Democrats force U.S. gov't shutdown over Obamacare subsidies

GOP Obamacare Surrender | Ron Paul Institute | Ron Paul:

October 6, 2025 - "For all the media hand-wringing over the government shutdown the fact is only approximately 750,000 of the over two million non-military federal workers are being furloughed. Most federal programs will continue operating, including the major entitlement and welfare programs. The national parks will remain open, if understaffed and with closed visitor centers. Unfortunately, the shutdown will not affect the military-industrial complex.

"President Trump’s supposed 'master plan' to implement mass firings of federal employees will only fire 16,000 employees.

"Democrats are refusing to vote for a short-term continuing resolution unless it extends the increase in Obamacare subsidies that was part of the Biden-era covid relief legislation. Republicans, who for years campaigned on repealing and replacing Obamacare, are not opposing extending the subsidies. Instead, they are focusing on concerns the Democrats want to allow illegal immigrants to receive taxpayer-funded health benefits. Republicans are also emphasizing that they want to negotiate over extending the Obamacare subsidies, not simply shove them into a 'must pass' continuing resolution. Republicans also want to ensure that laws barring illegal immigrants from receiving the subsidies are in place.

"Republicans’ de facto embrace of the increased Obamacare subsidies, which were supposed to be a temporary increase to help Americans who lost their jobs because of the covid lockdowns, is a little noticed but major milestone in the history of Obamacare. For many years Republicans campaigned on a promise to 'repeal and replace' Obamacare. Opposition to Obamacare, along with opposition to the big bank bailouts and the cap and trade scheme, fueled the 'Tea Party' movement, which led in the 2010 election to a Republican takeover of the House of Representatives. In 2013, as the federal government was implementing Obamacare, Tea Party Republicans orchestrated a government shutdown. The argument was this was the last chance to repeal Obamacare because once it was fully implemented the number of people who would become reliant on the program would make Obamacare politically impossible to repeal.

"These Tea Party Republicans were mocked for their efforts, but history has proven them right. Even though Donald Trump and many Republican candidates for House and Senate promised to repeal Obamacare in their 2016 campaigns, they never even held a vote on full repeal of the healthcare law. Instead, they pushed legislation repealing the “unpopular” parts of Obamacare even though the way the program was structured it was impossible for the popular parts to work without the unpopular parts. The legislation repealing the “unpopular” parts of Obamacare was opposed by some Republicans who had previously voted to repeal all of Obamacare.

"In the 2018 midterm election, the Democrats then turned the tables on Republicans by running as champions of healthcare who would protect Obamacare from the Republicans. This helped them retake the House.

"Now, the majority of Republicans appear ready to ratify President Biden’s increase in Obamacare subsidies. So, Republicans have gone from promising to repeal Obamacare to promising to repeal the 'unpopular”\' provisions to de facto supporting the program.

"Republican failure to effectively oppose Obamacare is because of failure to acknowledge that the pre-Obamacare healthcare system was seriously flawed because of government interventions. Therefore, a way to 'fix' healthcare is via measures giving patients and providers control over the healthcare system, such as tax credits and Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). Unapologetic advocacy of free markets is the only effective way to oppose big government schemes like Obamacare and advance liberty."

Copyright © 2025 The Ron Paul Institute. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is gladly granted, provided full credit and a live link are given.

https://ronpaulinstitute.org/gop-obamacare-surrender/

MD man jailed 82 days for possession of honey

A Man Spent 82 Days in Jail on Meth Charges. The Meth Was Actually Honey. – Reason.com - Billy Binion:

August 27, 2019 - "Leon Haughton, a legal green card holder from Jamaica who has lived in Maryland for almost 10 years, arrived at Baltimore-Washington International Airport on December 29 following his yearly pilgrimage back home. U.S. Customs and Border Protection detained him. For what, he wasn't sure.

"Maryland Transportation Authority Police then arrested him, telling him that the bottles in his bag labeled 'honey' had tested positive for methamphetamine. A police dog sniffed Haughton's bag raising suspicion that he had drugs, and a field test at the airport yielded positive results for meth. He spent the next 82 days in jail.

"Except the bottles really were full of honey. Maryland State Police lab test results confirmed that on January 17, and prosecutors dropped three felony drug counts six days later.

"Yet he stayed in jail. The state was still pursuing a misdemeanor possession charge, the lab results notwithstanding, because Maryland's lab is not fully equipped to test liquids. On January 24, Haughton and his lawyer sought his immediate release on bail. It was denied. Citing the K-9 hit and the positive field test, prosecutors maintained the lesser charge while law enforcement sent the bottles to a Homeland Security lab in Georgia for more testing.

"Normally, Haughton would've been released on his own recognizance since the charges levied against him had been whittled down to one misdemeanor. But the original felony counts triggered an active Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer — so if the state released him, the feds could arrest and deport him. Haughton's legal saga took place in the midst of the winter's lengthy government shutdown, meaning that no one could get in touch with the agency to have the detainer lifted....

"Haughton would not go home until March 21, when the new lab results came in and the state finally dropped the remaining charge.... During the ordeal, Haughton lost both of his jobs, one as a cleaner and the other as a construction worker."

