Posted on 02/14/2019 6:43:26 PM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
Over the past 40 years, the federal government has shut down 21 times due to political disagreements over funding.
Most of America, including the government itself, goes largely unaffected by a government shutdown. But for federal workers who are furloughed or required to work without a paycheck, a lapse in government funding can cause financial problems, leading some to default on debt or miss rent payments. This can result in real hardships up to and including eviction.
The blame for this rests squarely on the lawmakers who fail to fund the government.
Remarkably, though, some Democrats in Congress believe that private citizens and businesses should bear the ill consequences of government shutdowns that put furloughed federal workers in financially precarious positions.
Earlier this month, Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, along with 30 Democratic co-sponsors, introduced the Federal Employees Civil Relief Act. This bill, if passed, would hold private citizens and businesses criminally liable for attempting to enforce certain debts against unpaid federal workers during a government shutdown.
Specifically, it would make it a federal misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in prison, for property owners, mortgage companies, and student loan servicers to enforce lease and loan obligations against federal workers without a court order if the federal workers are financially affected by a shutdown.
This would essentially pass the buck of responsibility from Congress—who should be paying federal workers—to private citizens and businesses.
Legislation like this, which criminalizes perfectly innocent conduct—such as collecting rent—raises serious concerns about Congress’ propensity to misuse and abuse the criminal law in an attempt to solve every problem in our society, as Heritage Foundation scholars have written and discussed elsewhere.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailysignal.com ...
Creates two classes of people. One protected. One not.
PING!
Uh, we already pay for these people! Get bent, dimms.
true
makes sense. the voters saddled DJT with SanFranNan and her huge socialist majority; they had to expect what was going to happen next.
myself, I think that some of the choices that the electorate makes is incontrovertible proof that democracy simply doesn’t work.
Creates two classes of people. One protected. One not.
******************************************
One, overlords. One, serfs
Ha yes, we serfs must ensure that the chosen few who serve the Nobility never suffer due as a consequence of the actions of the Nobles.
“But for federal workers who are furloughed or required to work without a paycheck, a lapse in government funding can cause financial problems, leading some to default on debt or miss rent payments”
But that all got their back pay didn’t they. If they can’t go 30 days without going to a food bank, maybe they are living beyond their means. Ave pay for gov. workers is $84,000. They make a lot more pay than the average private citizens doing the same work.
I disagree with the author. Any govt employee who does not have at least 3 months cash and food is subject to exploitation and so, a security risk. These same govt employees who preach to The People that we are irresponsible slugs if WE aren’t self-sufficient to last a 3 month hurricane or wildfire cleanup.
What this latest shutdown has shown The People is, in the event of a true emergency, we will not have an effective government because we have public servants who cannot go two weeks without a check or who are so self-important they refuse to work without a paycheck. And then there’s those who demand a bonus for a paycheck delay. A major house-cleaning is in order.
Have you no pity?
One poor lady,interviewed on NPR,actually had to drop her son’s KARATE lessons because of the shutdown.
I almost cried./s
.
We already do.
We pay taxes.
Strip the congress critters of travel expenses during shutdowns.
They tried to run away to Europe and China on our dime...
Absolutely correct. Then there’s this whopper.
“This can result in real hardships up to and including eviction.”
That’s an outright lie and never happened a single time. We just came off the longest shutdown ever and it lasted 35 days. Under no circumstances whatsoever has anyone been evicted at 35 days. An eviction would take longer to process than that if it started the minute the shutdown started. This is a lie. Why do people fall for this crap?
One poor lady,interviewed on NPR,actually had to drop her son’s KARATE lessons because of the shutdown.
How many of them dropped Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, cable, the daily newspaper, etc when the checks were being held?
A case could be made that responsibility for a shutdown belongs squarely on those who finance the campaigns of intransigent democrats and those who vote for them.
They can go screw themselves. During my divorce I was still working and trying to pay my bills and did not have health insurance for 9 months until my VA benefits kicked in. Guess what I owe the gov’t mafia- my “Shared responsibility payment” for not having health insurance. No one in DC gave a crap about me even while I paid my taxes.
What’s next? All government employees are exempt from having to pay back loans?
Keep the Government SHUT DOWN.
Then at some point, ONLY reopen the 20% constitutional portion and KEEP THE REST SHUT DOWN.
It would be a great day for America!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.