Frustrated: I think this tug of war has gone on long enough. There are Feds who solely depend on their pay checks and this situation is a struggle for them. The senate, congress, president and any one else in this tug of war game are making decision that affect the financial lives of hard working people. None of them are giving any thought to what we are going through, because they are still getting their pay checks on time. Creditors are not going to hold off much longer for us. If this keeps up all federal workers will be in shelters and on food stamps. Somebody needs to give in and end this. They all can’t be winners in this political game.
Oct. 15 at 8:12 a.m. – Via Email

Anonymous: It is ironic that now the public seems to be concerned about the Federal Employee, just a year ago the president and media blamed the economic down turn on the Feds. Congress agreed and for the past three years there have been no pay increases. Feds were accused of being overpaid and non productive. I don’t know where the media got the information to support their idea that feds were overpaid, they certainly didn’t come out to the field and talk with employees and make actual comparisons other wise they would know that only in a few cases do feds pay match the private sector.

Watching the media now I’m wondering how long it will be before they begin to castigate the federal employee again, it won’t be long.

My frustration is with the lack of any attempt by the president and congress to actually work together on this.
Oct. 11 at 10:37 p.m. – Via Email

Anonymous: It’s day 11 (I believe) and trying to understand what our leaders are doing in the name of democracy. I am now thinking beyond myself – how the furlough is affecting us all. like everyone has pointed out – we have bills to pay etc, most importantly, we have work to do. I am part of the financial team in my agency and as you all know worked to the 9th hour to expend FY13 funds.

We have a cafeteria in my building, I am thinking of all the food that was ordered before the shut down (no matter how small the quantity) – these I assume will have to be tossed. I assume the cafeteria gets weekly supply from a company or companies – these will be on hold – someone is not getting paid. The cafeteria workers, the janitorial staffs and other contractors, how are they coping?

I have been walking a lot and this picture was taking around the Laurel Lakes in Laurel – beautiful sunset.

Today, I am going to volunteer at an assisted living facility. Keeping myself and mind occupied!
Oct. 11 at 8:04 a.m. – Via Email

Anonymous: Here’s another group of the affected that are in the shadows and affected very negatively. I had a scheduled Entry on Duty (EOD) to Federal Service on Oct 6th. Provided my then current employer with the standard 2 week notice of resignation. Oct 1st I receive email from agency HR advising my EOD is delayed until whenever. Advised to stay with my current employer on my last day of work. Yes, my then current employer would be really thrilled to provide a 2 week handout for a departing employee. RIGHT! Didn’t happen.

Now I can’t even apply for unemployment because I left employment by choice. To make matters even worst I relocated from state to another state at my own expense for job.

STOP PLAYING POLITICS WITH OTHER PEOPLES LIFE. EVERYONE DOESN’T HAVE MASSIVE SAVINGS TO LIVE OFF!!!!
Oct. 10 at 12:29 p.m. – Via Email

Stephanie Clipper: Since day one, a recurring theme with this president has been his refusal and reluctance to come out of his WH bubble and meet with conservatives on the Hill. They have found this baffling, and Jack Welch recently cited this type of contact as critical in negotiation. Apparently, it was deemed necessary that the President have a signature program so that history would treat him well, even though Hillary Clinton risked political ruin for mounting a similar effort–and failed in delivering it. The ACA could’ve been a process with input from a number of important sectors spanning years of careful planning. Instead it was drafted as a labyrinthine document and sent to the Hill as a package — akin to force majeure. Now, the very people who were alienated from the development process are trying to stop it, a runaway train. What price are we paying for this signature program? Now it appears that the President, his handlers (!), and conservatives (House, Senate) are dug in until the 17th. A CR could’ve been passed to cover us from the 1st through 17th, since no one was apparently ready to come to the table until then anyway. This means that nothing will be done in the coming days until the economy starts to tank and someone makes the first move. Until then, we as a nation have come to the point where people struggling with cancer, visiting national parks, and trying to care for at-risk children, do not count at all. Even a tanked economy has become part of the political dance, a reason for someone to make a first move. And Feds, with our “cushy” jobs–with various oversights and strictures and frozen salaries–now live in an almost-constant state of year-round shutdowns and shutdown threats. We are now told that apparently we are being punished because we, too, did not melt during the economic meltdown, even when most of us were affected by it. And to whom do we appeal? To our overlords and gaolers?
Oct. 8 at 8:23 a.m. – Via Email

