Austerity: The real winner of the government shutdown

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCu5-cGsVel-NMCEXXRtxlPbyQriTWDMEjk_uXkXM6XSxV8fHDcUo2EJ5oWRcqaAXqH3tG520wdrl3zVfMsBe6tq9NZcgO6Gc2bj0mrnds_ddqRnBEn5haGfFYrLCcNb6UPW39e_8_TKAx/s1600/austerity_anti_worker_cuts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCu5-cGsVel-NMCEXXRtxlPbyQriTWDMEjk_uXkXM6XSxV8fHDcUo2EJ5oWRcqaAXqH3tG520wdrl3zVfMsBe6tq9NZcgO6Gc2bj0mrnds_ddqRnBEn5haGfFYrLCcNb6UPW39e_8_TKAx/s200/austerity_anti_worker_cuts.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;">A popular thing to say on Capitol Hill is that there were <a href="http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics/2013/10/watch-live-obama-outlines-what-comes-next/70644/" rel="nofollow">no winners in the government shutdown</a> and debt ceiling crisis that ended last night. </span><br /></span><br />But once again, savage cuts to social spending have won the day. Sure, the conflict may have been a terrible embarrassment for the GOP, but the Wall Street-backed tea party agenda of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austerity" rel="nofollow">austerity</a> came out unscathed.<br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">The <a href="http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-mh-austerity-20131016,0,1067125.story" rel="nofollow"><em>Los Angeles Times</em> observed</a>:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As the shadow of the shutdown passes, it's proper to be reminded again that this fight involved spending levels that are materially suppressing economic growth and hampering the recovery.</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Specifically, the deal soon to be voted on leaves the sequester in place, at least until Jan. 15….The sequester is merely one manifestation of Congress's love for austerity in the post-recession era. From the inception, recovery programs have never been as large or robust as they needed to be, despite evidence that even harsher austerity regimes kept much of Europe mired in slumps.</span></blockquote><span style="font-family: inherit;">But the deal that was negotiated yesterday to reopen the government and suspend the debt ceiling didn’t just leave the austerity assault in place. It may end up escalating the assault on workers even more. Richard Eskow at the <a href="http://ourfuture.org/20131016/winning-the-peace-the-post-shutdown-challenge" rel="nofollow">Campaign for America’s Future writes</a>:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This deal will bend the next few months’ deliberations along the same misguided lines that have guided our political discourse for years now. House and Senate members will be encouraged to come up with a “deficit reduction plan” -- in other words, to impose another round of cuts just like those which have already wounded the economy and shredded millions of jobs.</span></blockquote>Specifically, Congress’s latest deal opens the door to further cuts that will target working Americans by <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304384104579139881517789174.html" rel="nofollow">establishing a bipartisan committee to deal with budget issues</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">Yeah, another one of those! And you can be sure that this committee will try to hash out a “<a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/10/truth-behind-grand-bargain.html">Grand Bargain</a>,” which is basically Washington-speak for harsher cuts and “entitlement reform” -- “entitlement reform,” by the way, is Washington-speak for gutting Social Security and Medicare.