I dunno if it is true, wishful thinking, or just plain cojecture.

But, Via Kenney, I found THIS.

“In only five more days of the already “longest government shutdown in history” (25 days and counting, as of today), a heretofore obscure threshold will be reached, enabling permanent layoffs of bureaucrats furloughed 30 days or more.“

I dunno, it sounds too easy.

Now, in most federal government offices, the ratio of 15/85 is probably pretty accurate. And reducing the size of our Federal Workforce is probably a pretty good idea. And it can be difficult to get rid of an employee once they are hired by the GSA.

Will it be that easy? Can we keep the 15 and lose the 85? Or will we end up with a lower number of employees with the same ratio?

Who has noticed this

No bill,

Whose fault???

Government employees.

Why?

Why should Federal Government employees be paid for days where they are not working?

I have friends who work for Federal agencies. some of them are out of work…”Furloughed” is the term used.
And, as of last Friday, they have not received a paycheck. This is a hardship for them….I understand this. I feel for them. They are not working due to no fault of their own. (I’ve offered all of them loans to help out if they need it….They are good credit risks: I know they will get paid eventually.) 

But when a private employee is laid off…Say a worker at a steel mill, or at a car plant, or nearly any manufacturing…..When those folks are “Furloughed” “Laid off” (also not by their choice), they are not given back pay for days where they do not work. No work (for any reason), no pay.

Why should Federal employees be paid for days where they do not work? What makes them special? What makes them any different than their private sector counterparts? Simply their employers?
Why, if they are not working, are they paid? (even if at a later date)….

I mean, I understand, that these folks (some of them, at least) are not allowed to find other work in the meantime, unlike private sector workers…. But many can work elsewhere, it’s just a hassle for them to find temporary employment.
But here’s the thing:
If they are gonna get paid either way (once the pissing match budget battle is over), then why the charade? Why not just let ’em work? Why not let them do their jobs unless (until) their department/agency is defunded and/or eliminated eliminated? Why the game of “No work/No pay”  but then give them pay afterwards?
Is is just to create havoc and chaos? Just for leverage? (hint to the politicians: It doesn’t work….you get no leverage from this.) Just for a show of power, much like Barry did when he closed the parks last time? Create havoc and pain (another hint: most people served by “The Government” are unaffected in the short run by these “shutdowns”)

If these folks are gonna get paid, then they should be working.  IF not, then they should be free to act as any other citizen, and take work where they can find it.
Why can’t the American people get some value for the money their taxes are going for? We will be paying for work not done,…value not received.

End of rant. 

Are the folks doing the Mueller investigation laid off/Furloughed?

If not, why not? The “Government” is “Shut Down”. I cannot see where they are “Essential” personnel.

Inquiring minds, and all that….

If I go to a Gunshow can I, what with the federal government shut down and all (or at least the 20% that is ACTUALLY shut down, anyway) still get a NICS check done?

Just wondering. I’d call that an “essential” service, but still….

I’m asking ’cause I might go to the Indy 1500 in Indianapolis and don’t wanna brave the snowpocalypse they are predicting for that area. 

Joe points out in comments that YESTERDAY, Friday the 11th of January, 2019, is the FIRST day of missed paychecks for Federal workers. due to the “government shutdown” over the border wall.

Yeah, one might have thought, according to news media, that these poor folks had gone for months without a paycheck. That they were eating scraped icebox and dishrag soup. Begging for scraps after bravely going to their terribly hard  “essential” Government jobs for 22 hours a day…

Odd, innit, all those interviews over the past week about the hardship when NOT ONE had yet suffered any hardship? About the mean and unsympathetic creditors…the loss of income…the terrible consequences for the children….All those tearful housewives wailing how hard it was…..

All bullshit. Battlespace preparation by the Left and their pet media, I suppose. But the Left voters Uneducated Audience ate that up.

When Barry and the Democrats shut down the government, the Republicans were blamed…for standing fast, and refusing to negotiate…Because they would not capitulate to the wishes of the (then) President.

This time, the narrative is, of course (according to the Media), the shutdown is the fault of the (current) President to capitulate to the Congress…to the Democrats…..and for refusing to back down when THEY refuse to negotiate (“There Will Be No Wall”).

Interesting double standard, innit?

And I note that they are pushing this pretty hard in the Propaganda News, so it must not be flying with the public polls. 

To the concept of declaring a national Emergency and using an Executive Order to find funding for the wall.

While I DO think we need a physical barrier in place on our southern border, I want it paid for in a straightforward manner and not by Decree…..In other words, I am opposed to using an Executive Order.

This is not what Executive Orders are for. Yes, lots of Presidents have abused them in the past. Stop doing so today and in the future.

I think one could make the case for Impeachment should Donnie (mis)use an Executive Order for such a purpose. Having said that, we should have impeached many past president for the same sort of Misuse….and I don;’t just mean Barry the O either. 

and the officers went home safe at the end of their shift.

After 5+ hour standoff (and teargas!) police find suspect not in home.

One wonders how much money was spent barricading the empty house? How many of the neighbors were evicted for those hours? 

The folks who are opposed to the Wall claim that they are all for “Border Security”.
But they don’t specify how that “Border Security” will be accomplished.
And they’ve been promising “Border Security” for DECADES….and we have seen nothing.

What is their (currently unspecified) solution to closing the border? What method are they proposing to use to secure the border? They have had ample opportunity to tell us, but they haven’t. Wonder why?
I think they are simply lying.

And, can someone explain how closing the border is “immoral”? Please, I’d like to know.

They claim that most drugs come in via “Ports of Entry” therefore a Wall will not help that problem….How do they know? Some drugs do, obviously. But if you know how and where (and how much) of the drug trade comes in via those ports…..Why aren’t we stopping it? Logically, since no one has tracked  those drugs that have entered…followed them from point of origin to point of distribution inside the US, we have no idea how or where they entered.  If we can count it, we can stop it. But they are for sale on our streets every day…….All we have is “estimates” by an “expert” (who likely wants more funding)….which are just guesses at best, Again, I think someone is lying.

Similarly, it is claimed that the number of illegal immigrants is declining…..Again, how do we know?  How do we count them? How do we count the ones that are already here….How do we count them when (if) they leave, and how do we count those folks who (continue to) enter illegally? If we know where they are, why aren’t we deporting them, and if we can count the number who are entering, why aren’t we stopping them??

 It is claimed that people use other methods of entry than the border so a Wall will do no good…….Again, how do we know? If we do know (must be we are counting them “one by one” as they enter, right?), why aren’t we stopping them from entering? If those other methods of (illegal) entry are so simple to use, why do people walk for DAYS across a desert instead of using those “easier” entry point?

And why is it ok for latino people from our southern neighbors to enter illegally and live here in violation of the law, but people from everywhere else in the world are required to emigrate legally….isn’t that racist? How come spanish speaking peoples get an exemption but Poles and Koreans and Congolese and Russians and Somalians and South Africans and Latvians and Indian peoples (and others) don’t? If welcoming immigrants with no restrictions is such a good idea, why are we blocking people at our points of entry?
Why do we even have immigration? Why do we check passports at airports at all? if one open border is good, why bother at ports and airports and such?

Which is it? Open borders are good? Or only open borders for people who are willing to walk via Mexico are OK, and other methods of entry are bad?

I have asked, and will continue to ask:

Why do the DNC folks, and many RNC members wish to keep the southern border unprotected? Why do they object to securing the largest path of entry for illegal immigrants?