Foxy,

A lengthy article from The Economist.

http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21587211-land-free-starting-look-ungovernable-enough-enough-no-way-run-country?fsrc=scn/tw_ec/no_way_to_run_a_country

"When you are brawling on the edge of a cliff, the big question is not “Who is right?”, but “What the hell are you doing on the edge of a cliff?”"

"Battles over spending are nothing unusual—indeed, Congress has not passed a proper budget on time since 1997. But this battle represents something new. House Republicans are blocking the budget not because they object to its contents, but because they object to something else entirely: Barack Obama’s health-care reform...."

"The second reason is that Republicans are setting a precedent which, if followed, would make America ungovernable. Voters have seen fit to give their party control of one arm of government—the House of Representatives—while handing the Democrats the White House and the Senate. If a party with such a modest electoral mandate threatens to shut down government unless the other side repeals a law it does not like, apparently settled legislation will always be vulnerable to repeal by the minority. Washington will be permanently paralysed and America condemned to chronic uncertainty."

Dumb.

But the "really big threat of shutdown" is looming...

"It gets worse. Later this month the federal government will reach its legal borrowing limit, known as the “debt ceiling”. Unless Congress raises that ceiling, Uncle Sam will soon be unable to pay all his bills. In other words, unless the two parties can work together, America will have to choose which of its obligations not to honour. It could slash spending so deeply that it causes a recession. Or it could default on its debts, which would be even worse, and unimaginably more harmful than a mere government shutdown. No one in Washington is that crazy, surely?"

Crazy....

Dear Poirot,

Excellent article and much appreciated.

Surely no one is really that crazy and these people
will back down in time?
They were elected to serve the people, not to hold
them to ransom.

Only in America?

Right?

Foxy, Belly,

A more succinct article this time - but right on target.

"The Shutdown in 10 Infuriating Sentences"

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2013/10/shutdown-debt-ceiling-explained

I never really understood the whole 'lock down' situation in the US, but the articles in this thread have helped.
"This whole dispute is about the Republican Party fighting to make sure the working poor don't have access to affordable health care. "

That is disgusting!
My sister worked as an RN in Alabama a few years ago, and was horrified at the neglected health system there. She said that the hospitals were woefully stocked and staffed, compared to those in Australia.

She stated that she couldn't continue working there after seeing several very sick and dying patients turned away from this hospital because they didn't have insurance.
She still wonders what happened to those people.

All those people here who whinge about Medicare should check out the terrible two-tiered health system in the US...the haves and the have nots.

The Republicans seem to just want to look after their business interests and fund their middle to High class lifestyles, despite what is happening to the disadvantaged citizens.

Hmmm...let's hope our own Government doesn't follow suit.

suzie..compulsory insurance dont make sick
people better..if they cant pay..the top-up

3 trillion..plus..to..enforce a product..
the poor cant afford to use
its abuse

bitter fruits..bring bitter harvest
the american system is the worst..for the poor
money savings=capitalists profit..at least in china..the capital gain..need is cut out

anyhow..they will still be sick
how can we fix that..

just like the pollution tax..its just another bailout..for the insurance industry..that underwrote 4 quadrillion of bad securities..as AAA

i say let the thieves fail
then LOCAL govt takes over..via sheffifs

where capitalist gains FAiLED HUGELY
the sherrifs..will declare MARSHAL..lore
lock up the mr-biggs in china..and russia gulags
and seize BACK..the assets of the rich..that stole it all..from...the poor.

some work..for money
other's connive/collude treason..on how to steal it..from the workers./.who..truely are earning less..than is their rightful due

Dear Poirot,

Thanks for the link.

It's quite scary that actions like these are allowed
in a country that prides itself on being a "Government
for the people, by the people," et cetera.

But then I guess they're also a country that stretches
"individual rights" to the extreme (like gun ownership)
despite the problems for society.