Read more: https://reason.com/2019/08/27/the-meth-was-actually-honey/
'via Blog this'

Shutdown may mean brain drain to private sector

Federal shutdown's legacy may be brain drain to private sector | US news | The Guardian - Lauren Aratani and Erin Durkin:

January 30, 2019 - "The longest government shutdown in US history has come to an end, but experts fear its long-term consequences will include a brain drain among professionals.... The pain of the shutdown and fear of another one may drive away current and would-be government employees – especially those in highly skilled fields such as science, research and technology who can often command bigger paychecks in the private sector.

“The damage is profound,” said Max Stier, the president and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service. “This is something that will take a very long time to fix....

"The partial government shutdown left 800,000 federal workers without pay, either sent home from their jobs or required to work without pay.... Government workers who once thought they could count on stable, long-term employment have now realized the rug can be pulled out from under them at any time, with decisions made by politicians leaving them to spend weeks, or even months, without pay.

"Shaneece Hill, an information technology analyst who works on contract with the Food and Drug Administration, said she loves her job, but had to spend some of her time while out of work applying for other jobs, a requirement to get unemployment benefits.... She plans to see out her contract, but is now thinking about going into the private sector once it’s up.

"'You thought the government was stable, the one job that was always going to be there,' Hill said. 'Usually the school of thought is, "Oh, you have a good government job, or you have a contract job with the government. They’re always open. They’ll always be there." It just gives you another reason for that not to be true,' she said. 'I’m just exploring options for something that’s more permanent'....

“'It’s not a secret you can make more money as a defense contractor or in cybersecurity working for a private company,' said John Harmon, the vice-president of federal sales at the cybersecurity firm Endgame. 'If the government isn’t a safe place to work any more, they can look other places.'

"While conventional wisdom holds that stability is one of the draws of a government job, Stier said he believes employees are more motivated by their commitment to the mission.... That too is jeopardized by the shutdown, which forced scientists to leave fragile research languishing in the lab. 'You’re not able to do your mission, and for no good reason,' Stier said.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jan/30/government-shutdown-brain-drain-private-sector
'via Blog this'

Shutdown renews call for air traffic control reform

Airline industry may renew calls for privatizing air traffic control - Business Insider - Rachel Premack:

January 27, 2019 - "The longest-ever government shutdown ended Friday, totaling 35 days. And for airlines, the effects of the shutdown can be quantified in tens of millions. Southwest Airlines said the government shutdown cost it more than $10 million. Delta said it lost $25 million in revenue during the month of January.... Federal airport workers were hit particularly hard by the shutdown, as they were forced to work without pay and missed two paychecks....

"Cowen analysts wrote in a note to investors on Friday that the myriad issues that the government shutdown foisted upon the airline industry would strengthen arguments in favor of privatizing. '[I]n our view, this is another major factor in airlines' support of setting up a private company to manage the country's air space,' Cowen analysts Helane Becker, Conor Cunningham, and Tyler Seidman wrote.

"Trade organization Airlines For America (A4A) is a major champion for the privatization cause. A4A's members include UPS, FedEx, United, Southwest, and ... six major airlines.

"In June 2017, President Donald Trump outlined a plan to 'modernize' America's skies. One of the more controversial components of that plan was to privatize the air traffic control system, which he said would help quickly update outdated technology and cut costs for consumers.

"A4A agreed with Trump's plan. 'Flight delays cost the economy $25 billion last year, and our antiquated ATC system is responsible for almost half of those delays,' the organization wrote.

"'If you look at service between the Eastern US and the West Coast, flight times today are much longer than they were 20 or 30 years ago ...' Hawaiian Airlines Chief Commercial Officer Peter Ingram told Business Insider's Benjamin Zhang in 2017 ... 'because we confine ourselves to a fraction of the available airspace because we simply don't have the ATC infrastructure to be able to support taking full advantage of that'....

"No part of Trump's modernization bill has gone through yet, but Cowen analysts said that the shutdown could certainly bolster the need for the privatization component. 'To date, bills in Congress to set up a separate corporation to manage air traffic control have gone nowhere,' they added. 'This issue could be a turning point for change.'"

Read more: https://www.businessinsider.com/airline-industry-may-renew-calls-for-privatizing-air-traffic-control-2019-1

'via Blog this'

Hundreds of Americans cleaning National Parks

Private citizens volunteer to clean up national parks as shutdown drags on – ThinkProgress:

January 14, 2019 - "Local groups and concerned organizations are stepping up to help maintain national parks amid the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.... [R]eligious groups, non-profits, and bands of concerned private citizens are ... pitching in ... amid reports of mounting trash and unmonitored restrooms....

"Hundreds of people across the country have stepped up so far. ThinkProgress identified at least five efforts led by organizations including Friends of Joshua Tree, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association, and several local Libertarian Facebook pages... These efforts alone have seen hundreds of volunteers helping out in public areas over the past three weeks. But there are likely dozens of other instances as well, with non-profits and local political groups among those who have pitched in.

"Garnering the most headlines recently is Joshua Tree National Park.... John Lauretig, executive director of the non-profit group Friends of Joshua Tree... told ThinkProgress that from the second day of the shutdown onwards, volunteers gathered every morning to go and check toilets, haul away trash, and generally ensure the area’s well-being ... in groups that ranged from a handful of people to 40, and, on one occasion, over 100. Donations also came pouring in, allowing for the purchase of an essential item: toilet paper....

"During previous extended shutdowns, the government chose to close the parks. But the Trump administration has opted to keep around two-thirds of National Park Service (NPS) sites open [although] only 3,298 NPS employees have been deemed essential personnel out of 24,681 nationally....

