FIRST, by diggety dang!

F*cking Tea Bag bastards.

Well said.
The middle class and the poor need a stronger stake in the political arena. Why can't all of us who are getting screwed unite to form a voice louder than the Tea Part?
R

I try not to use foul language on OS (who am I kidding?), but in view of what is happening to my country, and the downward spiral that has occured since "prince" Reagan was in office, all I can say this morning is: what a bunch of fucktards on the right.
Todau is April 4, mass demonstrations today, and I'm going at 4 this afternoon; time to recall a few bastards - and all who didn't vote last November, a no vote is still a vote...

So well said as only you can do it, Scanner! What a mess, but who cares! Idiots.

Clear thoughts briefly and well stated.

R

This is an extremely sick game that Washington DC plays. It's part of the culture. First, let's look at the numbers. What the Ds and Rs are arguing about is chump change as far as the budget goes. Since the Republictards are in control of the House, they set the budget, and they fill it with great money saving ideas like eliminating NPR and heating oil for widows in Maine.

Do they even think once of eliminating just one weapon system from the DOD budget? NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And meanwhile the pundits use up electronic column inches in fixating about this crap.

In a good, decent, and rational world the Democrats and Obama would say FU to the Republicroids and just go for the shutdown.

Right now the boys in the back room of the House-Senate Conference Committes are doing the heavy lifting of dealing with the crap. One would think that the Ds would go for the option of the FU strategy.

But knowing the spineless of Harry Reid and the mendacity of go along get along DC culture and the White House, one suspects that the Ds won't have any problem with throwing a few widows and orphans under the bus, just so that they can say that they acted to reduce the horrible budget deficit in the spirit of (pardon me while I puke) bipartisanship.

I wish you were a member of Congress, Scanner. What a hoot it would be to watch you on C-Span tellin' 'em like it is.

Lezlie

It's too simple, I guess: Cut military, reinstate high taxes on those who can afford, and then look at the figures. The current scene is insane.

I keep saying bring them all home and concentrate on the people that live in America.
AND everyone needs to get along.
rated with hugs

That concluding comment is echoing in my head. I feel for my kids, but on more than one occasion I have also been consoled by the fact that I won't be here when stuff really begins to fall apart.

The last line bit me on the ass. Sure, it is always the poor the young and the sick or elderly that are forced to bit the bulet. We don't have a fifty million dollar lobbying staff waving checks at senators and representatives. That's why they go after the "sins" to balance budgets. By the way, why it is allowed to call them "sin taxes" is beyond me since that would seem to imply that the government recognized "sins" and thus are violating the first amendment by doing this. I know, the whole bill of rights has become an obscene joke anyway as the fascists attempt to gut it without repealing it. They have been quite successful in that effort too.

Will Rogers was brilliant.

I feel the same way you do. An impoverished and weak worker in the US is a more insidious threat than a suitcase nuke. The rich are not smart. They are busy amputating their own limbs.

My sentiments exactly!
Like you Scanner, I don't really expect to be around to worry about it. I just hope some of these bastards are!

I agree, and I've written on this very same topic before--Shut It Down! It can't do any worse.

Matt, thats F*cking TeaBagging Motherfuckers the last I heard!
Steve, it seems we are more like sheep than in anytime in our history.
Elijah, you use foul language. NEVER! hah! I would love to be there.
Z, thank you. I know I harp on this subject, but it is something dear to my heart. The poor, the really poor, not the one's missing a car payment, the ones with no food, are hurting bad. They need help!
Steve, thanks buddy~
Lefty, what gets me is that they are still spending money on fucking Star War shit. Airplanes that the Air Force don't want. Just because they are made in congressional districts and are nothing but voters!
L, Mr Scanner Goes to Washington. It has a certain ring to it!:-)
Myriad, thats the problem I think. It really is simple except for the greed and the congressmen who make a career out of public service. I really think that no one should serve over six years, including the president.
Linda, there soldiers on their 8th and 9th tours. That is unheard of in our history. 10 year wars. What the hell are we doing?
Harp, I write this as Japan has nuclear waste flooding into the sea at almost 10,000 gals. an hour. My God!

