America in Shutdown

[david63]

This looks to me like politics gone mad

How can any country get itself into such a situation? These highly paid/wealthy "people" are playing a game with other people's lives and need to get into the real world.

(I bet Homeland Security is not shutting down)

[barney]

If you've got Sky, have a quick delive into Fox News every now and again.

It's actually mind boggling on how some of these right wingers think.

They would consider Cameron as an absolute lefty

A guy last week was saying that the ONLY role of government is national security.
Everything else should be left to the 'free market'

Be very afraid

[Frank Manning]

If you've got Sky, have a quick delive into Fox News every now and again.

It's actually mind boggling on how some of these right wingers think.

They would consider Cameron as an absolute lefty

A guy last week was saying that the ONLY role of government is national security.
Everything else should be left to the 'free market'

Be very afraid

That leaves national strategies for things like transport, energy, environment, etc to the free market. Great! Lets just ruin the world to line the pockets of the few. But then China will bring the USA (and UK) to its knees anyway if they carry on outsourcing everything to make a fast buck short term.

[CaroleF]

For those who watched "The West Wing" (I am a great fan) they portrayed a 'Shut down' in much the same circumstances - a Republican House refused to agree the budget. Of course in that instance the President won by standing up to them - not sure what will happen this time.

Carole

[Silver_Shiney]

I amgiven to understand that Homeland Security have ordered millions of rounds of ammunition. Are the US authorities expecting mass unrest??

The US holds a considerable amount of German gold. The Germans have asked for it to be returned. They've been told they'll have to wait seven years to get their own property back. Why?

Italy, on the brink of being expelled from the Eurozone, has the second largest gold deposits (after China). I wouldn't be surprised if they re-value their currency and align it to the value of gold. They would then be on a sounder financial footing than those countries who have no assets to back up the endless piles of paper money that they keep printing to prop up their "economy".

I foresee global financial meltdown in the not-too-distant future...

[Mervyn and Trish]

Does seem odd doesn't it? We would probably negotiate quite hard to try to avoid a national strike in our public services. In the US they have effectively ordered one!

[Silver_Shiney]

Interesting... the US Government closes down, yet stockmarkets rise and the price of metals collapses.

Now might be a good time to get out of the stockmarket and into physical silver and gold, although a further fall in metals is expected.

[Dark Knight]

it's amazing that a whole country can shut down??

makes the UK economy look like a boom time. mind you given the debt mountain of the US they surely cannot keep going as they are?

[david63]

mind you given the debt mountain of the US they surely cannot keep going as they are?

If the US wanted to they could clear their debt tomorrow - ever heard of the Trillion Dollar Man (Google him)?

[Silver_Shiney]

mind you given the debt mountain of the US they surely cannot keep going as they are?

If the US wanted to they could clear their debt tomorrow - ever heard of the Trillion Dollar Man (Google him)?

but would the rest of the world take the US seriously if they printed a coin - they would be debasing the currency one billion to one.

They've been "borrowing" money from the government pension fund (G-fund) since 19 May 2013 on the premise that, when the debt ceiling was raised, he could repay the G-fund. However, the ceiling needs to be raised considerably just to repay the interest alone, and to $19.5 Trillion to meet the next 12 month's expenditure.

[Dark Knight]

Smurfy
making money with a stupendous face value, doesn't cure the problem, it is robbing Peter to pay Paul.
if that were the case then the whole planet could be billionaires and a loaf of bread would be the price of a house

[david63]

I think you may be reading the wrong story. Try this.

If the US Government could find a way to bring this money into the Federal Reserve then most of the world's problems would be over.

[Dark Knight]

my mistake Smurfy, I was thinking of something else I had read about the US minting trillion dollar coins from Platinum and depositing them in the federal reserve, thus creating trillions of new dollars to relieve the pressure on the credit ceiling

[Delboy]

For those who watched "The West Wing" (I am a great fan) they portrayed a 'Shut down' in much the same circumstances - a Republican House refused to agree the budget. Of course in that instance the President won by standing up to them - not sure what will happen this time.

Carole

That is what is happening now, after the two houses of Congress failed to agree to a new budget, with Republicans insisting on repeal or delay of Mr Obama's health law.

"They demanded ransom," Mr Obama said.

More than 700,000 federal employees face unpaid leave with no guarantee of back pay once the deadlock is over.

On Tuesday, Mr Obama blamed conservative Republicans in the House of Representatives for the shutdown, saying "one faction of one party" was responsible because "they didn't like one law".

"They've shut down the government over an ideological crusade to deny affordable health insurance to millions of Americans," Mr Obama said at the White House.

So I wonder how long will Obama be prepared to stand up to them, or will he eventually give in over the health law bill, cannot see him repealing the bill, maybe delay it.

[Romig1]

Guess who's got a forthcoming tour including several US National Parks?

[Admiral of the Humber]

Reminds me of our cruise to Norway in 2012 when the maritime pilots went on strike. It wasn't until we were 200 miles from Hull and nearly in Southampton on the morning of the cruise that we actually found out that we were definitely going to Norway.

[Silver_Shiney]

Guess who's got a forthcoming tour including several US National Parks?

I know ATC is still functioning but what about immigration at the points of entrry?

[Romig1]

Guess who's got a forthcoming tour including several US National Parks?

I know ATC is still functioning but what about immigration at the points of entrry?

Blimey Alan, there are massive queues when they ARE working! Maybe we'll be camping with 1000's of others in the immigration hall?

[Silver_Shiney]

Guess who's got a forthcoming tour including several US National Parks?

I know ATC is still functioning but what about immigration at the points of entrry?

Blimey Alan, there are massive queues when they ARE working! Maybe we'll be camping with 1000's of others in the immigration hall?

Perhaps they should adopt the UK approach - let every blighter in regardless.... Hopefully this lash-up will be resolved soon. We're going over on 9 November, when are you off?