"The Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association, a community service group for young men, has launched a widely-covered ongoing effort to aid parks around the country.... Salaam Bhatti, a spokesperson for the organization, told ThinkProgress that regional offices across the country have looked into the parks nearest to them and ... volunteers have gone to Cuyahoga in Ohio, the Everglades in Florida, Olympic in Washington State, and both Independence Hall in Philadelphia and the National Mall in Washington, D.C....

"In some parks, efforts by good Samaritans are paying off. A volunteer group in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park, united by a Libertarian Party Facebook outreach, told the Denver Post that their efforts to go and clean in the area were largely unnecessary, as the park was much cleaner than expected and largely undisturbed by visitors. They noted that the park’s good condition was likely due to clean-up efforts by other groups....

"Last week, the government indicated that it would use earmarked funds made through entrance and camping fees, among others, to keep high-traffic parks open and supervised, including Joshua Tree. For some, that move has been a relief.

“'The park is the economic engine that keeps the desert rolling,' said Lauretig. '[When] the park closes, [it’s] not good for the economy.'”

Read more: https://thinkprogress.org/shutdown-volunteers-national-parks-trump-d827f7f15a30/
'via Blog this'

Lessons from the government shutdown

John Stossel: Government shutdown lessons -- We could take a chainsaw to so much of government | Fox News:

January 17, 2019 - "This government shutdown is now longer than any in history. The media keep using the word 'crisis.' But ... I see people going about their business -- families eating in restaurants, employees going to work, children playing in playgrounds, etc. I have to ask: Where’s the crisis?...

"We need some government, limited government. But most of life, the best of life, goes on without government, many of the best parts in spite of government....

"Columnist Paul Krugman calls this shutdown, 'Trump’s big libertarian experiment.' But it’s not libertarian. Government’s excessive rules are still in effect, and eventually government workers will be paid for not working. That makes this a most un-libertarian experiment. But there are lessons to be learned.

"During a shutdown when Barack Obama was president, government officials were so eager to make a point by inconveniencing people that they even stopped visitors from entering public parks. Trump’s administration isn’t doing that, so PBS found a new crisis: 'Trash cans spilling … (P)ark services can’t clean up the mess until Congress and the president reach a spending deal,' reported NewsHour. But volunteers appeared to pick up some of the trash. Given a chance, private citizens often step in to do things government says only government can do.

"The Washington Post ran a front-page headline about farmers 'reeling … because they aren’t receiving government support checks.' But why do farmers even get 'support checks'?... Most fruit and vegetable farmers get no subsidies, yet there are no shortages of peaches, plums, green beans, etc. Subsidies are a scam created by politicians who get money from wheat, cotton, corn and soybean agribusinesses. Those farmers should suck it up and live without subsidies, too.

"During shutdowns, government tells 'nonessential workers' not to come to work. But if they’re nonessential, then why do we pay 400,000 of them?...  We could take a chainsaw to so much of government.

The New York Times shrieks, 'Shutdown Curtails FDA Food Inspections!' Only if you read on do you learn that meat and poultry inspection is done by the Department of Agriculture. They’re still working.... More important, meat is usually safe not because of government -- but because of competition. Food sellers worry about their reputations ... so they take many more safety measures than government requires. One meat producer told me that they employ 2,000 more safety inspectors than the law demands....

"Even security work is done better by the private sector. At San Francisco’s airport, security lines move faster. Passengers told me, 'The screeners are nicer!' The TSA even acknowledged that those screeners are better at finding contraband. That’s because San Francisco (Kansas City, Seattle and a dozen smaller airports) privatized the screening process....

"Private contractors are better because they must compete. Perform badly, and they get fired. But government never fires itself."

Read more: https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/john-stossel-government-shutdown-lessons-we-could-take-a-chainsaw-to-so-much-of-government

'via Blog this'

NC, Nevada Libertarians join park cleanup effort

Volunteers clean up Lake Mead in wake of government shutdown - Cristen Drummond, Las Vegas Now.com:

January 12, 2019 - "The partial federal government shut down continues to impact national parks, including Lake Mead.... The Libertarian Party of Nevada organized a cleanup earlier today. About 40 people visited Boulder Beach on Jan. 12....

"The Libertarian Party of Nevada organized this call to action, but that didn't stop those with other political affiliations from helping out.

"This is one of many cleanups at national parks scheduled by libertarians around the country today. The libertarian party plans to organize another beach clean up next month, and may also go up to Mt. Charleston."
Read more: https://www.lasvegasnow.com/news/volunteers-clean-up-lake-mead-in-wake-of-government-shutdown/1699685949

NC Libertarians Clean Up National Parks During Shutdown - Ashley Claster, Spectrum News:

January 12, 2019 - "Trash is piling up in national parks across the country. The workers who usually clean it up are not on the clock because of the government shutdown....

"The Libertarian Party of North Carolina is helping fill the void. The party chair, Susan Hogarth, said it is up to the people who love the land to do what the government cannot.

"'A big thing for Libertarians is that people will take care of the things that are important to them,' Hogarth explained. 'So we want to be a part of that. In fact, we don't think the federal government should be owning park lands or any lands. So, as part of that, we'd like to show that it's possible for it to be taken care of without the government doing that job....