Look across the pond my friend and what do you see? The rich getting richer and the poor paying for it. Has it ever been any different. Yes the rich will blink first but there will be so few of anybody else left who the hell will care?

I remember the Clinton vs. Gingrich and Dole for President shutdown. I got up, went to work and went home. Other than delayed mail, which never showed up on time anyhow, I didn't even notice.

I'm with you on this one. I don't really care if they shut it all down. Won't cause anyone to take notice, however.

well done!! r.

Well written and informative.

And now that we have the 'new wonders' running this congress, we should all cheer. After all Scanner dear, at least we can still laugh at those clowns. I cannot believe with all the problems we got, they are cutting aid to the poor and needy. And the numbers of poor and needy keep going up daily.
Their time is coming, those lurvlys that are so down on the masses.
When the poor show up at those gated communties bearing torches......

"They then have to go to the only place that the poor can go, the emergency room. This in turn costs the federal government more money because they subsidize the hospitals that cannot turn away the poor."

My father is on state sponsored "Badger Care" in WI. If Walker has his way he'll be out on his butt and we'll all pay for ER visits for thousands....and parents won't be able to take their children for wellness visits, vets benefits are being slashed 53% here in WI...I thought the GOP were military worshippers? That's only when they need them and then leave the rest of us to actually care about them.

At least we are all struggling together - that has got to help us. Thanks Scanner - for your important voice and perspective on these issues.

What Matt said.

The extremely rich wouldn't survive without the poor to serve them for very little. I've always thought the ones they wanted to take out were the middle class. With or without a government shut down it seems it's all over but the crying.

Scanner, lots of important discussions going on here between your post and the comments. Say, wasn't it Cheney who said "Reagan taught us that deficits don't matter" back when he was in charge of the executive branch? I'm sure the founding fathers (and mothers) of the U.S. of A. saw some double standards and hypocrisy going on but nothing on the massive scale of what's happening these days. They have got to be spinning in their collective graves over the b.s. that's going these centuries later!

How far are we from hearing them say "let them eat cake"?

I am sick of it right up to my eyebrows. People I voted for are right now in the process of taking away most everything my wife and I rely on for day to day living. I wouldn't piss on any in either party if they were on fire. I don't know any other way to say it.

Scanner, you make perfect sense! I'm beginning to lose confidence in our government. Let's use common sense!

What I don't understand is, wouldn't EVeryone, the rich too, if all the population was relatively happy, with a fair amount of security and health care, etc. etc. Depriving people of as much as possible will only (eventually) get them mad.

This without even considering the moral question...

"It took eight years for Bush/Cheney to make it this large in the first place."

Amen scanner... shut the motherfucker down then. Only problem from what I understand... congress still gets paid

I'm not sure how it happened, but I discovered that a lot of people I call friend are republican. This never made much difference until the last few years. I recall one saying to me that the government's place was not to be taking care of everyone who had a hand out. That those people should be taken care of by private donations. When I asked how much she had contributed to such things the year before, she said "nothing. But someone always will." She now proudly accepts her social security and utilizes her medicare, and loves it. I don't have a lot of friends any more. Great post, Scanner!

I don't even dare say anything, OS would probably kick me out..

Just.. what everyone else has already said, I'll agree whole heartedly.

Rated for kindling on the pyre.

The poor are hungry. Go feed them.
The poor are homeless. Go provide them shelter.
The poor are naked. Go clothe them.
The poor are unemployed. Go provide them work.
The poor are disabled and ill. Go care for them.
The poor are lonely. Go be with them.

Don’t look to government to provide the humanity that you insist the poor should have. Provide it yourself.