Furloughed ESSENTIAL Employee: So here I sit on Day 7 working and I know I have to come in on Day 8 — yet the non-essentials will get back pay; so why are they NOT working then? They will be getting paid anyway – make em work like the rest of us. After all it won’t make a difference on the outcome.

I do NOT know when I will get paid but I do know I have bills to pay; how am I going to do that if I don’t have a check, not sure about the rest of you but unfortunately its paycheck to paycheck in my household we are retired military (which by the way is not what it was promised) and both federal employees.

There is no guidance out there every agency is doing their own thing the things that are truly shutdown are amazing and a bit of a rampage from one side —- if you are going to shut us down then do it don’t just do a little.

YEAH I am venting I am annoyed and getting more and more so every day that goes by with this stalemate its ABSURD!!!!

Finally not a single one of them should ever hold a public office ever again!!!

Sincerely thanks for nothing
Oct. 7 at 6:51 p.m. – Via Email

Extremely Disgruntled: I work at one of the largest departments in the government. Because of the funding we receive for our programs, my group is furloughed only one day a week. Last week I felt fortunate that I was at least working 4 days a week, until I learned that those who are fully furloughed will get paid for not working, while I am working.

This makes no sense to me that the Federal Government is willing to shut down the government and then always vote to backpay those who are not working. It is bad enought that there are added costs to shut down, and bring back up the government, but there is also the cost of paying salaries for no work. How can this possibly make sense to Congress? Why don’t they just continue their debates while folks are working for their pay?

Let folks get back to work and stop wasting my tax dollars!
Oct. 7 at 4:46 p.m. – Via Email

A Fed Up, Furloughed, Essential Employee: I’m here starting Day 6 of the shutdown as an “Excepted Employee”, and we just got news that we might be working Columbus Day 10/14, and not getting paid for it. What is the incentive to work hard and do a great job for the government? You’ll be deemed Essential, and will have to come to work to do not only your job, but all of your neighbor’s jobs; while your slack, bum neighbor, who doesn’t perform on normal days, gets a paid vacation and holiday?

Thanks for nothing!
Oct. 7 at 3:05 p.m. – Via Email

Anonymous: It is disgusting that a few highly paid radical, selfish members of congress put the entire country at risk (think Roman Empire?)

How nice they will pay back furloughed government employees after they lose their credit ratings, homes and other assets. What about the contractors, and businesses that have had to cut back and lay off employees.

Congress should not be allowed to be paid, nor have any monies from their investments. All monies should be placed in a fund to pay those they hurt. Items to be voted on should not be allowed to be attached to any other item. Term Limits must be begun and no special treatment, such as better insurance, benefits etc. than any other federal employee.
Oct. 7 at 7:29 a.m. – Via Email

Fritz: Back pay has been approved for furloughed federal workers, so why isn’t everybody back at work? Mr. Hagel the Defense Secretary is bringing most workers back, the question is why isn’t everybody back? Are management heads on vacation, send the pawns of Congress back to work. We haven’t done anything wrong except vote for some of the knuckleheads running our country into the ground. They first robbed “Social Security” and other retirement systems to pay for their questionable agenda and now after starting to print “Monopoly Money” to feed their game of waste and abuse they’ve dumped on taxpayers and workers. When will it all stop, with a revolution, God forbid I hope not?
Oct. 7 at 4:43 a.m. – Via Email