"'That's a really clean park anyway because the people, they really take care of it.... They care about it. They go running here and bicycling. So they do tend to throw their stuff away. But that means the trash cans are full,' Hogarth said.

"Libertarians coming from all parts of the state say they're here to show their commitment to the community..... Hogarth says the cleanup is a demonstration that the people who use these resources care about the land and will take care of it, even when state and federal agencies do not."
Read more: https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nc/triad/news/2019/01/12/north-carolina-libertarians-clean-up-national-parks-during-government-shutdown

'via Blog this'

Hot Air covers Libertarian park cleanup efforts

Libertarian Party organizes national park cleanups - Taylor Millard, Hot Air:

January 13, 2019 - "Republicans and Democrats may be sniping at each other over the partial government shutdown, but it’s the Libertarian Party which is putting words to action. Libertarians have organized multiple national park cleanups over the last week to show maybe the government isn’t needed to provide services.

"Libertarian Party National Committee Chair Nicholas Sarwark....'As Libertarians, we advocate replacing federal taxpayer funding for many services with private charity or privatization. We wanted to show how this could be accomplished by volunteering in our local communities. We know that people are inherently generous with their time and energy. We want to set an example by calling on the public to join us in maintaining our beautiful parks and landmarks this weekend and throughout the government shutdown.'

"The first cleanup was organized last Sunday with LP members, libertarians, anarchists, agorists, voluntarists, and more gathering at the National Mall in Washington D.C..... Libertarian Party members are also organizing national park cleanups in Ohio....

"This is probably one of the best ideas the Libertarian Party has ever had... It sends a clear message to others – and hopefully politicians – on how it’s a-OK to loosen the stranglehold the government has on our lives. There’s something to be said about this and for the ambitiousness of the LP to go, 'there’s a problem, we’ll organize, and solve the problem.'

"What’s going to be curious to see is how the Libertarian Party uses this momentum to advance its agenda in the future. The biggest critique I’ve had of the LP – as a small-l libertarian who isn’t a member of the party – is its seeming disorganization. The park cleanup shows the party is more organized than people realized and it also goes a long way to show people who may not hold to the ideology how free markets can easily replace what the government has seized.

"It will also be curious to see what happens once the rest of the government re-opens. Will there be a push to privatize the National Park System or, at least, part of it ... ? Will more people start voting for Libertarian Party candidates in local, state, and federal elections? I don’t expect the government to suddenly give up power, but if there’s enough of a push it might happen in the future.

"This is the long-term strategy by the Libertarians. Kudos to them for showing it works."

Read more: https://hotair.com/archives/2019/01/13/libertarian-party-organizes-national-park-cleanups/
'via Blog this'

Government shutdown as "libertarian experiment"

The Libertarian Experiment That Isn’t | Cato @ Liberty - Ryan Bourne:

January 11, 2018 - "According to Paul Krugman, the government shutdown amounts to a potentially big libertarian experiment. With nine departments and multiple agencies closed, maybe for months, the New York Times columnist and Nobel laureate envisages a coming test of whether the country can live without the Food and Drug Administration, the Small Business Administration and farm subsidies....

"As the vast majority of the U.S. population go about their daily lives, barely noticing that 25 percent of federal discretionary spending has been paused, it’s certainly possible many will wonder why debt is being racked up for programs that have no noticeable effect on their well-being. Who knows, many employees, businesses and farms may also reconsider the wisdom of placing their livelihoods at the whims of the political process.

"Better still, the shutdown may bring attention to these otherwise rarely-scrutinized programs. If major columnists continue identifying Cato as proponents of scrapping things such as farm subsidies and small business cronyism, linking to our research on the damaging economic, political, and social consequences of existing provisions, the shutdown could serve a useful public education role too!

"But ... shutdowns appear not to change much in regards the size and scope of government in the long term, yet bring chaos, ill-feeling and uncertainty in the short....

"Libertarians are indeed confident that, as in countries such as New Zealand, scrapping agricultural subsidies would deliver a more efficient industry, taxpayer savings, and a bigger economy. But ... temporary suspension of promised support is not an environment conducive to farmers making long-term crop or farm ownership decisions, private companies banding to form market-based food safety certification agencies, or small businesses sourcing new finance.

"Yes, economic actors will take steps to mitigate the effects of disruption. But knowing government will eventually reopen, there is little to no incentive for the new institutions to develop or businesses and farms to undertake the structural change we would see if government absented from these roles. Instead, ... [t]he natural priority for those farms, businesses and federal employees right now is to lobby successfully for the government to reopen and their payments to start flowing again....

"In fact, ... a host of other areas likely to be noticeably affected by a sustained shutdown – security screening at airports, air traffic control, and the management of national parks – are better managed in other countries with more private sector involvement. If the shutdown brings attention to this, then great.

"Overall though, libertarians are fully aware that for the real policy experiments we desire, the public and/or politicians must be convinced of the necessity or desirability for permanent policy change in a market-based direction. The best chance for success with that is in an environment where those affected can adjust in an orderly manner, and replacement private-sector institutions have time to develop."

Read more: https://www.cato.org/blog/libertarian-experiment-isnt
'via Blog this'

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Libertarians clean up Washington D.C.

Libertarians step in to clean up Washington during government shutdown - Steve Goodale, Newsgrowl:

January 7, 2019 - "Dozens of Libertarian Party members met on the National Mall in Washington, DC yesterday to pick up the litter and garbage piling up around some of America’s most famous monuments. With no regular litter collection happening on federally-owned land during the government shutdown, the burden of keeping much of the city clean has fallen to private citizens.