Don’t look to government to provide the charity that you insist the poor should receive. Provide it yourself.

Don’t be envious of the rich. Their reward awaits them.

Live your own life and accept your individual responsibility to help your fellow man.

Your reward comes when you love your neighbor as yourself. The best societies arise from those governed the least.

scanner, my sentiments exactly. The Republican agenda is to demolish the standard of living of Americans. Their singular purpopse is to kill the American dream and turn this country into a medieval tyrany. I know that sounds paranoid, but it's not. The programs they want to end are the ones that keep poor people from starving, women from having unwanted pregnancies, and workers from having rights. Sounds like the dark ages to me!

Onward cretin soldiers.

Well done. I really couldn't agree more. And that picture. I saved that off the web because I find it just riveting. It really illustrates what you are saying.

If I thought they would shut down the corporate welfare i would say great do it; however I doubt if they'll do that. they might shut down some services that are important to those that need them though. the silver lining could be if they are stirred to action but at what cost.

Mostly what they're probably doing is posturing and adding to the waste. Same old same old!!

Here, here!

I believe that I'm healthier, both physically and emotionally since I stopped reading/caring so much about what goes on in a world over which I have no control.
I'm not as angry as I was, I am more in tuned with what is actually going on in my real life and have been told that I am much more relaxed and easy going than I was a few months ago.
The usual types who want to read their OWN meanings into all of that will accuse me of not giving a shit, etc.

As usual, they have no clue as to what IS going on with me and probably don't even know what's going on with their own self.

Part of this is benefited by not sitting here to wait for the anger, hate and frustration found in OS when it finally loads.

The ice finally melted off of my azalea bushes and the ice is going out.
Soon I'll be golfing and fishing which are two activities which are REALLY important in my life.

You make a very good point, Scanner.

What ever happened to public service? The radical concept that, once you got elected, you would do your best to serve the largest number of people? Most in this Congress it seems have forgetten that, and are just slaves to idiology and special interests.

Seconding the motion by L-inSW ~ scanner for Congress ~ very well thought out, reasoned and written.

Inverted Innterobang? You can get a crab mallet? Crabs mate on beaches in broad daylight.
You can me Speaker Boehmer.
He wears light pink silk bloomers.
Maybe he should sell ties at Yard Sales.
Harry Read should sell shallot pea soup.
Citizens can watch Seseme Street or Blog.
If we get no respect we can sip Soupy Ales.
Live off Soup Sales and help pave Pot Hole.
We won't be like Oscar The Grouch in tin can.
Unbelievable inside out and upside inverted`
`
kooky era.
fabulous words
diggity dog pup

As a federal employee, I for one, care very much if the government shuts down. Federal employees have families to feed, mortgages to pay, children to educate - just like everyone else. Anyone who says it won't make a difference is really clueless regarding how much federal funding runs local programs. Schools, roads, social services...not to mention all of those farm product subsidies that good conservatives don't like to consider welfare. Please be mindful that individuals directly affected by a shutdown are working people just like you. And for the record - individuals in the private sector doing my job get paid nearly twice what I do.

bluesurly, the last thing I want is to shut down the government. But if the price to keep it running is doing away with Medicare and Medicade for the poor of this country, then the price is too high. We have the biggest economy in the world, bar none. You can't keep the government running on the backs of the poor. They are still using Bush's tax cut for the rich, it's insane. If shutting down this government for a few days is what it will take to keep the teaparty conservatives hands off of Medicare, Medicade and even Social Security, which they also have their eye on, then so be it. Close it down and we'll all starve together.

Scanner - I'm definitely with you there! If we shut all of the tax loopholes and had dare I say it SOCIALIZED HEALTH CARE this country would be in a much better state. When polled, both conservative and liberals all voted to cut funding to the military. Too bad our representatives are ignoring those polls.