Anonymous: While I do not enjoy my prospects as a furloughed Fed, I do understand why we’ve come to this. Our government has spent itself into oblivion. Promising the citizenry that it will just take a little bit of tax here and there and will use that money to take care of our fellow man’s needs in perpetuity… outside the government they call those illegal schemes Ponzi, and they are doomed to fail those who pay in at the end. No man deserves the fruits of another’s labor, and we are not even asking generations who just began to vote and beyond to support the living expenses of those who just happened to be born before them. It is reprehensible that our government continues to obfuscate the issues of entitlement programs, and it is damnable that we the people -who ought to know better- have become so selfish that we won’t pay the price for this folly now and spare our future generations a life of socialized servitude. It is inexcusable and these younger generations will not treat their elders so kindly because they have placed a very uncertain future upon them out of their own deliberate greed. I say to the GOP and all members of our federal government to take the long view, quit trying to plug the cracks in the damn and lets just fix this now before we have no choice but to let the damn fail. And to all those Fed employees who are worried about their immediate needs… Stop feeling sorry for yourself, tell your congressional representatives that you demand they stop funding programs that are unsustainable and creating more government dependents. We have reached the tipping point, where there are more people on entitlement and welfare programs than there are productive supporting them – and more than half of the US budget goes to support those entitlement programs and it is growing exponentially every year –this cannot continue! It’s time to admit once and for all the government cannot manage the needs of its people without choosing winners and losers and hurting us all in the process. Social security should have made that very clear, and the majority of the US knows the ACA is doomed to fail us as well. Stop the madness, let’s make the hard calls now and get this right while we still have the means to do so. We cannot solve these issues in crisis mode.
Oct. 5 at 9:06 p.m. – Via Email

John: First let me begin by saying I am angry. To date I’m unaffected by the current shutdown nor have I been sequester furloughed. I continue to work. That, however, has no bearing on what I am feeling. I am outraged. Congress is a bunch of self serving, preening narcissists who are acting like spoiled children who get a trophies just for signing up for little league. Their oath of office has been cast aside in their never ending bid to be re-elected. They have no regard for the citizens of their country except on or near election day. I say this in all honesty, “if one person is harmed, one person dies, one more family loses their home as a result of this shutdown, then the entire lot of Congress should be brought up on charges of treason”. My anger is not about closing National Parks. I am angry about the effects on NIH, the CDC among other agencies and the consequences suffered by decent hard working Americans who deserve more than to be pushed aside by these demagogues. I am angry because sequestered Federal employees who after taking it on the chin via unpaid furloughs are subjected to another flogging at the whim of a Congress so out of touch with reality that they should be sent packing.

Members of Congress have not only turned their backs on the citizens of America but are now doing harm to those who pay their salaries. Congress calls Social Security an entitlement? What I and the rest of this country are entitled to is a working, functioning Government. What happened to “a government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish…? Congress hasn’t perished, they’ve disappeared.
Oct. 4 at 9:40 a.m. – Via Email

Anonymous: At specific moments in US history, an individual steps up to the problem, shows leadership and leads the nation through critical times. Now, I am sad to say, we have elected leaders, but we have no leadership. Actually, we got what we asked for, we voted for posers, lemmings, spin doctors and in several cases comedians. Our duly elected representatives have forgotten the concept of democracy and, for their own bipartisan gain, have decided to tear the nation in two. So, in a world of sound bites, here are three that should be remembered:

– “A house divided cannot stand.” – Abraham Lincoln 16 Jun 1858 – and he went to war to preserve a united nation.

– “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” – George Santayana 16 December 1863

– The first line of the Constitution states “We the people of the United States…”. It does not say “We the party..”
Oct. 4 at 8:22 a.m. – Via Email

Anonymous: I can’t begin to explain how the economy has affected my growth as an American and as a young person. In the last five years, I’ve dealt with layoffs and two furloughs. I’m under 35 and I don’t own a home, I can’t afford to have children, I live at home to save money and out of fear of events like what happened on Monday.