<br /><br />But austerity was the winner even before that part of the deal was conceived. That’s because the goalposts in Congress’s spending debates have already been moved to austerity’s side of the field.<br /><em>Think Progress</em> <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/10/15/2782911/republican-victory-sequestration/" rel="nofollow">reports</a>:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">It may seem like ancient history, but <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budget_sequestration_in_2013" rel="nofollow">sequestration</a> was originally designed to be so unpalatable to both parties that the threat of its automatic budget cuts to both defense and non-defense programs alike would be enough to force lawmakers to come to a grand bargain budget agreement. As it first went into effect in March, Republicans tried to pin the blame for any negative consequences on President Obama. But they gradually came out in favor of sequestration’s devastating cuts and have now made it the baseline in the fight over funding the government.</blockquote>According to the <a href="http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/budget/news/2013/09/30/76026/the-senate-continuing-resolution-is-already-a-compromise/" rel="nofollow">Center for American Progress</a>, Obama’s original budget for 2014 was $1.203 trillion. In 2010, Republicans took control of the House and deficit hawk <a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2012/08/paul-ryan-premium-wine-for-me-catfood.html">Paul Ryan</a> proposed a 2014 budget of $1.095 trillion -- that's 10 percent <em>more</em> than what Congress just passed to end the shutdown.<br /><br />Outrageously, the justification for all these spending reductions is baseless. The country’s supposedly out-of-control <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2013/09/deficit-falling-falling-falling" rel="nofollow">debt has been falling significantly over the last two years</a>.<br /><br />But for tea party extremists, austerity was never about getting the deficit under control. It’s about shrinking government in a way that punishes workers and the poor. Even during the shutdown, what was deemed “essential” and “non-essential” gives you an idea of what parts of government right-wing elites think is important. So <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2013/10/08/2748461/members-only-congressional-gyms-deemed-essential-remain-open-during-shutdown/" rel="nofollow">Congress’s gym – complete with heated pools and a sauna – was essential</a>. Food assistance to low-income mothers and children? Non-essential.<br /><br />Now, the latest agreement sets the stage for another budget and debt limit battle just in time for another round of sequester cuts. As we wrote at <a href="http://www.teamster.org/content/joy-over-proposed-budget-deal-should-be-short-lived">Teamster.org</a>:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">...our government will be funded at a significantly reduced level than it should be... because of sequester cuts that went into effect last year.</blockquote>For now, we’ve avoided default, reopened the government and hundreds of thousands of locked-out government workers are back to work. That’s definitely a good thing. But now anti-worker zealots in Washington are hoping that sharper austerity measures won't seem so bad compared to the pain caused by the shutdown.<br /><br />Don’t be fooled.<br /><br />