"Officially sponsored by the Libertarian Party of DC and the Libertarian Party of Northern Virginia, the event drew patriotic LP members from as far away as Pennsylvania. A total of seven teams, each equipped with a roll of garbage bags, fanned out across the Mall on different pre-assigned routes.

"Effort was concentrated on areas most likely to be visited by tourists, which included the Mall itself, the Capitol building, the Lincoln Memorial, and the various war monuments in the area.

"Besides general litter, the Libertarians found debris left over from protesters, and even a bottle of human urine....

“'It’s an example of us practicing what we preach. We want the private sector to step up when government can’t, so that’s what we’re doing here,' said LP of DC chairman and Libertarian National Committee member Joe Bishop-Henchman.

"Libertarian Party national membership manager Jess Mears ... explained. 'Obviously, the federal government does maintain the parks. While it is shut down right now, we’re trying to exemplify other ways that we could have these services without federal dollars contributing to them. Also,' she added, 'it’s getting your hands dirty in politics. Literally'....

"After completely filling a van with full garbage bags a pickup truck was brought in to take away the remainder.

"With no end [to] the government shutdown in sight, provisional plans for the Libertarians to return to the same area next week are in discussion.

"'I think we all have a mutual responsibility to take care of our public spaces, and government doesn’t necessarily need to pay for that,' said participant Ethan Bishop-Henchman. 'It’s definitely not paying for it right now.'”

Read more: https://newsgrowl.com/libertarians-clean-government-shutdown/
'via Blog this'

Private sector maintaining Yellowstone Park

Private Companies Are Paying to Keep Yellowstone Clean During Shutdown - Hit & Run : Reason.com - Eric Boehm:

January 7, 2019 - "Nearly three weeks into the government shutdown, some of America's national parks are starting to get a bit rank [with] no employees to empty trash bins or clean toilets...

"But at Yellowstone National Park, National Public Radio reports, local businesses are chipping in to make sure the bathrooms get cleaned, the roads get plowed, and the tourists keep coming. Even in the middle of winter, the park gets an estimated 20,000 visitors per month....

"Xanterra Parks and Resorts, which runs the only hotels inside Yellowstone that remain open during the winter, is leading the effort to cover the $7,500 daily tab for keeping the roads plowed and the snowmobile trails groomed during the shutdown, according to NPR. Thirteen other private businesses that offer tours of the park are chipping in $300 a day to help cover that expense....

"Xanterra has some of its own employees assigned to clean park bathrooms during the shutdown, and snowmobile tour guides are packing their own toilet paper for customers to use....

"According to the National Park Service, the 331 million visitors to national parks during 2017 contributed an estimated $18.2 billion to local economies within 60 miles of the parks. All that spending supported 306,000 jobs. The federal government spends about $3 billion on the National Park Service each year, but those private economies based in and around the parks [are] six times larger. That's a powerful incentive to keep things running even if the government isn't.

"There's also probably a useful lesson here about what the privatization of national parks would look like. Rather than the corporatized dystopia of environmentalist nightmares, removing the government from the equation would allow businesses that have a vested interest in maintaining and protecting America's natural splendor to do exactly that — and would prevent the parks from being caught up in the unrelated drama of whatever nonsense is happening in Washington, D.C."

Read more: https://reason.com/blog/2019/01/07/private-companies-yellowstone-shutdown?utm_medium=email
'via Blog this'

A Libertarian look at "government shutdown"

Partial government shutdown drags into 2019 with no end in sight | Fox News - Alex Pappas:

December 31, 2018 - "The partial federal government shutdown enters its second week – and the new year – without a deal to re-open the government in sight.... Republicans and Democrats have been at a standstill over President Trump's demands for $5 billion to fund the border wall....

"Funding for a slew of federal agencies lapsed at midnight on Dec. 22 – just days before Christmas – after Congress and the White House failed to pass a spending package. Nine of 15 Cabinet-level departments and dozens of agencies have closed, affecting about a quarter of the federal government."
Read more: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/partial-government-shutdown-drags-on-to-2019-with-no-end-in-sight


Some Libertarians Cheer When the Government Shuts Down. Here’s Why They Shouldn’t. | Cato Institute - Jeffrey Miron:

January 21, 2018 - "Libertarians believe in smaller government.... So one might naturally assume that libertarians would cheer federal government shutdowns. These do not stop all federal government activities, but they at least suspend some parts temporarily....

"But I think that view is a mistake. Perhaps shutdowns serve the libertarian view in a small way by illustrating that government is not as essential as past and present gloom-and-doom commentary suggests. After all, the United States has experienced 18 shutdowns, of varying size, since 1976, and in each case, the world kept spinning on its axis.

"They have no meaningful effect on how much the government spends, however. To begin with, shutdowns are (presumably) temporary.... And if history is a guide, then most of the suspended expenditures for salaries, benefits, and the like will be paid retroactively.... Shutdowns also have zero effect on entitlements like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and Obamacare.... Because entitlements constitute the large majority (roughly 67 percent) of federal expenditure, and because this component is growing at an unsustainable rate, shutdowns cannot have any meaningful impact on the budget deficit. And even with discretionary spending, around half is exempt given that many Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security functions are exempted from the shutdown, because they are considered 'essential' services.