Before becoming a gov’t employee I was a school teacher and I truly loved my job and before I could get tenure, I was laid off. I lost everything, my bills piled up, my car was almost repossessed and I nearly got evicted out of my apt. I felt the best and the safest choice was to take a job with the federal gov’t.

Within 2 years I got out of debt, aside from my student loan and I got my life back on track. And now two furloughs within a year and I honestly don’t know how I’m going to pay my bills in the coming months. I’m scared I may lose everything all over again. I’ve never been fired from a job or had any disciplinary problems, but the economy and congress don’t care about that. I suffer regardless of how hard I work. I went to college, I have three college degrees, one of them is a Master’s degree. I finally bought a vehicle that I truly love, I’m trying to advance in my career, but congress and this economy doesn’t care.

I’m a black female who has never been on public assistance, both of my parents are retired, I went to college to better myself. I never imagined all the days I was writing research papers, carrying my heavy back pack across my college campus, that I would do all of that hard work, so congress could snatch it all away, whenever they felt like it. As a young American I cannot buy a home and settle in and contribute to the economy. It saddens me because I want to be a productive citizen, I want to contribute and enjoy the liberties that so many before me, died for.

I would like my email entry to be anonymous, I hope this gives you a glimpse of how the shutdown has affected me.
Oct. 4 at 7:10 a.m. – Via Email

Joanne: I am recently retired after 36-1/2 years.

The devastation my family & I went through

After Superstorm Sandy forced my decision to retire early. Also the fact that it appeared with no cola raises for three years straight that congress was trying to balance things on the backs of ONLY the federal employee.

So I retired and am thankful I missed the furlough and now the new government shutdown (furlough) imposed on my peers in DoD that I left behind. I am very grateful as my pension payments on 1st of the month are not affected.

I am furious at what congress is doing to the federal employees. I am furious at the inefficiencies of congress.

This is so, so wrong.

A new law needs to be put in place that Congress also should not get paid during any shutdown. Things must change!

Sequestration is the big problem and for a few years they have just kicked the problem further into the future and have not addressed and resolved it. The time is now.
Oct. 4 at 6:34 a.m. – Via Email

Fritz S.: Hello Fellow Citizens,

It’s worrisome that federal agencies have furloughed people like aviation safety inspectors and medical clinics on federal sites. Safety personnel would seem to be logically the last people you would furlough. Oh well, I guess the thinking of those in charge is we’ll just ramp up the printing presses at the Treasury and print some more funny money backed by more paper when it’s over. I would imagine they store these bonds at Fort Knox. I hope they don’t cut the fire insurance there too!
Oct. 4 at 5:55 a.m. – Via Email

Anonymous: As a 37 year government employee, I am tremendously sad for the government shut down. I have always been proud to be a government employee and have encouraged others to consider a job in federal service. I have a master’s degree and could make more money in private industry, but I have never considered making the switch. The reason for my steadfast service to the government is that I along with so many of the other federal employees who go to work every day, we are dedicated, patriotic, loyal citizens who consider working for the government an honor and a privilege. I am still proud to be a government employee, but that pride comes from my own self- motivation not from the actions of my elected officials. Government employees have been “thrown under the bus” by our elected officials. We have been vilified by our elected officials and have been treated as second class citizens. We have watched while our pay has been frozen for going on four years now, our health care and retirement benefits have been debated and threatened and we have been blamed for the government’s financial problems. I am so sad for my fellow federal employees and for my government. I love my country, I love our freedom and I love our constitution. I think if our founding fathers could view the behavior of our current members of the Senate and Congress, they would be appalled. Our form of government was designed with checks and balances and required our elected officials to be able to compromise. It’s called a “win-win” situation, you give a little and I give a little. If our elected officials were little children, I would send them all to their rooms until they behaved. I don’t see any incentive for our Senate and Congress to do the jobs they were elected to do so long as they keep receiving their pay checks. I think new laws should be passed which tie their paychecks to the completion of the budget each year. Hold up their pay until they do their jobs. My elected officials don’t think that I as a government employee deserve may pay and I as a government employee don’t think that they deserve their pay. By the way, at $174,000, they get paid a lot more money than I do. I would also like to encourage my fellow federal employees to not give up hope. We will get through this. God bless you all! — From a federal employee
Oct. 4 at 5:42 a.m. – Via Email

