as well.</p>
<p>I think with the difficulty of getting any legislation through Congress today - which was not the case in '95, there was a great concern about this by furloughed workers.</p>
<p>Most I know were pretty much convinced we would not get back pay. I’m grateful that it looks like we will, but really I’d just rather go back to work. Even with the promise of back pay, this is a tense, stressful, demoralizing time.</p>
<p>I also worry about contractors and others hurt by the shutdown who are not feds, like the people who run the food stands in my closed government building. I just hope the shutdown ends quickly so that the negative impact can be minimized.</p>
<p>I guess I don’t understand the point of it all. Seems to hurt many and help no one, costing more in the long run.</p>