"What’s more, praising the shutdown lends credence to the view that libertarians hate government in all its forms.... Libertarians believe most government impinges our freedom and reduces economic efficiency [and] will happily vote to reduce most government, but in an orderly way that gives current beneficiaries time to adjust and allows private markets and institutions to develop in the place of government. Given the abrupt personal and economic disruption shutdowns cause, they may actually hurt the cause of small government....

"Libertarians will only succeed in reducing the size of government when they convince non-libertarians that smaller government is better. A government shutdown does little to nothing to change minds.... Shutdowns distract from the serious conversations that need to be had about fiscal reform and the size of government."
Read more: https://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/some-libertarians-cheer-when-government-shuts-down-heres-why-they-shouldnt

'via Blog this'

CNN: Rand Paul is right about GOP budget

Rand Paul was right - CNNPolitics - Chris Cillizza, CNN Editor-at-large:

February 9, 2018 - "When Rand Paul took control of the Senate floor ... virtually every one of his Republican colleagues grimaced. Five years ago, they would have cheered him.

"Paul's speech, which slowed attempts to pass a massive budget deal before the government [shut] down at midnight, was a savaging of his party.... 'When the Democrats are in power, Republicans appear to be the conservative party,' Paul said at one point. 'But when Republicans are in power, it seems there is no conservative party. The hypocrisy hangs in the air and chokes anyone with a sense of decency or intellectual honesty.'

"He is 100% right.... Republicans in the Obama era defined themselves primarily as committed to reducing government spending and shrinking the nation's debt. The ur-document of that age was Paul Ryan's budget, in which he proudly touted the need to confront entitlement spending and make the hard cuts necessary to keep the country solvent.... 'Our debt is a threat to this country,' Ryan said in a 2013 speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference. 'We have to tackle this problem before it tackles us'....

"Republicans insisted that any spending legislation -- even for disaster relief -- be paid for with budget offsets. Every major Republican leader talked about debt and deficit relentlessly. One candidate, however, did not.

"Donald Trump ... showed little care or concern for the issue that had animated the party he was running to lead.... Mitt Romney, the party's 2012 presidential nominee, lambasted him for it in a speech.... 'His tax plan in combination with his refusal to reform entitlements and honestly address spending would balloon the deficit and the national debt,' said Romney.

"And then Trump won.... Which is how it came to pass that ... [Mitch] McConnell was on the Senate floor pleading with his home-state colleague to drop his push for a vote on an amendment that would maintain the current budget caps. Paul's issue was a simple one: A two-year spending bill that would increase the federal deficit by more than $300 billion was being rammed through at the last minute -- and without any amendments being offered.

"And he's right about that too.... Paul is right that it is absolutely ridiculous that a near-700-page piece of legislation that senators got their hands on around midnight Wednesday should be passed by midnight Thursday....

"'The reason I'm here tonight is to put people on the spot,' Paul said. 'I want people to feel uncomfortable. I want them to have to answer people at home who said, "How come you were against President Obama's deficits, and then how come you're for Republican deficits?"' Mission accomplished."

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/08/politics/rand-paul-analysis/index.html
'via Blog this'

Less to gov't "shutdown" than meets the eye

Red Dirt Liberty Report: Shut It All Down! - Being Libertarian - Danny Chabino:

January 23, 2018 - "Unless you’re an American under total mental lockdown, you are aware that there was yet another government shutdown recently. It seems it’s a common occurrence, if only for a few days, every time there is a budget that needs to be passed....

As a libertarian thinker, it’s easy to cheer on the thought of a government shutdown ...  a respite from 'big brother' and the overreaching arm of illegitimate control over individual liberty.... However, this really isn’t that at all. This sort of government shutdown usually means 'non-essential' personnel go home, while many others are forced to continue working without pay until government is in full operation again. Then, everyone receives their full pay that was missed. Contractors who were blocked out can return to their contracts as well. In the meantime, we’ve spent no less money, government hasn’t stopped enforcing debilitating laws and regulations, and liberty really hasn’t changed at all.

"In the US, all that changes under a government shutdown is that people who were hired to do a job and depend on their paycheck like everyone else, have to figure out some way to get by with no pay for a while. One could argue that maybe government employees should go into these jobs fully aware of this risk (especially given that it seems to be an almost permanent threat every time it’s time to fight over the budget), but let’s be realistic. Only a very small portion of Americans have enough savings set aside for unexpected and immediate loss of income. Not to mention, these employees are essentially under a contract – a legal promise to pay for work. They haven’t been fired, and they are not under breach. Instead, the government is under breach and is not holding up its end of the deal. One could also call into question why the government continues to employ anyone who is “non-essential.” However, if you suddenly stop paying someone an amount you agreed, unless they are fired or let go, then the promise is broken, and the employer is in breach.

"A government shutdown, at least of most government functions, would be both a wondrous and glorious thing. It’s what I would love to see, and I’m positive most libertarians would as well. But, that would require actually shutting down those parts of government – ending funding for them and closing them for good. There would be no expectation of future work for employees, just as there is none when a private business closes.... We want to stop having to pay for things that shouldn’t be necessary. We want to end overreach, not just pretend to suspend it (even though it hasn’t been suspended in the slightest). The laws and regulations are still there, and they will be enforced, either now or when work resumes, retroactively."