Anonymous: Regrettably national politics has regressed to the level of condo politics. The typical rare condo owners who vote are oblivious to the obvious and continuously reelect similar minded representatives. Elected Congressional Officials will recognize their fiduciary responsibilities when incumbent officials are voted out regularly from office.
Oct. 3 at 9:10 p.m. – Via Email

Leonard A Wade: As a registered Republican, I VOTED for Obama in the 08,and 12 election, why you asked? Well lets look at who he was up against soooo you would rather I voted for ONE of them?? Put somebody thats worth voting for on the next ballet.Think Ronald Reagan before you put somebody on that ballet. Now bayner I think it’s time YOU put the Government back together and let’s all get on with our lives.

The incident that happened today I hope no one died because Im sure its related. If not today are you waiting on that poor government worker to commit suicide because they are fed up.DO you want that on your HEAD? It probably would not bother you at all since you don”t seem to think what you are doing to millions of people, and I don;t have to tell you that since they are.

I ADVISE YOU TO STEP DOWN RIGHT NOW!!!”
Oct. 3 at 5:19 p.m. – Via Email

Anonymous: I have been employed at the NIH for 23 years. Monday was my last day in Federal Service. I moved up my retirement so as not to be left hanging in this mess. Sequestration, daily insults in the press and questionable management of my program were already taking a serious toll on me and my colleagues. I am lucky I had a chance to get out. And who is really suffering – the public who depend on NIH to advance the health of the nation.
Oct. 3 – Via Email

Anonymous: This is about the Government Shutdown. You are playing with peoples’ lives. People were so upset Tuesday, crying; mad, angry etc. about what is happening to them. You wonder why people go off the deep end-they are being punished for something that IS NOT THEIR fault because you have people bullying each other to get their way. This is wrong on so many levels. You are pushing hard working people to a breaking point, weather we get paid or not, it’s the uncertainly they are living with. Why can’t we stop people in DC from getting paid??? They can stop us. People can’t pay their rent/mortgage, electric, water, gas etc. They have babies, kids, but really do you really care???? I wish this could be read to the so called “people” (I have another name to call them) but like everything else it won’t be heard. I’ve worked for the Federal Government for 35 years, and I have NEVER been so disappointed and ashamed of the Government until now.
Oct. 3 – Via Email

Anonymous: Three years of no pay increases. Several days off due to sequestration. Now I’m a pawn in a high stakes staredown over an unrelated topic. I’m a 16 year civil servant and am currently a technical recruiter. It’s going to be really hard to look some newly graduated engineer in the eye and tell them that I recommend a life of service to your country. It’s just sad.
Oct. 3 – Via Email

Anonymous: Mr. President,

I’m appalled at the immaturity MY government is displaying to the American people and the world! The Republicans, Democrats, and YOU should all be ashamed of yourselves. You were elected to work together and come to reasonable consensus on establishing the freedoms and liberties described in the United States Constitution! Our founding fathers worked hard to free us from the tyranny of the English Monarchy and now we appear to be right back where we started. America was established on God’s laws and the Bible to enable its people to have freedom FROM government intervention. Now it appears we, the American People, (not you or congress) are being held “hostage.” From where I see it, YOU are the one holding the process “hostage” when you say you will not negotiate “Obama Care!” This law was passed with no time for lawmakers to fully read and understand it and then you have over-stepped your authority by picking and choosing how it is implemented?! It’s not the Republicans who are keeping negotiations from happening, it’s the Presidency! In the meantime, all I hear in the news is how 15% of the population NEEDS this healthcare. No one is talking about the 85% of us who will pay for it through raised taxes! Most of that 15% don’t want the health insurance because they can’t pay for it. Additionally, this minority group also do not work or pay taxes to begin with. I though Americans were free to choose? This is another gross example of how you and the Democrats want to take hard-working Americans’ money and distribute it to those who don’t work or pay taxes! In the meantime, over 800,000 federal employees (like me) are sitting at home on furlough without getting paid because the Government hasn’t passed a budget on-time since you took office! I would be fired for such incompetence! Since we are the tax payers to begin with, how do you intend to pay for your socialist agenda and healthcare? Bottom line, I don’t blame the Republican, Democrats, or even you for this debacle you brought on; I blame the American voters! They should have fired ALL of you (President and Congress) during the last election. My hope and prayer is that they remember to do that starting in the upcoming election in November! Please stop the bickering and get the job done so we can get back to work and earn our paychecks to pay our bills!