anti-worker extremists austerity budget deficit debt ceiling government shutdown grand bargain Sequestration tea party Wall Street Austerity: The real winner of the government shutdown

A popular thing to say on Capitol Hill is that there were no winners in the government shutdown and debt ceiling crisis that ended last night. But once again, savage cuts to social spending have won the day. Sure, the conflict may have been a terribl…

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Is Congress driving you to drink? Tell them

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRbxI5-Mty_TNoDnUUY9YitnV2Kmh9M7SISfu5OyFZWCaxX52dcbu2Ta68BpUBlwn0S8aMn5CcZuhhAKYuTa_cOitZp7tDIGNDv5fnh9Ju8BouVjLof-yV5fovHZBBzCs0D1qqxouNffRJ/s1600/drunk_dial_congress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRbxI5-Mty_TNoDnUUY9YitnV2Kmh9M7SISfu5OyFZWCaxX52dcbu2Ta68BpUBlwn0S8aMn5CcZuhhAKYuTa_cOitZp7tDIGNDv5fnh9Ju8BouVjLof-yV5fovHZBBzCs0D1qqxouNffRJ/s320/drunk_dial_congress.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s usually not a good idea to make phone calls when you’re drunk (i.e. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drunk_dialing" rel="nofollow">drunk dialing</a>). But if the person you’re calling belongs to a dysfunctional political party that's driving America off a cliff, then we say go for it.<br /><br />A new website called <a href="http://drunkdialcongress.org/" rel="nofollow">Drunk Dial Congress</a> allows you to type in your phone number so you can be connected to a member of Congress.<br /><br /> But you’re encouraged to have a drink or two before laying in to lawmakers with some of these talking points: </span><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you can <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/10/03/228771578/sharp-words-over-shutdown-when-lawmaker-visits-wwii-memorial" rel="nofollow">yell at a Park Ranger</a> after forcing the Government to shut down then I get to yell at you</span></blockquote><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: inherit;">How dare you <a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/healthcare/326691-time-for-congress-to-put-veterans-funding-first" rel="nofollow">not fund Veterans</a></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You jerks are costing the country <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/business/money-nothing-government-shutdown-costs-12-5-million-hour-8C11308802" rel="nofollow">$12 million bucks per hour</a>!</span></blockquote><span style="font-family: inherit;"><blockquote class="tr_bq">You guys <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/03/capitol-police-congress-pay_n_4040719.html" rel="nofollow">aren't funding the police</a> that are protecting you??? </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">My grandma <a href="http://www.healio.com/hematology-oncology/practice-management/news/online/%7B137dc175-e6d5-4d9f-bb5c-4a39a8ad4dbc%7D/medical-community-speaks-out-on-effects-of-government-shutdown" rel="nofollow">can't get her cancer treatment</a> </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">Why don't you make yourself useful and <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/south-carolina-man-mow-lawn-lincoln-memorial-article-1.1480998" rel="nofollow">at least mow the lawn</a>?</blockquote>It’s only fair that Congress should hear from angry Americans -- especially during happy hour. Because, as the website points out, members of Congress were found <a href="http://www.salon.com/2013/10/01/grayson_blames_shutdown_on_gop_literally_drinking_on_the_job/" rel="nofollow">boozing up</a> right after they shut down the government and put 800,000 people out of work:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">As Members of Congress quickly returned from their final symbolic, non-effective and otherwise useless votes to avert a government shutdown, the heavy drinking began. Reports of our representatives getting plastered on the government's dime -- the one we have left -- have come streaming in from witnesses all over Capitol Hill.  </blockquote> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">And you certainly don’t have to be a furloughed government worker to be pissed off at Congress. The shutdown being orchestrated by anti-worker Republican extremists is hurting everything from <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/va-chief-shutdown-could-hit-millions-vets-072429820--politics.html" rel="nofollow">veterans’ health care</a> and <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/08/government-shutdown-nlrb_n_4066073.html" rel="nofollow">workers’ rights</a> to <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/10/08/10-ways-the-shutdown-is-making-us-less-safe/" rel="nofollow">food and transportation safety</a>.<br /><br />Drunk Dial Congress also includes some interesting drink recipes. But while you're having fun, don't forget to enjoy some of the <a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/09/teamster-beer-to-enjoy.html" rel="nofollow">great brews made and distributed by Teamsters</a>.<br /><br />So drink up -- responsibly, of course -- and give Congress a piece of your mind.</span>

anti-worker extremists beer Congress government shutdown Is Congress driving you to drink? Tell them

It’s usually not a good idea to make phone calls when you’re drunk (i.e. drunk dialing). But if the person you’re calling belongs to a dysfunctional political party that's driving America off a cliff, then we say go for it.A new website called Drunk …

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Locked-out union workers rally against government shutdown