Read more: https://beinglibertarian.com/red-dirt-liberty-report-shut/
'via Blog this'

U.S. government "shutdown" looming in January

No Christmas shutdown – but Congress faces same crisis next month: 'It's maddening' | Fox News - Chad Pergram, Capital Attitude:

December 22, 2017 - "Lawmakers dashed out of Washington Thursday night after approving a short-term bill to run the government through Jan. 19. December was supposed to be an epic month on Capitol Hill. Lawmakers expected brawls over a host of seemingly intractable issues like military funding, disaster aid and DACA. Then there was the GOP aim to finish tax reform.

"The tax bill was the easy part. Republicans wrapped that with relative ease on Wednesday – and proceeded to shelve virtually every major issue until January....

"Did the holiday spirit simply prevail on lawmakers? Or, basking in the afterglow of tax reform, did Republicans simply come to their senses and realize it wasn’t a good idea to mess with a government shutdown at Christmas?

"But in the end, Democrats wanted to ditch Washington too. Democrats noted that the GOP controls both the House and Senate. If Republicans managed to discombobulate their tax reform victory by stumbling into a government shutdown around the holidays, fine. But if Republicans got their act together, Democrats knew the issues wouldn’t dissolve over the break. Democrats would hold even more leverage in January. Plus, Democrats thought they could force the president’s hand on a number of subjects just days before the State of the Union speech on Jan. 30.....

"Many conservatives with libertarian leanings were upset about attaching a temporary reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to the spending bill. Defenders of FISA consider the program a key tool in disrupting terrorism plots. But some lawmakers fear the operation could lead to spying on Americans without a warrant....

"Members of the Freedom Caucus abhorred the idea of re-upping FISA just to keep the government’s lights on. 'We want to change FISA,' said Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., a Freedom Caucus member. 'We don’t want it on the CR (Continuing Resolution, which is shorthand for the spending bill)'....

"Things may even be harder come 2018. On Jan. 3, the Senate’s will swear in its newest members..... Sen.-elect Doug Jones, D-Ala., is prepared to take the seat of Sen. Luther Strange, R-Ala., after last week’s special election.

"In 2017, Republicans enjoyed a 52-48 edge in the Senate. That narrows to 51-49 ... in January."

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/12/22/no-christmas-shutdown-but-congress-faces-same-crisis-next-month-its-maddening.html
'via Blog this'

GOP sells out on omnibus spending bill

Articles: RIP Republican Party - Brian C. Joondeph, The American Thinker:

December 19, 2015 - "If there was any question about the relevance of the Republican Party, this week’s budget deal removes all doubt. The Republican Party might as well close up shop and merge with the Democrats. Not as a merger of equals, but more of a capitulation, a surrender, a sellout. There is no need for two parties in Washington DC as only one party is relevant in terms of advancing an agenda. The irony is that the agenda driving party is in the minority and despite losing badly in two midterm elections, the Democrats are still running Congress.

"Another 2000-plus page bill passed by Congress with little transparency or discussion. You mean ObamaCare? No: Paul Ryan’s $1.1 trillion spending bill, his first major legislative 'achievement' as House Speaker.

"The deal suspends the debt limit until 2017, well after the presidential election, effectively taking unsustainable debt off the table as a campaign issue. Obama doubled the national debt? So what? Republicans are helping him. Don’t worry though, the spending cuts will take place in 2025....

"What has this latest budget deal done to thwart the Obama agenda? Very little. The omnibus bill fully funds Obama’s executive amnesty program. Sanctuary cities are funded.... The student and fiancée visa programs are funded, along with green card and other refugee programs.... Illegal aliens coming across the southern border? Ryan’s bill funds their resettlement.... Illegals even have their tax credits funded by Ryan’s bill.... Any funds allocated to complete the southern border fence promised in 2006? No. Somehow Congress ran out of money for that. But not for a tall security fence around Paul Ryan’s own home....

"Planned Parenthood is fully funded.... No funding cuts to ObamaCare either, kicking down the road some of the onerous ObamaCare taxes. Even Obama’s global warming climate change bill receives funding without any restriction.

"Instead of opposition to the Obama/Democrat agenda, Republicans have not only surrendered, but are also advancing this agenda.... Impeachment is off the table. So is Republicans' 'power of the purse' because the leadership has ruled out any government shutdown....

"Republican establishment types wonder why Donald Trump is leading in the polls.... The smart set at Fox News can’t understand why 'we the people' aren’t flocking to Jeb or Marco, and instead supporting racist/fascist Donald Trump or Ted Cruz.

"These two may be the last and only hope of maintaining a two-party system. If the establishment manages to destroy Trump and Cruz, then it’s lights out for the Republican party. The base will stay home and the Founding Fathers will roll over in their graves. As for any future support for the GOP, my answer be a Mrs. Clinton refrain, 'What difference does it make?' The Republican Party will be six feet under and we will have one-party rule in Washington, DC."

Read more: http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2015/12/rip_republican_party_.html
'via Blog this'

Cruz quotes Ayn Rand in Congressional Record

Ted Cruz and Ayn Rand | The Democratic Daily - Hart Williams:

March 23, 2015 - "from my book Ayn Nation Under God:
"Introduction to Special Government Shutdown Edition

"As I write this, the United States of America are in the ninth day of the Federal 'government shutdown'.... A week or so ago, when Ted Cruz of Texas was making himself a household name, he had a strange 'non-filibuster filibuster' and, for twenty hours or so, he laid out his reasons for wanting to shut down the U.S. Government. The Congressional record recalls the fateful moment when Senator Cruz explained WHY this shutdown was necessary. He was going Galt. It was Wednesday, September 24, 2013:

"'We are a nation that was founded on liberty,' Senator Cruz intoned, 'Always defend liberty. You can’t go wrong with that as a mantra. In the interest of that, I would like to share a few excerpts of one of my favorite books, Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.'

