Things might get interesting Sunday, IF

[slickdawg]

this government shutdown thing is still going.

There's a tropical disturbance in the western Caribbean sea that some of the models seem to like.

Let me be clear - right now this is NOTHING, it's just a tropical disturbance. It might do just like the last one and never develop, and go straight into Mexico. That said, some of the models see this thing spinning up into an 80 knot hurricane at the Florabama on Sunday.

The National Hurricane Center and the National Weather Service are open for business, no big deal watching or tracking this.

But IF there's 90MPH winds slapping Mobile/Pensacola, what's gonna happen then with no federal response? No FEMA, no federal $ for disasters, etc.



http://my.sfwmd.gov/sfwmd/common/images/weather/plots/storm_97.gif

[archdog]

FEMA response is protected during a governmental shutdown per the homeland security office. (Thanks Bush for setting this up) However all non-disaster grants like state and local preparedness are suspended.

OT, but my official solution to the government shutdown problem is that the moment they shut down, all house reps and senators paychecks are suspended for 1 year. All the governors from each state and the POTUS have to pass a budget in 2 weeks by a simple majority. If two weeks go by, the POTUS has the power to pass a temporary measure that funds the government, but does not pay any federal representatives including their staff. This temporary measure only funds the government for 1 week. After that, if the governors and the POTUS can not reach an agreement. The temporary measure is enacted for the rest of their term, and then all federal representatives and governors are automatically removed from running for a period of 10 years for any type of office.

Solution.

[GoToHellOleMiss]

90 mph hurricane hits Mobile or Pensacola....no big deal. We know the drill.

90 mph hurricane hits Nawlins.....apocalyptic....media will be having on-air weathergasms.

[hells bells]

Following Katrina my family had no power for 8 days. Took 10 guys in our neighborhood to cut our way out that Monday night. Prepaired beyond what we needed with two kids under 10 yrs old. Took over one month to completely clean up along with helping our elderly neighbors. Not one time did I need the government to help us. I hope the damn government stays shut down or the hurrican hits Washington and do the country some real good. By the way I can track the storm to, called a IPAD.


this government shutdown thing is still going.

There's a tropical disturbance in the western Caribbean sea that some of the models seem to like.

Let me be clear - right now this is NOTHING, it's just a tropical disturbance. It might do just like the last one and never develop, and go straight into Mexico. That said, some of the models see this thing spinning up into an 80 knot hurricane at the Florabama on Sunday.

The National Hurricane Center and the National Weather Service are open for business, no big deal watching or tracking this.

But IF there's 90MPH winds slapping Mobile/Pensacola, what's gonna happen then with no federal response? No FEMA, no federal $ for disasters, etc.



http://my.sfwmd.gov/sfwmd/common/images/weather/plots/storm_97.gif

[curmudgeon]

I've always said that elected positions should be unpaid anyway. Most local ones are. If you truly want to serve, then serve. I guarantee you that 90% of government workers from the local level to the federal level could not pull their salary in the private sector.

The fact that we have mayors of 1000-people cities making $80,000 salaries and superintendents of 250-student school districts making over $100,000 should be enough to revolt. I know a guy that makes $70,000+ as a county government worker that was hired by a family member that has retired since. He openly brags about the fact that he doesn't do anything.

[camsu]

Disaster Relief is not a budget item, different pot of money, sort of like the Highway Trust Fund money. People working under both those pots of money and similar "pots" are not furloughed. If like past shutdowns, even if they don't work all federal employees will receive a full paycheck at some point. Don't believe the media.

[Drugdog]

I agree. Shutter down. The less Nancy Pelosi the better.

[hometowndawg]

We are gonna need the Official Elite Dawg Weather Man to weigh in here pretty soon.

[dawgs]

I've always said that elected positions should be unpaid anyway. Most local ones are. If you truly want to serve, then serve. I guarantee you that 90% of government workers from the local level to the federal level could not pull their salary in the private sector.

