(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
 . . . . . . . . . .



I Have Suggestions... for avoiding/ending the next Government Shut-down. [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2023-10-01  

Let’s start with you understanding this is fantasy. I hold no hope that the measures necessary for implementing them will ever come about without the changes which would make shut-down highly unlikely in the first place. But please bear with me.

First, end paying congress until resolution is reached. I’m not talking about delaying pay. Just stopping it. Don’t call it vacation, research, other official duties. Working to destroy the government is not my idea of any kind of official duty. Just. Stop. Pay.

Second, reinstate uninterrupted military pay. No holding out. Don’t make them work while worrying about their families going without, because that doesn’t make the best soldiers in times of peace, much less when they’re most needed. We never know when and how that will happen, so always being prepared is a must.

These first two are pretty much opposite of what happens now, except the military will get back pay eventually.

Third, and most controversial IMHO, is taking air travel off the “essential services” list. Shut it down for the duration. Airports get closed, nobody travels that way. It will make a whole hell of a lot of people really angry, and I mean totally pissed off! The inconvenience will be staggering. Family vacations will be delayed or cancelled, people can’t return home from overseas — at least by air, but there are ships after all. They’ll eventually get where they want to… or they won’t. Perhaps they’ll be stuck in a country with excellent free healthcare and bring an idea home with them eventually. Business people either won’t travel, substituting e-meetings for actual handshakes and expensive dinners, like during the covid shutdown so most of them know how it’s done, will find other transportation, or will reschedule. Meanwhile the skies will temporarily be free of pollution from planes, less fuel will contribute to the climate crisis, the next pandemic may even be delayed. Best of all, congress can’t go anywhere until they fix what they broke. I acknowledge a large number of them have nice bankrolls and likely can get by for a while. It’s the staying put that’s the point. No bopping home campaigning for a while sounds like an ideal outcome.

Since no upcoming shutdown is a surprise to anybody paying attention, most people can make adjustments in timing or types of communication. However, the angrier people are, the more pressure they can/should put on their congress members. Heck, some of them might even vote out the yahoos and extremists next time around, putting in people of whatever persuasion who can act reasonably, make compromises when necessary, and as policy will ditch forever that so-called “Hastert Rule” where you only work within your own caucus instead of passing legislation that a majority of ALL legislators can get behind. You know, like back in the good old days when government worked and people actually thought that was a good idea.

[END]
---
[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/10/1/2196515/-I-Have-Suggestions-for-avoiding-ending-the-next-Government-Shut-down

Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/