"And, after some filibustering that wasn’t actually a filibuster, Senator Cruz tipped his hand, quote: 'I want to point to some more excerpts from Ayn Rand that I think are relevant to the battle before this body. First, from Atlas Shrugged:’ [sic]

We are on strike, we, the men of the mind. . . . We are on strike against self-immolation. We are on strike against the creed of unearned rewards and unrewarded duties…[Congressional Record Vol. 159 WASHINGTON, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2013 No. 127—Part II, page 57.] - See more at: http://thedemocraticdaily.com/2015/03/23/ted-cruz-ayn-rand/#sthash.jvtCDKY1.dpuf

"This was not enough of a plug for Senator Cruz, however, who continued: 'Let me encourage any of you who have not read Atlas Shrugged’ to go tomorrow and buy Atlas Shrugged and read it. What is interesting is in the last 3 years sales of Atlas Shrugged have exploded, because we are living in the days of Ayn Rand,' adding, 'I will share a few excerpts that are all fundamentally about liberty and the liberty that ObamaCare infringes.'

Read more: http://thedemocraticdaily.com/2015/03/23/ted-cruz-ayn-rand/
'via Blog this'

Veterans tear down Memorial barricades, drop them at White House

Vets Tear Down Memorial Barricades, Drop them in Front of White House | Ben Swann Truth In Media - Ben Swann & Sonya Savage:

October 13, 2013 - "Sunday morning, 2,000- 3,000 veterans, family members and citizens gathered at the World War II Memorial in Washington D.C.  There, the veterans took apart the barricades set up by Park Police to keep visitors out of the WWII Memorial, placed the barricades on their shoulders and carried them away.

"The protestors, who included veterans of the Korean, Vietnam, WWII, Gulf, Iraq and Afghanistan wars,  took those barricades and carried them about 3/4ths of a mile to a sidewalk in front of White House and piled the barricades there.

"The protest had several facets to it, but began as a push back against the closure of open-air memorials in Washington D.C. as a result of the government shutdown. As we have reported, these veterans are furious, saying that these memorials are being closed down in order to inflict pain on veterans and their families."

Read more: http://benswann.com/vets-tear-down-memorial-barricades-drop-them-in-front-of-white-house/#ixzz2hhuv0POv
'via Blog this'

Libertarian view: The government (non) shutdown

Libertarian view: The government (non) shutdown Tad DeHaven, Constitution Daily - Philly.com:

October 4, 2013 - "It's looking like it will take a week or more for Republicans and Democrats to reach an agreement to 'reopen' the federal government. Regardless, with each passing hour a resolution necessarily becomes closer at hand because a so-called 'government shutdown' effectively means that a budgetary impasse in our two-party dominated system has reached the end stage.

"I say 'so-called' government shutdown because most federal activities will continue and most federal employees will continue to work. If you had plans to visit Yellowstone National Park, you’re out of luck until the government reopens. However, the NSA will continue to track our private conversations, the military will continue to expend blood and treasure protecting the interests of wealthy allies, and the federal entitlement system that’s the source of our future fiscal imbalances will continue to pump out the checks.

"So while it is true that some of the federal leviathan’s tentacles will take a brief respite, its reach into practically every facet of our lives will continue largely uninterrupted....

"The good news for those of us who want less government is that Democrats ... are willing to fund those portions of the government that require annual appropriations at $986 billion ... essentially the same figure that the House GOP proposed. On the downside, ... that figure originally proposed by the GOP would still be above that which the still-in-effect sequestration would allow for the new fiscal year."

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/Libertarian_view_The_government_non_shutdown.html
'via Blog this'

More than 4 in 10 Republicans identify with Tea Party, AP reports

AP Buries the lede as Obama approval plunges to 37% - Mainstream ignores - Robert Laurie, Canada Free Press:

October 9, 2013 - "This morning, the Associate Press released the results of a new round of polling. The data focuses on the impact of Harry Reid’s fiasco, as the headline proudly proclaims that 'GOP gets the blame in shutdown.' Look a little deeper, however, and you find that they’ve buried the most interesting numbers....

"First, the study shows that the Tea Party is much larger than the left would like you to believe. 'The poll found that the tea party is ... a sizable — and divisive — force among Republicans. More than 4 in 10 Republicans identified with the tea party and were more apt than other Republicans to insist that their leaders hold firm in the standoff over reopening government'....

"Further down in their story, near the bottom, the AP buries the red meat: President Obama’s self-inflicted damage. 'Most Americans disapprove of the way Obama is handling his job, the poll suggests, with 53 percent unhappy with his performance and 37 percent approving of it'....

"An approval rating of 37% is only one point higher than the approval of George W. Bush at the same point in his presidency.... Bush’s 36% rating was considered by the mainstream media to be an indictment of a failed President whose administration was completely unraveling.... So far, they’re completely ignoring the fact that Obama is now in exactly the same predicament."

Read more: http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/58449
'via Blog this'