The fact that we have mayors of 1000-people cities making $80,000 salaries and superintendents of 250-student school districts making over $100,000 should be enough to revolt. I know a guy that makes $70,000+ as a county government worker that was hired by a family member that has retired since. He openly brags about the fact that he doesn't do anything.

professional state and federal employees (doctors, lawyers, engineers, scientists, etc) make less than their peers in the private sector. there's obviously a trade off - job security, 40 hour work weeks, benefits, better annual/sick leave policies - but that's why well educated people are willing to take a big of a pay cut to work with the govt. it's what's important to you. i'm someone that chooses the lifestyle benefits of being a fed employee over a private sector employee because that was a trade off i wanted to make. but nothing pisses me off more than someone bitching about the govt employee quality of life, but when i offer to hook them up with contacts for a position they start talking about not wanting to take the pay cut. well, that's fine, but you can't have it both ways. fwiw even american govt employees at the state and fed workers work more hours and receive less leave than german private sector employees. and germany has a more productive economy per worker.

now if you want to discuss the uneducated work force, such basic secretaries and what not, they can and do work their way up to pay scale to make more than their counterparts in the private sector.

and i'm sure there's plenty of folks that game the system, but their supervisors should do something about it. everyone seems to "know" someone on welfare driving a mercedes or who has a $100K/year job with no responsibilities.

but let me ask you, would you balk at the president or CEO of a company with 250 employees making $100K? if we want to improve our schools, driving down the salaries of administrators and teachers is only going to make them worse by pushing the best and brightest to look elsewhere when the salary discrepancy between their teaching/admin job and what they could make in the private sector becomes too much to ignore.

i know i'm fairly moderate, which makes me batshit crazy liberal leftist commie according to most of yall, just offering a counter point to people bitching about the lazy, overpaid govt workers.

[camsu]

Dawgs: As a recently retired Fed: USCG and FEMA for 37 yrs, this is what I see:
1. Most Federal agencies are overstaffed and run programs to keep higher staffing than needed, many examples at FEMA. Should be Block grants to States on disasters and grant programs, similar to Highway Trust fund.
2. There is no incentive to keep costs down or shutdown programs no longer needed: job security, see: TSA surface inspectors, unreal pay and no job to do.
3. Living in CA: Local governments all going broke pay much higher than private industry and all cities deserve to go broke. The State is actually moving in the right direction

All that said there are many many great federal employees, that allowed to do their job and not change rules based on a Senator or Administration demand from BOTH parties our government would be better, but still the best in the world.

This is a no winner for the House, shame but it is. The House should look at this at what can we do to win 6 more Senate seats in 2014 instead of what they are doing. Do that have a shot at WH in 2016. Afraid this will backfire.

[Political Hack]

Dawgs: As a recently retired Fed: USCG and FEMA for 37 yrs, this is what I see:
1. Most Federal agencies are overstaffed and run programs to keep higher staffing than needed, many examples at FEMA. Should be Block grants to States on disasters and grant programs, similar to Highway Trust fund.
2. There is no incentive to keep costs down or shutdown programs no longer needed: job security, see: TSA surface inspectors, unreal pay and no job to do.
3. Living in CA: Local governments all going broke pay much higher than private industry and all cities deserve to go broke. The State is actually moving in the right direction

All that said there are many many great federal employees, that allowed to do their job and not change rules based on a Senator or Administration demand from BOTH parties our government would be better, but still the best in the world.

This is a no winner for the House, shame but it is. The House should look at this at what can we do to win 6 more Senate seats in 2014 instead of what they are doing. Do that have a shot at WH in 2016. Afraid this will backfire.

public assistance is a joke of a program. the nail for nail ideal with little flexibility in how a community rebuilds leaves the areas most prone to disasters at continued risk. FEMA has some great employees, but the rules and regulations are archaic and cause a lot of unnecessary problems.

Be interesting to see if a storm hits and people want their individual assistance, but the SBA isn't there to process he applications to cut the checks.

I don't know if DAE's are excepted or not, but if they're not it's going to be a cluster when a storm hits.

[dawgs]

i agree absolutely there is wasteful spending on unnecessary employees. however, i'm all for a smart solution, not to start hacking wildly at agencies and completely cutting funding.

as for the local govts overpaying, sure i guess, but i think that has more to do with corruption and the hiring of friends and family to do shit they aren't qualified to do. the answer isn't to start slashing salaries, it's to root out the problem of hiring unqualified employees and instead hiring those that are qualified. perhaps local govts should be implementing better checks and balances at the local level to ensure properly qualified hires are made.

[camsu]

The States are the ones fighting the changes in PAsst. every dollar spent to fix another $5-10 in Admin. Friend of mind runs the program and wants to Block Grant but States are fighting can't hire as many. Do spot audits, trust the states to do their jobs, just like Highway trust fund. Yes, update the rules allow more flexiblity. Gov shutdown does not affect DAEs working disasters, not under the budget.

Yes, go program by program. There are so many overlaps in Depts running the same programs and programs out of date. Unreal