I don't get the outrage of federal workers not getting paid.

You start up a company of your own. Do you get paid right off the bat? For the most part, nope.

You work for a start-up company, do you get a steady paycheck? Nope.

And if you work for a start-up company, do you get any guarantee you'll get compensated for when the company becomes successful? Nope.

And as a private sector employee, do you get the benefits that government workers get? Double nopety-nope.

This is the type of stuff people in the private sector have to deal with every day. It is fairly commonplace. Yeah the government being shut down is an inconvenience, but it is no more of an inconvenience than what private sector workers have to contend with day-in and day-out. From my perspective, and some exposure to the public sector, you should be glad to get the benes and pay you get because you're not going to get that anywhere else.

Furthermore, with 17 trillion in debt hanging over this nation's head - what do you think will happen to your pensions if that debt can no longer be serviced? As it stands right now, state and local public sector employees are learning the hard way that when the government runs up its bills, the first hit they are going to take is on their pensions.

Hate the Republicans all you want (I'm not much of a fan for them either nowadays), but if something isn't done, it is all going to come crashing down.

This should provide ample weekend entertainment. Who has the popcorn, who has the beer?

Why am I paying taxes to a governement that is out of service?

I want a refund

Day 4 of IDGAF!

I still feel their pain, jpotts... BUT you've said what most of us small business owners have been preaching all along. Aside from selling our homes, canceling our health coverages, depleting our savings/pensions and a few sundry social safety nets which are temporary and pay little... this is how many "movers and shakers" in the private sector live.

Think of it as helping maintain services that help mostly the young, infirm, & old, DMV

Broke is broke. There...I said it.

We are a long long way past being merely broke.

Well, first of all, Federal workers are not self employed, so this is apples & oranges. Second, sounds like jpotts needs a group hug.

(({ }))

^^^ Sorry, forgot to say I'm classified as self employed.

Jpotts et al, it's not that some federal employees and contractors are furloughed, it's that they (since my contract is still paying I THINK-working at risk....) don't know when they are going back to work. I don't get compensated for the risk you take as a small business owner, so I won't reap any rewards-just a paycheck for my labor. If you, a big company or the federal government needs my labor, then pay me for it. If not, lay me off/fire me so I can either get another job or start my own business.

My furloughed or "shutdown" friends can't get other jobs-would you hire someone who might be able to re-join their career Monday? Oh, and some miss the cut-off for unemployment benefits by a few hundred dollars as retired E-6s after 20 years in the military.

And don't think I don't know this is about to bankrupt a whole bunch of small-businesses that had government contracts set aside "to benefit them." Got friends making payroll off credit cards routinely when DoD challenges invoices.

Don't bogart the popcorn, azzhats.

Beer here! Ice cold beer!!!!

🍺 And popcorn this should be a good one

I wouldn't hire them because I know that just as soon as the trough is open they're going to run back to it. Not a single Federal worker is going to quit over this shutdown. The government knows it. We know it.

A private sector corporation would be almost immediately thrown into bankruptcy if they did this stunt. Creditors would freeze lines, employees would quit, customers would flee.

Hockey dad, you're wrong. The agency I work for has seen 3 people leave from my location alone.
You can't compare being a federal employee to being an employee of a startup company. I've been with the government for nearly 10 years and have nothing to do with passing the budget. Why does my family need to go without a paycheck for who knows how long simply because a handful of idiots can't get their $hit together & share the sandbox? I doubt that any of the employees at any private company would tolerate being told "I'll pay you when I can, I don't know how long it'll be. But no, you can go find another job until then. If you don't show up tomorrow, you're fired."
Despite what many people want to believe, the VAST majority of federal employees are not independently wealthy and live paycheck to paycheck. In fact, quite a few of us don't make much at all (entry level with my agency is around $30k, prorated to part time status working less than 50% so about $15k). Missing even 1 paycheck is going to have a very real impact on us very quickly. Since we're "essential", we have to report or face termination, so its not like we can go find another job until the budget/cr is passed.

Three people have quit in the last 4 days? Really? Good for them although I find that a little hard to believe. That is the only way the government will learn they can't do this crap so I hope they did quit this week. I hope everybody in your entire agency quits on Monday.

I never compared federal employees with a startup company. A much better comparison would be to compare to IBM, GE, ExxonMobil, or Microsoft. Monster companies. As big as they are, their employees would not tolerate this crap.

The VAST majority of ALL employees are not independently wealthy and live paycheck to paycheck. The government can do this to federal employees because they know they won't quit. I empathize with your situation. It sucks being a pawn.

Sorry, I didn't direct my second point to the OP as I intended to. His first 3 points were comparing fed workers to private sector startups.

But yea, 3 in 4 days. Whether or not you want to believe it is irrelevant.

I was talking to one if the officers at Ft. Leavenworth who works with a mix of military and civilian employees. The civilians are not getting paid but are expected to report. According to him if they are one minute late they will be fired. They just fired a fifteen year employee for being 5 minutes late.

Sounds odd to me and I'm glad my shop isn't like that. But that's what he said (bs or not). He didn't seam to be joking.

As for the op, I'm not taking the bait. I'm not sure even Potts believes what he types at times. I just think he wants a reaction.

I long ago forgave Potts absurdity by considering his situation. He is surrounded by by far more lib whackos than any of the rest of us and prolly the only defense is go full on crazy in the other direction. I would too. There are no adults in his area. It's like a political children of the corn.

A conciliatory and unconditional surrender from TW if I've ever heard one!=d>
See? Don't you feel the bigger man for it? (or something like that)

He laid that golden fiddle on the ground at JPotts feet, because he knew that he'd been beat.