Don't blame me, I voted for the other guy. (Politics General)

@Beth
For narcissists like Trump and his flying monkeys, anything short of absolute loyalty to him is a betrayal.

This summer has brought something rather interesting with it.

For the first time since polling on the subject began in the 80s, am average of over 60% of Americans say that climate change is at least partially responsible for changes in weather they are experiencing, with a smaller majority saying that humans are at least somewhat responsible.

This is a pretty significant milestone. It’s also no surprise that you’re suddenly seeing Republicans start to talk about climate change.

@Meanlucario
Trump can’t escape the corners of his own doing.

@igotnopicks
He’ll do everything he can to do so, though.

And only about 20 years too late for it to matter.

This is the last week to prevent another government shutdown.

Remember, the last shutdown was in December 2019 and lasted 35 days into the next year, the longest in history and cost the Government $5 billion in economic activity.

@Dustcan
Is that, like, $5 billion in the total length of the shutdown?

And Trump ended up almost winning reelection and Republicans gained seats in the House anyway. Because people care more about gas prices than government functionality.

Wikipedia says $5 billion across the length, but the Congressional Budget Office says $11 billion plus indirect “impossible to quantify” knock-on effect costs.

@Dustcan
$11 billion is roughly what the US government spends in about one day.

But the unquantifiable section is something else.

Keep in mind that “cost” means something slightly different here.

Normal functional costs of government operations are accounted for, budgeted, and paid out either by revenue or debt. It is the “cost” of doing government business. Paying employees, funding projects, moving liquid assets around to banks, paying off our debts and bonds, stuff like that.

Again, these are planned expenditures

Shutdown costs are different. Shutdowns lead to unexpected and unaccounted expenditures on top of what the government already has to spend. Most of this comes out of slush funds.

The biggest drain, however, is that shutdowns choke revenue. Which means that expenditures that were already budgeted in suddenly may become a victim of a shortfall. This revenue is not easily recouped, because the cost of doing government business continues even when the government is shutdown.

An example. There are around 144,000+ government employees. Of those, around 110,000 (myself included) work jobs that require network access. This access is accomplished through something called a PIV or CAC card. Each card is tied to a credential that grants access to the network of your department.

These credentials cost 10 dollars a day to maintain.

Some quick and dirty maths and you get 1.1million dollars a day to keep those cards online. The PIV system has a static budget that is outlined at the start of each fiscal year. Revenue disruptions mean shortfalls.

Yeah and if that extra $5-11 billion would’ve just disappeared anyway, then it would’ve been nice if it disappeared into some kinda of public service and/it debt relief. Or even a down payment on the national debt.

Meanwhile Congress continues to ensure their salaries are untied to whether the government runs or not. The same people who determines whether the government gets paid writes in insulation for themselves.

To add to this, because I know it’ll be brought up.

Yes, the government could and should be much more efficient with its funds. But what ought to be and what is are two different things.

Reform needs to happen, but it needs to happen in a way that doesn’t suddenly cut off huge swaths of government function. And these ceiling and spending limit fights are bullshit that other nations rightly do not engage in.

To allude to my previous statement, IIRC British Parliament also had these dick waving and political game of chicken arguments over budget. Right up until Parliament’s salary was also tied to whether budgets got passed.

Suddenly Brian never had another funding gap since.

So yeah that’s a great start. Congress doesn’t want to find the government? Congress is the first to not get paid.

@Zincy
I have to admit, I’m a fan of the “if you can’t pass a budget, the entire legislature is fired” rule some countries have.

The problem is if said legislature gets elected back in by a clueless population.

@Background Human
Wasn’t it Warren Buffet who said that if a law was passed making all elected officials not eligible for reelection if there’s a deficit would instantly solve the nation’s debt?

Taylor Swift urged her followers to vote.

In response to that, voter registration saw a record breaking 157k registered in a single day, including a 115% increase in 18yo.

In response to that, the Federalist Society of Conservatives say Taylor Swift is a harbinger of degeneracy and an omen of the decline of western civilization.

Aw geez Rick, I think it’s time people get Swifty.

Edit: This also happened the same day Trump, in his infinite stupidity, railed against Pennsylvania’s suggestion for automatic voter registration by saying the quiet part out loud that it’d hurt Republican chances.

@Dustcan
Encouraging people to vote?! What does she think America is? A democracy?! That’s blasphemous!

This is the top page of Drudge (yes, Drudge) right now.

@SleepySteve
though it should be pointed out that trump has been the first incubent president that was voted out of his second term, which hasn’t been a thing in america for decades if i remember. It also can’t be said how slim the gop majority in the house really is (it’s litterally just 9 people).
There’s also this one opinion article by one Hayes Brown which argues the shutdown tactic is at best a recipe for a minor phyrric victory and at worst risk making you look bad, with the article pointing out that Mitch McConnel himself thinks deliberatly shutting the goverment down is not a good move for the republican party.

The last time we had a 1 term president was Bush Sr. 1988-92. 30 years of 2 term presidents until Trump.

And that was because he blew his own “No new taxes” vow. Even the Gulf War didn’t do jack for him.

@Dustcan
If only he hadn’t been such a clown regarding the pandemic.

Yeah. It cannot be overstated how Covid should’ve handed him the election on a silver platter due to the Rally Around The Flag effect.

Instead he got over a million Americans killed, at a rough ratio of 3:1 Republicans to Democrats. With states like Georgia went to Biden by less than 12k votes, he literally killed his shot at re-election alongside his voters.