I got enough to buy the government!! 24 cents!! WOOOO!! :D

Its too bad that the big pharma, medical and insurance establishments have managed to brainwash the majority of people in this country into believing that guaranteed access to affordable health care is evil and being forced into medical bankruptcy or going without care is good and partriotic. And the hypocrisy of those in government who vote against this and other social safety net programs whilst feeding at the public rough and enjoyng what truly is the best medical care available (at no cost to them) makes me puke.

When the care of the country is in the hands of a government so feeble for the general welfare of the country that shutting it down makes so little difference it is obvious the government has been shut down for a very long time. Doing it legally becomes mere formality.

When the care of the country is in the hands of a government so feeble for the general welfare of the country that shutting it down makes so little difference it is obvious the government has been shut down for a very long time. Doing it legally becomes mere formality.

Sorry about the double post. Delay in accepting submission had me fooled.

We are in some deep shit my friend, and its getting deeper by the day...

Part of me wants a government shut down, if just to decimate those tea party pukes and arrogant bastards. But they seem to get away with bloody murder. If that's what it will take to wake this stupid country up, then so be it.

I'm reading a title on the home page where someone is whining about being "tired of the Japan disaster!" Duhhh...that disaster isn't tired of us and plans to stick around, so join us in big boy and big girl world. arrrrgh!

I want the looted funds back in my treasury. If one person tells me to "tighten my belt for my country", I will tell them to put back the stolen loot, then we can get back to work.

I want Bush and everyone under him investigated, charged, fined and to lose their rank, title and benefits for life.

Golden Zuma!

Both the government and the legislative branch do what they are told. The worst part will always be that Americans did elect these politicians. The anti-poor measures that are being taken have reached unprecedented nasty levels, and I bet you anything they are not going to stop. The majority of the American people have simplistically and shamelessly made it very clear that they hate the poor. It is that simple. You made much sense here, ScanMan. R

The Medicaid cut is a big deal for sure. It all is, but think about how many rely on medicaid alone for health insureance. Thanks for writing this.

I bet they'll figure out some way to keep bombing Libya even if the government is shut down. The military aggression always continued during past shutdowns. The whole things is just smoke and mirrors.

Top quality post Scan Man. Should'a had an EP for this one.

Sky-"Pick"-sie for sure......
.

Ayn Rand loved her social security check.

Amen.

I can't even read political news sites anymore. It's beyond beyond beyond frustrating to watch. I don't have high blood pressure, but I'm working on it.

I have nothing to add. I've said it all before, you've said it all before, and those commenting are saying it extremely well.

Scanner, this is an excellent opinion piece and it almost goes without saying that I agree with you a million percent.

At this point I can't stomach Obama, can't watch him on tv. He just depresses me. All those promises, all of it lies. Where is the help? Did you see 60 minutes? These forums that are being held in CONVENTION CENTERS, where people line up for days at a time to try to get a little bit of help in holding on to their homes after being fucked over by banks and their mortgage brokers during the real estate heyday. And yet, they got plenty of help.

And we (the little shmucks) get bupkis~

btw, I hope you're submitting some of these articles to your local papers for publication because Scanner, you SHOULD be published. You're good enough to put it out there. Be sure to create an alternate name for the public, a nom de plume for the time being. It's possible someone who doesn't agree with you might throw a rock through your window because your writing is effective as hell and gets cleaner and better every day! Go for it! big hug to you~!

I agree with your outrage. I will interview for a job next week that will pay me less than a third of my former salary. Heartless America. R

About the last line.

"I for one will be glad I'm not around for the end game. "

It's been said (I cant remember by who) that the Citizens of an Empire are the last to see the fall coming. Who really knows how far that is in time?

Your point about who will manage without the government, you're right: it probably would be the poorest, who've had to become resourceful in ways the richest people can only imagine.

Well said. Rated.

