In Texas, some federal employees still hailing Ted Cruz _ even as they start missing paychecks

Minneapolis Star-Tribune ^ | October 5, 2013 | WILL WEISSERT

[Cincinatus' Wife]

HOUSTON — Thanks to Texas' new senator, Dale Huls is out of a job - at least for now. Yet Huls has never been prouder that he voted for him.

"Without Ted Cruz this doesn't happen," said Huls, a NASA systems engineer who was among roughly 3,000 federal employees furloughed from Houston's Johnson Space Center after tea party Republicans triggered the partial government shutdown.

"This is something Americans have to get used to," said Huls. "Even if it affects your livelihood, you've got to stand up."

Perhaps more than anywhere else, Texas embodies the factors behind the shutdown: big government and the rebellion against it.

The state is one of the richest beneficiaries of federal spending, with its sprawling military bases, Gulf Coast seaports, and nearly 2,000-mile border with Mexico, which help account for more than 131,500 full-time federal employees. Only California, Virginia and the District of Columbia have more.

Yet Cruz's firebrand opposition to the nation's new entitlement program - the Affordable Care Act — and his campaign to stop government growth at all costs were also born here, and resonate deeply with many conservatives. In Houston, home to thousands of federal workers and to Cruz himself, the shutdown has brought the love/hate relationship with government into plain view.

Huls said he doesn't believe his job is a waste of money: "The public doesn't think much of federal workers these days, but we're people with car payments just like everyone else."

Still, he said of Cruz, "He's fighting for what he believes in and I'm taking a side."

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Cincinatus' Wife.

Perhaps more than anywhere else, Texas embodies the factors behind the shutdown: big government and the rebellion against it. The state is one of the richest beneficiaries of federal spending, with its sprawling military bases, Gulf Coast seaports, and nearly 2,000-mile border with Mexico, which help account for more than 131,500 full-time federal employees. Only California, Virginia and the District of Columbia have more.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

It’s called “principle,” something the Commie Red Star would know nothing about.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

It’s called “principle,” something the Commie Red Star would know nothing about.

[sakic]

What someone says now often bears no resemblance to future reality, especially when cash gets tight.

[SkyPilot]

They are ALL going to get paid anyway....they are just getting PAID TIME OFF!!

You're the same on every thread with this.

Give it a rest.

When you are talking this large a population of people, that includes engineers, doctors and nurses who care for our combat wounded, teachers on bases who pour their hearts into their work for the parents of our deployed military, the low paid Navy shipyard worker, and mechanic laboring on an Air Force flight line fixing aircraft (up to 80% of maintenance at some Air Force bases are now civilians).

Furthermore, these folks are not "on vacation." They cannot go anywhere because they were told to standby for a call back, which occurred. They were/are not getting paid now, and they are prohibited from taking any other jobs due to regulations.

The are many slugs in the Federal government, especially in agencies like the Dept of Education and Health and Human Services. But a great many work for agencies like the FBI and DoD - and they WORK for this nation, they are not taking Food Stamps or SS Disability.

Dial it back. There is plenty of outrage to go around, the majority of these folks don't deserve it.

[Ann Archy]

What are you talking about....I NEVER said they were going on vacation....look at what you pasted....I said PAID TIME OFF. And I’m sorry I don’t feel as magnanimous as you do about Govt. employees....witness now the THUGGERY of the NPS.