A frustrated and angry Government Employee!
Oct. 3 – Via Email

Anonymous: As a federal employee working for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), I am shocked that politics is more important than safety. I am an aviation safety inspector (ASI), and I along with 4,5000 other ASI’s have been furloughed.

My job and the job of my cohorts is to ensure the safety of aviation. For the first time in 40 years of flying, I do not want any of my family members to fly on a commercial airplane because with the furlough, there is no oversight of these commercial operators.

People forget there is more to the FAA than Air Traffic Controllers. The FAA not only employs skilled aviation professionals who inspect airplanes and the pilots who fly these airplanes, but the FAA employs technicians who repair the radars the controllers rely on, they repair vital navigation systems and other highly advanced electronics. Without these aviation safety professionals the safety of the aviation system suffers.

I have watched the politics and am horrified that people elected to serve their district/state and the country, have put self-interests and the interests of a few wealthy individuals ahead of what is right for this country.

This government shut down is not about money or the debt or the size of government. It is about POWER. Pure and simple. POWER.

I am a registered Republican. Oops! I meant I was. Out of disgust for the antics of this party, I have changed party affiliations to that of Independent. I cannot tolerate what has happened because 40 people in this party have decided serving Grover Norquist is more important than serving the people and this country.

As an ASI, I have been told I still need to follow agency guidelines for any employment outside of the FAA, even though I am furloughed. This makes it tough for me and my family. I have not been given any guidance on filing for unemployment, nor what resources are available to me and my family while I am furloughed. Heck, we were not even given the code for our agency if I file for unemployment.

My pay has been frozen, my health insurances has gone up, and because I am in a crappy pay system called core comp I do not get step increases. I cannot leave the government employment because of my age and cannot go back to industry.

I am probably better off than many of my cohorts because I saw this train wreck coming. But my savings is disappearing and I have been working long hours for reduced pay. My pay in effect has been cut and being furlough hurts. Hurts a lot,

But as I look at the root cause of why we are at a government shut down I find the root cause is us, the people. We elected these people in congress. We the people screwed up. Instead of listening, reading, and looking up facts and figures for ourselves, we have watched Dancing with the Stars, read Facebook, and believed every word Fox News has said about the Democrats. We the people don’t vote, and could care less about politics. We whine about the latest iPhone not working right but say nothing about our government not working right.

During the great depression in the 1930’s the arguments wet “government is too big”, and the struggle was with wealthy people who did not want to be taxed. Same issues today only different year and people not being lead by strong leaders.

Until people get involved and understand the real issues nothing will change.
Oct. 3 – Via Email

Anonymous: Congress reminds me of a bunch of kids that haven’t gotten their way. They have tried a number of times to stop “Obamacare” without success. The only thing they have accomplished is proving that they are using their Congressional Seat to only advance their own objectives not the whole of the American people. I am embarrassed and ashamed of Congress. Oh, and by the way, I have good insurance, but I know quite a few families that don’t and are looking at all the insurance possibilities that are being offered.
Oct. 2 – Via Email

Anonymous: It’s appalling to me how some branches of our Government feel they do not have to negotiate. They are insinuating that the lower house should just draft the bill that they are told to and the other branches will then sign it. What is this, a dictatorship? Those branches feel that Congress should “fund the bills they have already approved”, seemingly without regard to whether the country can still afford them or not. Well, when you quadruple the deficit in (4) years you need to start defunding some things and let them go. It is neither prudent nor wise to continue spending when you continually grow the deficit and continue to have to raise the debt ceiling.