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgziL5LFL2ZKFq-fopEhAe6zFGP9pFDTWm6lJ1d0fi86xrfd95L_PBo043shku9twx8qQfsA1XiKtZNcXVGwB7BIdsGqffzNpaZe1a3KYNnRLaJ_kBQr_QBNy8AhXpcBTi6F-bK56mTHdL_/s1600/teamster+rally.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgziL5LFL2ZKFq-fopEhAe6zFGP9pFDTWm6lJ1d0fi86xrfd95L_PBo043shku9twx8qQfsA1XiKtZNcXVGwB7BIdsGqffzNpaZe1a3KYNnRLaJ_kBQr_QBNy8AhXpcBTi6F-bK56mTHdL_/s320/teamster+rally.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Today on Capitol Hill. </td></tr></tbody></table>The gloom of the government shutdown and a cold rainy day didn't stop a thousand locked-out federal workers from rallying outside the Capitol in Washington, D.C., this morning. <br /><br />With the shutdown now in its tenth day, the huge crowd of furloughed union workers -- including members of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Federation_of_Government_Employees" rel="nofollow">American Federation of Government Employees</a>, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Treasury_Employees_Union" rel="nofollow">National Treasury Employees Union</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AFSCME" rel="nofollow">AFSCME</a> -- gathered to express their outrage and demand that extremist Republicans stop holding the country hostage. Other workers from <a href="http://www.seiu.org/" rel="nofollow">SEIU</a>, the <a href="http://teamster.org/" rel="nofollow">Teamsters</a> and <a href="http://goodjobsnation.org/" rel="nofollow">Good Jobs Nation</a> came out to support their union brothers and sisters.<br /><br />Rain pounded down on a furloughed aviation inspector who spoke to protesters:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">I'm a little damp right now, but that's nothing compared to the way American workers are getting soaked by House Republicans.</blockquote>Rev. Jesse Jackson, union leaders and dozens of members of Congress also rallied the crowd. Like a <a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/10/hundreds-rally-against-shutdown.html">similar protest held last week</a>, Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) of the Progressive Caucus led the demonstration, joined by Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) and Nancy Pelosi.<br /><br />Workers chanted "Let us work," holding umbrellas and signs that said "Stop the lockout" and "Stop holding America hostage."<br /><br />One AFGE leader set the record straight on what American workers are willing to negotiate on with anti-worker Republicans:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">Half of our members are out of work and the other half are being forced to work without a paycheck. And despite what John Boehner and tea party extremists are saying, we are willing to negotiate. We want to negotiate an end to sequestration and a fairer tax system so that the rich and corporations pay their fair share. </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">We have all kinds of ideas to end the plight of the working class and improve federal government. But we don't shut down the government to make a political point.</blockquote>As always, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) called out the extremists in Congress and put their latest attack on the middle class in context:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">This shutdown started with tea party hostage-takers wanting to stop health care reform. But let's be clear: destroying health care is just the tip of the iceberg for right-wing extremists. They want to destroy Social Security and Medicare. They want to end regulations on Wall Street. They want to go after the whole social safety net that keeps millions of Americans from falling into extreme poverty. They want an oligarchic society ruled by the rich.</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">And they say they are willing to negotiate -- it's time to compromise. We have already compromised! The budget we passed is <em>their</em> budget. We don't like it. And still they want to take more from the American people.</blockquote>Today the shutdown hit <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2013/10/nuclear-regulator-furloughing-staff-a-day-sooner-than-expected-98093.html" rel="nofollow">3,600 employees at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission</a> -- the people who make sure a Fukushima-like nuclear disaster doesn't happen in America. Meanwhile the clock is ticking on the deadline to increase the debt ceiling. <br /><br />The shutdown has hurt hundreds of thousands of workers, families and small businesses, but millions more will face a deep economic crisis if Congress drives the government to default. <br /><br />Some locked-out government workers said they will <a href="http://www.dclabor.org/ht/display/EventDetails/i/111831/pid/538" rel="nofollow">return to the Capitol tomorrow</a> -- rain or shine -- to keep the pressure on politicians and stop Republicans' war on working families.

anti-worker extremists Congress government shutdown government workers lockout Locked-out union workers rally against government shutdown

Today on Capitol Hill. The gloom of the government shutdown and a cold rainy day didn't stop a thousand locked-out federal workers from rallying outside the Capitol in Washington, D.C., this morning. With the shutdown now in its tenth day, the huge c…

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Hundreds of union workers protest government shutdown

