Government Takes a Siesta!

Has a political stalemate between congressional republicans and democrats led to the first partial government shutdown in 17 years?  It appears to be so.

As of midnight, the shutdown commenced.  The critical move came after the Senate rejected a House bill that would have temporarily funded the federal government but delayed the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (Obama Care) by one year.Almost immediately, President Obama assured the men and women of the nation's armed forces that they would be paid as usual.  However, more than 800,000 federal employees may be affected by the shutdown.  More importantly, the shutdown may cost the U.S. economy about one billion dollars a week. Surprisingly: however, the stock market remained flat and unimpressed as of the time of this writing. Will the bears appear on the market?  Random interviews on the street showed mostly apathy.

The first effects will be seen at the national parks which will be shut down.  The post office; however, will not be affected as it does not receive federal funds. If it gets bad enough to effect the federal penitentiary system, then public interest may perk up a bit.  In the meantime, there is a lot of hot air being exchanged between Congress and the White House which may negate any progress our nation has made toward reducing global warming. 

The insurance exchange system opened today as planned and those favoring Obama Care seem to not be discouraged by the on line glitches. For those in federal positions, they have a little extra time to play on the computer today any way.

In sum, while the federal employees may take a siesta today, the rest of the nation seems to be conducting business as usual. Unfortunately, neither the rhetoric of Congress nor the warnings of the President are being taken too seriously by the public at this point.