Do you think it is funny to see Democrats shutting down New Jersey. Who will turn the lights out?

Answer 1

It is not funny when politicians of any party do not have the moral courage to do what is right. It is their job, their responsibility, to to serve and protect the people who elected them in good faith. To shut down the government over political differences is a breach of faith.

That is as true of the Republicans led by Newt Gingrich and Bob Dole in 1995 playing politics with the budget as it is of the New Jersey Democrats today.

For those with short memories:

GOP vows a shutdown
Dole, Gingrich trying to force Clinton's hand
Related stories:
Move would be costly
Investors, borrowers could suffer

By NANCY MATHIS
Copyright 1995 Houston Chronicle Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON -- Republican leaders threatened Friday to keep government operations shut down if President Clinton vetoes key measures and refuses to negotiate terms for a seven-year balanced budget.

But after a day of exchanging accusations and insults with the White House Friday, House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole invited Clinton to meet with them today.

Instead, the White House said chief of staff Leon Panetta will trek to Capitol Hill "to see if there is sufficient movement to warrant further discussions" that would involve the president.

The political stage was nearly set for the biggest budget showdown in years when the House on Friday voted 219-185 for a short-term borrowing measure and 224-172 for a stopgap spending bill. The measure lifting the debt limit will go immediately to Clinton, who will likely veto the measure today because it contains a host of extraneous provisions.

The spending measure must return to the Senate, which will act on Monday, just hours before a midnight deadline that would force the furlough of 800,000 federal workers and the shutdown of nonemergency government operations.

Clinton also has promised to veto that measure because of agency cutbacks and Medicare rate changes included in it.

The government's ability to spend money expires at midnight Monday, and its authority to borrow money expires on Wednesday. The administration will announce plans today to furlough 800,000 of the 2 million workers.

After Wednesday, the Treasury Department, which already has delayed borrowing $50 billion this month, must either make an unprecedented default on financial obligations or tap into trust funds to avoid default.

"The budget debate we are now engaged in is a serious and critical moment for this country," Clinton said at a White House news conference earlier in the day. "In a larger sense, I believe this budget debate is about two very different futures for America, about whether we will continue to go forward under our motto: E Pluribus Unum -- Out of Many, One -- whether we will continue to unite and grow or whether we will become a more divided, winner-take-all society."

Clinton called the Republican-led Congress "deeply irresponsible"and urged them to remain in session this weekend to craft stopgap spending and borrowing bills that he could sign.

He then left for a round of golf, prompting mocking comments from GOP leaders who brandished golf clubs at their news conference.

Gingrich, R-Ga., said the Republicans in Congress would not remove the additional provisions in either bill as Clinton has requested.

"No, we will not send him clean bills, because we want the president to sit down and negotiate," Gingrich said. "The president doesn't have the right to sit at some golf course and make threats about the American people, close the American government, disrupt the bond market with threats and then say he will do nothing but he would be glad to sign what we do.

"When he's prepared to sit down and negotiate we'll talk about another bill. Why would we send him another bill for another press conference prior to another golf match until he's prepared to talk," Gingrich said. "One of the major problems we have in America is we have a president who doesn't mind playing and he doesn't mind talking, but he seems to hate working."

Dole said it was up to Clinton to make the next move. "If he doesn't sign it, then he picks a fight," said Dole, who returned from a day of campaigning for the Republican presidential nomination in Pennsylvania.

Rep. David McIntosh, a freshman Republican from Indiana, said the GOP leaders told members they were prepared to keep government operations closed for two weeks, maybe longer if it takes more time to pass appropriations bills.

Democrats charged that Republicans, not Clinton, were to blame for the pending crisis. They noted the new fiscal year began Oct. 1 and Republicans, divided internally over controversial issues such as abortion, have enacted only two of the 13 spending bills.

Republican leaders also are hashing out differences between the House and Senate over a seven-year budget package that trims $1 trillion, cuts back Medicare by $270 billion, reforms welfare and cuts taxes by $245 billion.

The House and Senate hope to complete the package next week, but it too faces a presidential veto unless GOP leaders and Clinton can come to some compromise.

The debt-limit measure sent to Clinton would temporarily raise the debt ceiling from $4.9 trillion to $4.967 trillion, which would extend borrowing authority through Dec. 12. After Dec. 12 it would reduce the debt limit to $4.8 trillion, a $100 billion drop intended to keep political pressure on the administration.

The measure also contains provisions to limit the death-row appeals of condemned prisoners, to overhaul federal regulatory procedures, to force Clinton to agree to a seven-year balanced budget time frame and to bar the Treasury Department from tapping into trust funds. The Senate removed a provision terminating the Department of Commerce.

Answer 2

between the funniest became this guy who became about 60, he known like a homeless man or woman yet truly had an section to stay. He for sure had some psychological subject matters (yet i'm no longer making interesting of that). He walked all round and regarded completely satisfied. I talked about him in a delightful's ice cream parlor sometime sitting on the counter. He became ingesting an ice cream cone, had all of it over his face, moustache, beard, and it merely regarded so lovable because he did not care, he became merely lovin' it!

Answer 3

Its not funny its just stupid, and its both parties because they cant come to an agreement. They are losing money by shutting the government down and they are trying to fix a 5 billion dollar deficit but now that they are shutting it down they are losing millions by the day...

Answer 4

I think it is down right hilarious! Remember when the Federal government was shut down for a while during the Clinton administration? I think things worked better lets do it again.

Answer 5

No need to worry about the lights. The glow coming off the toxic waste dumps is ample lighting.

Answer 6

I'm not surprised. Looks like the Governor is having a hissy fit. Too bad for those, unlike him, who need that paycheck.

Answer 7

It's a known fact that sometimes ---

Even when the lights are on --- nobodys home!!

Answer 8

I'm with who cares on this one

Answer 9

they should've shut that hell hole down YEARS ago.