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-oPdw5m-v-ygb0vRAVXRx1KfXEEm2GS1zg1ZM3gW-uqrzH_P-J6pJAEVmATbR1ioCaOFUdXcbT2vaIflexHPaEa2OfrXe6ObtlkLQ2RX4NJ3ZvjC6XAJx9hibqH3AqSh63mN3Y10DhJkh/s1600/Furloughed_fed_workers_protest_congress_lockout.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-oPdw5m-v-ygb0vRAVXRx1KfXEEm2GS1zg1ZM3gW-uqrzH_P-J6pJAEVmATbR1ioCaOFUdXcbT2vaIflexHPaEa2OfrXe6ObtlkLQ2RX4NJ3ZvjC6XAJx9hibqH3AqSh63mN3Y10DhJkh/s400/Furloughed_fed_workers_protest_congress_lockout.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Union workers protest shutdown today.</td></tr></tbody></table>Locked-out federal workers <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/wp/2013/10/04/federal-workers-to-rally-against-shutdown-on-capitol-hill/" rel="nofollow">gathered in front of the Capitol</a> in Washington D.C. this morning to protest Republican extremists in Congress who shut down the government. <br /><br />Members of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Federation_of_Government_Employees" rel="nofollow">American Federation of Government Employees</a>, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Treasury_Employees_Union" rel="nofollow">National Treasury Employees Union</a> and other unions spoke for thousands of union workers employed by the government, calling the shutdown what it is: a lockout.<br /><br />Led by Reps. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and union leaders, the crowd of workers chanted "Let us work" and "Shut down the shutdown." Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said the jobs of dedicated public servants should not be held hostage by tea party fanatics:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">Two weeks ago a shooting took place not too far from here at the Navy Yard. Hundreds of brave federal police officers responded to stop the carnage and restore security. Today those dedicated officers are not being paid. That's outrageous.</blockquote>Sanders noted the budget that Republican extremists refuse to pass is already a very conservative one. He said there's no reason for them to shut down the government over a budget that is more to the right-wing's liking than anyone else's.<br /><br />As the crowd grew, furloughed federal employees talked about the uncertainty and hardship their families are facing during the shutdown. An aviation safety inspector said he can't do his job to make sure planes are safe to fly. And a worker from <a href="http://goodjobsnation.org/" rel="nofollow">Good Jobs Nation</a> who works at a McDonald's at the Smithsonian described how  the shutdown harms low-wage federal contract workers.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxkevrdvH68adkOByYwtb1JyfEOvUlQdxRxATfmprfkzbhmuflhM6s8siwNhUnZGCH-pg0JCI4sE_MVKYnnKQ19nqUkuh7DQvf2Jv7JsqjBy2NF-lNBqnTTOe34O0wNncCiH_Eqfp4YXTN/s1600/Furloughed_fed_workers_protest_lockout.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxkevrdvH68adkOByYwtb1JyfEOvUlQdxRxATfmprfkzbhmuflhM6s8siwNhUnZGCH-pg0JCI4sE_MVKYnnKQ19nqUkuh7DQvf2Jv7JsqjBy2NF-lNBqnTTOe34O0wNncCiH_Eqfp4YXTN/s200/Furloughed_fed_workers_protest_lockout.jpg" width="185" /></a></div>Workers at the rally said they should get back pay for the days they are furloughed. Some members of Congress have <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/federal_government/house-and-senate-bills-would-pay-federal-workers-for-shutdown-furloughs/2013/10/03/d2fc8096-2c58-11e3-97a3-ff2758228523_story.html" rel="nofollow">proposed legislation</a> to do just that. <br /><br />The pain from the shutdown is not just being felt by government employees. Speakers railed against right-wing lawmakers who put veterans' families and other vulnerable people at risk, just to score political points and to gut a law they don't like.<br /><br />As for Republicans' proposal to reopen some parts of the government with piecemeal funding, workers at the rally said they want all of their coworkers to get back to work, not just some of them. <br /><br />Rep. Ellison said locked out federal workers were prepared to come back and protest every day for as long as extremists in Congress keep holding the government hostage.

anti-worker extremists Bernie Sanders government shutdown government workers lockout Hundreds of union workers protest government shutdown

Union workers protest shutdown today.Locked-out federal workers gathered in front of the Capitol in Washington D.C. this morning to protest Republican extremists in Congress who shut down the government. Members of the American Federation of Governme…

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