Oct 01 2013
Shutdown Finally Brings Dem’s National Economic Nightmare Inside The Beltway
The greater DC area is pretty immune to economic down turns. We who are fortunate to bask in the light of the all-knowing (sarcasm on full) are protected against the foolishness of DC’s policy mistakes the rest of the nation suffers.
Ed Morrissey notes an enlightening Washington Post article that points this out in spades, and also highlights the Achilles’ Heel of Democrat hopes “The Shut Down” is going to be blamed on the GOP – or even seen as bad thing outside the bubble of the beltway:
Washington, a company town unlike any other in America, was on the verge of grinding to a standstill late Monday. And with the factory about to be shuttered, here’s what the dawn could bring: More than 700,000 federal workers idled in and around the District; battalions of frustrated tourists locked out of museums; rush-hour commutes that feel like Sunday morning and countless worried merchants wringing their hands.
The Capital of the Free World: Closed till further notice.
Immune from the worst of a recession that battered the rest of the nation in recent years, U.S. government employees in this U.S. government town know they’ll be disproportionately impacted if nonessential federal offices and programs are shut down at midnight in the spending impasse between Congress and the White House.
So how is it the rest of the nation is going to feel pity and angst for all those government workers and politicians who brought us years and years of economic madness? I am not saying Americans are cruel, but many will be thinking “now you know how it feels, and maybe now you will think before you throw crap on Main Street”
Worse yet, what happens if “The Shut Down” goes the way of the Sequestration Cuts? Most people are completely unaware Sequestrations is still in effect. Yet the sky did not fall as the Chicken Little Left predicted!Will American notice?
There have been 17 shut downs since 1976. How many times can you cry “Wolf!” before Main Street stops reacting?
And it gets worse yet for the Democrats. Their line in the sand is the very unpopular Obamacare. A government solution that is set to wipe out a health care system 85% of Americans liked and supported:
In the US before passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, 85% of Americans had existing health-care coverage — and 87% were happy with it. In fact, half of the uninsured were happy with their health care. Overhauling the system that satisfied 85% of Americans in order to do something with half of the 15% unhappy with their situation only made sense if the 85% could be assured that their situation would remain the same. Of course, that was nonsense all along.
Too bad the AP couldn’t have done more fact-checking along those lines before now.
Flip this data around and it means 85% of the people who were happy have the potential to be really unhappy with the dawn of Obamacare! I know I am so far – premiums are skyrocketing. Not to mention what Obamacare is doing to the nature of jobs overall – making us a nation of part time employed:
But what really shows what is going on in America at least in 2013, is the following summary: of the 953K jobs “created” so far in 2013, only 23%, or 222K, were full-time. Part-time jobs? 731K of the 953K total.
Emphasis in original. More here (from the UK media since the US media is in full CYA mode):
US employers slashing worker hours to avoid Obamacare insurance mandate
Trend sparks fears among low-paid workers that they will be hit twice: by having earnings cut and paying more for healthcare
So we have a shutdown that finally brings the fruits (rotten as they are) of liberal economics home to the inside the beltway crowd, which I would wager will be greeted by the rest of Americans with a huge shrug of “join the crowd“. The gems of the government will be shut down (museums, parks, etc), but Obamacare will be the one federal program sitting high – like a beacon.
Or will it be more like a lightening rod for the years of economic frustration that have been brewing over the last 5 years or so? Only time will tell.
Update: This comment over at Hot Air sums up the realistic response nicely:
Let the Hunger Games begin.
faraway on October 1, 2013 at 9:34 AM
I am a high income earner. You know those awful top 2% types that don’t “pay their fair share”. I am also self employed.
My health insurance is currently $600 per month – for a family of 4. The plan has a $5,000 deductible for first ill family member and another $5,000 for a second ill family member per annum. All health costs are covered after that, and the plan has almost no imposed limits at all.
So yes, the deductible is a bit high if someone in my family gets sick. Some basic check ups and what not are covered. But for the most part, I have to pay the first $5K if anyone gets sick and could face $10K if I had two sick family members in one year.
But I don’t have a problem with this because I believe in the free market and don’t believe the government should be involved with health care at all. And that’s mostly because I was born in in Australia and I know how bad rationed health care is. ALL Government run health care ends up rationed – period.
Now looking at the Obamacare exchanges is a sick joke. If you earn 100K and family of four, you have to pay out of pocket all the way up to $12,500 before you get any coverage. So anyone making over 100K is basically cut out of Obamacare. You’re on your own. For people in the 50K to 100K range it looks awful as well. Honestly, when people figure out just how bad the coverage is they are in for a huge shock.
Right now the media (CNN right now) is promoting the meme, “60% of uninsured will pay less than $100 per month” but what they’re not saying is that these people have to pay close to $5000 out of pocket before any coverage kicks in at all. So $100 per month sounds good but when these poorly educated people actually show up to see doctor (who now has government imposed rates) and their now seriously underfunded hospital with some health problem they are in for a rude shock when they have to pay out of pocket.
It’s absolutely right and proper for the House to defund Obamacare and make the Senate and President negotiate a separate bill to sort out the train wreck that is the Affordable Care Act. Why is it that every law produced by the Federal Government for the last ten years is always named for exactly the opposite of what it actually does? It’s actually the “Unaffordable Care Act”!
The House members should not communicate further with the Senate. When the Senate and President get ready to have some progress, they should go to the House and ask them if they will negotiate. The House should then agree to negotiate, if they think the Senate is serious about wanting to reach compromise. Otherwise, let the blame fall 100% on the Dimocrats, right where it should