Is anybody awake up there?

I have an interview with a private firm next week. Some say it would be throwing away 25 years of service but I say it would be improving my self-respect and dignity on which I cannot put a price.
Oct. 2 – Via Email

Anonymous: One word “Recall”. Let us have recall votes on all of Congress and the Senate. This is ridiculous. They are all acting like little kids and NONE of them are representing the people that elected them. It’s all about a political party these days. Let us have new elections and get someone placed into office that may represent the citizens.
Oct. 2 – Via Email

Anonymous: I have been a federal agent for the past 22+ years and I have been around long enough to see the tough times come and go, that are the direct result of politically manufactured events such as the one all federal employees are currently being subjected to.

The difference this time around for me is my tolerance for it. During my career in law enforcement I have been shot at, slapped, punched , kicked, spit upon and called every name in the book, and while its not pleasant to experience these things, I expect it to a certain degree. What I don’t expect is that politicians, who stood and took the same oath that I did, can barely talk the talk, much less walk the walk, in carrying out the duties that each pledged they would come to Washington to fulfill, the President included.

I can only imagine how long ago I would have either been reprimanded or removed from my job, had I failed to carry out the duties that I had been appointed to do, had I behaved in a manner consistent with that of the Congress or the President. I would have faced an OPR inquiry and been summarily dismissed for dereliction of duty.

It is hard to come in to work each day knowing that there are different sets of rules applied to members of Congress and the President, than rank and file Federal employees, and that they can accomplish virtually nothing, except for gridlock, and continue to be paid, enjoying attractive pensions and lifetime health benefits after just one term in their respective offices.

Not much else to say other than completely disgusted …
Oct. 1 – Via Email

Another Fed Up Fed: I’ve been a Federal Employee for 27 years. I started working at the Internal Revenue Service 2 months after I graduated from college. I believe my job is a way to serve my country and I have been proud to serve. However, the last few years have been the most stressful and demoralizing years of my career. I’ve had to deal with pay freezes, the mess with the tax-exempt organization division at the IRS where all 90,000+ employees were deemed guilty (even though most of us had nothing to do with it), the fiscal cliff, sequestration and furloughs. The way I do my job has changed dramatically due to the budget situation. Now the government is shut down for who knows how long.

I really can’t express a political opinion publicaly, but I’d rather be furloughed than have the Senate give in to the House of Representatives. Healthcare Reform is law – deal with it. It has been passed, signed, and withstood a Court challenge. They say opinion polls want it overturned. I don’t think people really understand the provisions of the law – they understand what has been fed to them in the media. I think people will have a different opinion if they take the time to learn about the law and what it really means. The House has been so obsessed with making the President look bad they just look like whiney kids who are not getting their way. They want to take their baseball and gloves and sit in their house and not let anybody play. My message to the house is this – Get over yourselves and grow up – if you don’t like parts of the law, work on those, but don’t shut the whole country down because you don’t like the President.
Oct. 1 at 4:05 p.m. – Via Email

Anonymous: I wonder why everyone is talking about the failure to get a CR when the discussion should be about the lack of a budget since 2007. This is a much bigger story. The US Constitution requires it but how do you punish Congress for its failure? While Federal civilian workers historically are paid for their days off nothing requires it. Of course some people live pay check to pay check and that would seem the worst impact for them. It is unfortunate Congressmen get paid in the face of their failure. Their pay should stop and not be paid retroactively. That might help change things but it would only be a minor inconvenience to most Congressmen who are generally wealthy.
Oct. 1 – Via Email