WASHINGTON, D.C. Oct. 1 (DPI) – The partisan divide — among readers, among politicians — has never been greater in recent years as the US government’s budget impasse prompted a shutdown of the federal government — the same day that a portion of the Affordable Healthcare Act was put into effect.
The government shutdown was the first in 17 years, when a similar political battle engulfed the Clinton Administration and Capitol Hill Republicans then led by Newt Gingrich. That 1995-96 shutdown lasted 27 days, and furloughed employees received back pay. Government workers are not so sure they’ll get paid this time.
Today readers on the left-leaning NYTimes. com were predictably outraged at the shutdown, as the words “Republican extremist extortion” and “ashamed and appalled” jumped off the comment boards. Meanwhile, at the right-leaning WSJ.com readers were more supportive of the shutdown, as many there characterized the action as a necessary draconian act to reduce the size of government. Still, taken together, readers across the spectrum were embarrassed by the nation’s ineffective political institutions.
More than a few readers questioned why elected officials continue to receive paychecks during the shutdown.
Readers seemed largely sympathetic to the 800,000 non-essential federal workers furloughed by the shutdown – but readers also recognize that – especially in the digital age — there are too many layers of government, and too many quid pro quos among pro-government politicians and government contractors — and government workers.
One reader comment on WSJ.com today:
One of my favorite Dilbert strips was the one sending all ‘non essential’ employees home due to an impending storm. The boss was watching them leave through binoculars, identifying each ‘non essential’. He says something like, “this is going to be easiest round of layoffs ever!”
I’m thinking we have 800,000 candidates for government downsizing.