Excellent post. I'm so sick of the way this country tries to balance the budget by throwing the poor, women with children, early education programs, the middle class, etc. under the bus. Money talks. And the the most vulnerable in this country don't have money or influence. A society is judged by the way it treats it's most vulnerable citizens. By the way, love Elijah's new word "fucktards."

"My money's on the poor, what else can they lose?" I am with you my brother. We already know how to sacrifice where the rich don't even know what real sacrifice is. They work hard? Yes, some. But, even more, on the backs of the working class which they sell out in a moment to make an extra buck. Oh, but if you call it capitalism, it some how is okay, a word that has become the Holy Grail for greed.

I am not sure they are doing much for us now, however I am not really an anarchist. It should prove to be interesting.

you've figured the passerbys out. congrats. i'd have hammered home the point that the brain dead are appealing to the brain dead in a language that is extinct and so am i.

Great point--we would all be well served if the whole stunt backfires.

The Republicans have shown us that the "winner" is often who ever gets the most air time. As I understand it, the President can address the nation as he sees fit. If he's smart, he would address the nation prior to this shut down and explain his rationale for cutting thirty three billion dollars from the budget. He could frame it in such a way as to make it clear that any stonewalling is nonsense, insulting, and detrimental to the American people.

It never ceases to amaze me how little the big spenders really understand. When you have a social safety net and government regulators looking out for health and fairness, you are paying for the relative peace, tranquility, and safety the wealthy enjoy stateside. Would they prefer our nation be like so many other third and fourth world nations where the wealthy have armed guards and the "common" people are on the verge of revolt every moment? Where you have a fair economy, you have relative peace. Where you have a hard-core consolidation of wealth, you have Libya.

How is it possible that so many people seem to have been born without a soul.
rated with love

How is Obama helping the poor? By taking the price of gas and groceries out of the inflation rate? By shutting down and eliminating oil rigs in the gulf thus insuring even more costly oil? By using the EPA to eliminate coal powered power plants and making electricity rates, "necessarily skyrocket?" By imposing such impossible regulations on health care providers and insurance companies that my own rates have now gone up 1/3 more! By spending so much more money than any president in history that our country will probably never come out of debt and reduce our children and grandchildren to poverty or slavery. Please tell me how he is helping the poor and lower middle income classes. I am dying to hear what he has done.

Dang scanner, this is so well-written I had to post to my fb..

i keep telling you to stop voting for politicians, but will you listen?

I watched a clip from a speech Republican Mike Pence gave about shutting down the government and there was a group behind him chanting, "cut it or shut it." I also watched the President's speech today and he asked a simple question - why wasn't this budget deal worked out three months ago, or even one month ago. He also cited the original amount agreed upon by Boehner, $33 billion which the Dems had reluctantly agreed to. But, as Harry Reid said in his press conference, the Republicans, being run by the Tea Party, keep moving the goal posts.

Well, it dawned on me. None of these Republicans look worried about shutting down the government and in fact look like they want it to happen. Guess what? It's tax time. April 15th. The IRS is part of the government that they will shut down. Therefore, they're probably banking on getting a lot more public (and corporate) support than otherwise precisely because of this fact. AND, they don't even have to mention it and the Dems won't either because it's actually a good sales point for the Republicans. These people are diabolically clever predators and political sociopaths.

It's time the "Left" stops talking about "the lesser of two evils." No. It's about evil and stopping it from taking everything over as part of their "full spectrum dominance" agenda, that weds fundamentalist churches, the corporate sector, right-wing political control, media domination and runaway privatization, i.e., fascism. It's time to wake up and realize what we're really up against.

It's alright to say the Republicans are rather vicious clowns and the Democrats are castrated but what do you do. Where are the nationwide protests? Where are the angry mobs screaming? Are there people preparing to do violence? There was a bit of noise from Wisconsin but not a hell of a lot of support. Why is it so quiet?

To get a more precise picture why the USA is up the creek without a paddle see http://www.counterpunch.org/graham04052011.html