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Vancouver Off-Topic / Current EventsThe off-topic forum for Vancouver, funnies, non-auto centered discussions, WORK SAFE. While the rules are more relaxed here, there are still rules. Please refer to sticky thread in this forum.
(CNN) -- The U.S. government shutdown went into effect at 12:01 a.m. ET Tuesday after lawmakers in the House and the Senate could not agree on a spending bill to fund the government.
The two sides bickered and blamed for more than a week over Obamacare, the president's signature health care law. House Republicans insisted the spending bill include anti-Obamacare amendments. Senate Democrats were just as insistent that it didn't.
Federal employees who are deemed essential will continue working. But non-essential employees will be furloughed.
Most furloughed federal workers are supposed to be out of their offices within four hours of the start of business Tuesday....cont'd
It's a game of brinkmanship to see who can do the most damage to each other, with(hopefully) doing as little damage to the country.
The U.S. government also needs to reform their political system. I find it absurd when a president of a nation gets held hostage like this when they are unable to pass a policy. At the end of the day, politicans get paid, and only their citizens lose. They should take a page out of our government and see how we operate up here. Harper may not be the most ideal PM, but at least, he can get most of his shit done.
The U.S. government also needs to reform their political system. I find it absurd when a president of a nation gets held hostage like this when they are unable to pass a policy. At the end of the day, politicans get paid, and only their citizens lose. They should take a page out of our government and see how we operate up here. Harper may not be the most ideal PM, but at least, he can get most of his shit done.
The checks and balances system is both the best form of government, and the worst.
It's great in that there are so many ways in which you can prevent things being passed that the majority of the population dislike.
On the flip side, it makes it easy for a vocal minority to log jam the system.
In Canada, yes Harper can get things done, but question period is for show and with a majority government and a do nothing senate system, there is very little anyone can do to oppose unpopular law-and as a result, our elections end up being a matter of voting the old guy out, as opposed to ever voting FOR someone.
The checks and balances system is both the best form of government, and the worst.
It's great in that there are so many ways in which you can prevent things being passed that the majority of the population dislike.
On the flip side, it makes it easy for a vocal minority to log jam the system.
In Canada, yes Harper can get things done, but question period is for show and with a majority government and a do nothing senate system, there is very little anyone can do to oppose unpopular law-and as a result, our elections end up being a matter of voting the old guy out, as opposed to ever voting FOR someone.
Such as Obamacare?
I am FOR an abolish of the senate. They are overpaid, useless, and an economic drain to our political system.
I am FOR an abolish of the senate. They are overpaid, useless, and an economic drain to our political system.
Yeah, I totally thought of that as I wrote it.
Each side has a slightly different version of those events-Democrats got it through fair and square of course. Republicans barely lost it to a loophole.
The supreme court has been through it, and it passed again.
They aren't talking to anyone outside their core! They can't connect with anyone a shade off of ghost white. Or women. Or young people. Robot-Romney was their choice...choice to run for president. And I think they will lose more people to this fight on health care(shitty law or not) then they will gain from the right wing tribe.
Last week CBC radio was discussing the partisanship in the US and had some guy talking about how various Republicans were presented with various policies and asked their opinion. They seemed to be against any policy linked to Obama, even if it was a Republican policy falsely relabled with Obama's name.
Everything in the US becomes political and divided down party lines even when it has nothing to do with politics.
A book on climate change I read a few years ago highlighted this point quite well. While scientific conclusions and fact are more readily accepted in the rest of the Western World, in the US it often comes down to politics as to how something is perceived. One strategy to effect climate change is tighter regulations on pollution. Well in the US, conservatives hear increased regulations and they immediately oppose it. But if you were to tell these same conservatives that the best strategy to effect climate change is to deregulate things like nuclear power, they are suddenly onboard for preventing climate change.
We are starting to see this political atmosphere creep into Canadian politics.
Harper is dead set on getting oil pipelines pushed through, promoting the tar sands, deregulating clean water protections, etc. For better or worse, this behaviour is well expected but his government is putting a muzzle on scientists attempting to publish their findings. Its a war on science and information.
Harper's party also pushed Canada towards a two party system like in the states by combining the two right wing parties. The Liberals and NDP might soon have no choice but to combine if they ever hope to win a majority government.
So they're worried about the costs of this new healthcare and they want to trim some of the fat to pay for it? I've got a simple solution... It's estimated that it'll cost $136 billion per year, so take some of the money out of the Dept of Defense budget ($682 billion last year alone) and redirect it to that. Is military spending really that much more important than the well-being of your own citizens?
So they're worried about the costs of this new healthcare and they want to trim some of the fat to pay for it? I've got a simple solution... It's estimated that it'll cost $136 billion per year, so take some of the money out of the Dept of Defense budget ($682 billion last year alone) and redirect it to that. Is military spending really that much more important than the well-being of your own citizens?
What good is insurance when the Nation is under attack? Do you want to be the one who strips our country's defences and gets us another 9/11? Why do you want to make government even bigger than it is now?! Don't you understand that government spending is the problem? Even if we take the money out of one place and put it in another, you're costing us jobs that we need, and wasting that money on jobs we don't!
What good is insurance when the Nation is under attack? Do you want to be the one who strips our country's defences and gets us another 9/11? Why do you want to make government even bigger than it is now?! Don't you understand that government spending is the problem? Even if we take the money out of one place and put it in another, you're costing us jobs that we need, and wasting that money on jobs we don't!
[/republican]
lol
Oh, I know that would be exactly what they would say. Which is kinda sad, really.
How about this as food for thought... less military spending means fewer countries being "helped" with military aid... meaning fewer people having reason to hate you for invading without UN approval... meaning fewer chances of being attacked by "terrorists" or a foreign country. Stop playing into the 'Team America: World Police' mentality and you may suddenly realize the world becomes slightly more peaceful for you.
I dont understand how the nation can come to a halt cause some cry baby kid (republican) wants their lollipop...especially when obamacare has been passed.
Theres a reason why Obama is on his second term. Let the man lead god dammit.
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