This is just the impact of the first 3 weeks of a Government shut-down as $300M a day is drained out of our economy and the net effect snowballs over time. By the end of the next 3 weeks, we'd pretty much be moving into negative GDP numbers for Q4. It's not unprecedented, the last Government shutdown (1995) lasted a month.
Of course, this chart assumes we don't have any natural disasters (our warning and response centers are closed) health crises (skeleton crews at the CDC) or terror attacks (CIA says kiss your ass goodbye) while America is held hostage by the GOP. Head Start is closed (which provides day care to working families), the NHI can't treat kids with cancer, food assistance is blocked – it's a Republican paradise actually – what motivation do they have for letting the Government get back to work?
Oddly enough, the GOP is now claiming they didn't WANT to shut down the Government (a 90% disapproval rating can do that to you), the Democrats MADE them do it. But here's a show from 9/24 in which they proudly PLAN to shut down the Government. I don't mean to pick on the crooks, thieves and liars in the GOP in discussing this issue and I promise that as soon as the Democrats do something that's evil or threatens our economy or subverts the Constitution or takes our political process hostage or blatantly lies about things they saild less than 10 days ago – I'll be all over them too!
It's not me, it's GOP Rep Pete Sessions who clearly stated:
"Insurgency, we understand perhaps a little bit more because of the Taliban and that is that they went about systematically understanding how to disrupt and change a person's entire processes. And these Taliban — I'm not trying to say the Republican Party is the Taliban. No, that's not what we're saying. I'm saying an example of how you go about [sic] is to change a person from their messaging to their operations to their frontline message. And we need to understand that insurgency may be required when the other side, the House leadership, does not follow the same commands, which we entered the game with."
Slate had a great article the other day (thanks Rpme) that veiws our current crisis of Governance as if it were our own media reporting on the actions of a foreign nation – it does a good job of making you think:
The capital’s rival clans find themselves at an impasse, unable to agree on a measure that will allow the American state to carry out its most basic functions. While the factions have come close to such a shutdown before, opponents of President Barack Obama’s embattled regime now appear prepared to allow the government to be shuttered over opposition to a controversial plan intended to bring the nation’s health care system in line with international standards.
While the country’s most recent elections were generally considered to be free and fair (despite threats against international observers), the current crisis has raised questions in the international community about the regime’s ability to govern this complex nation of 300 million people, not to mention its vast stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction.
If Ted Cruz weren't so busy pretending to be filibustering, I'm sure he'd be calling for us to immediately launch a pre-emptive strike against these lunatics. But, would Cruz arm the rebels or prop up the existing regime? See, that's how illogical this guy is – you really can't be sure, can you? Last word on the topic goes to Jon Stewart:
IN PROGRESS