Debt Ceiling 2

I am disgusted by how many people have no clue how our government works or what the debt ceiling is or what the consequences are if we default on our debt.

On Facebook, people keep posting as their status that if the debt ceiling is reached, instead of not paying seniors and Medicare, Congress and the President should not get their pay.

Here is the problem with that statement. If we do reach the debt ceiling, because the date we reach it is August 2 and the pay date for Social Security, Medicare and veterans benefits is August 3, they will likely be the FIRST people not paid. If we reach the debt ceiling, that means THERE IS NO MORE MONEY.

Well, there is a little money and they can make some choices as to how to use that money and who to pay. They could pay the money due those on the 3^rd and maybe the salaries of Congress and the President, but when it is gone, it is gone. That means you don’t get paid in September. You must also remember that all of these things are estimates. The government is estimating the amount of money they will receive from taxes being paid late, etc. and the amount they have to pay out because they don’t know yet which senior or veteran may have died and will no longer be getting money. This has been a very hot summer already so the electric bill will likely be more than they paid last year so they have to estimate how much more or less that will be, etc. SO, it may not be accurate to say "there is no more money" on that specific date, but what there is will not cover a month’s bills, let alone two or six months. It will be gone in days if just used to pay everything in the order it is received without making choices.

Now, to get back to the "NO MORE MONEY" scenario. What does that mean? All government buildings will be shut down. You can’t leave them open without electricity and if you don’t pay the electric bill, the electric is turned off, not to mention the water and gas. NO federal employee gets paid, whether they are the janitor, a clerk, a Congressman or the President. No air traffic controllers get paid. That means no planes fly. We can’t accept any ships at port. There is no federal help for those experiencing floods. Our servicemen and women are stuck in foreign countries around the world where we can’t pay our electric and fuel costs, let alone their salaries. We can’t buy the ammunition to protect them and we can’t get them home.

We can’t pay the FBI, the CIA, the TSA or any other security or law enforcement people. Immigration offices will shut down. Legal or illegal immigrants will not matter because there will be no one to police either. The Witness Protection program shuts down. If you were under protection, you are now on your own.

There is no money to pay the rent of those disabled people who receive subsidized housing. There is no money to pay the doctors and nurses and drug providers who care for our sick, disabled and wounded veterans. There is no more funding for WIC programs. Women and infants can starve because they can no longer get food. There is no more Food Stamp Program, if you are poor, you will have to beg or starve.

All federal parks will shut down. There will be no park rangers to protect the parks, watch for forest fires or protect the animals. There are no US embassies. If you are traveling abroad, you are on your own. If you lose your passport, tough luck there is no more passport office.

What happens to the nuclear waste, and weapon silos, and the gold in Fort Knox? For the most part, federal employees are dedicated. They work for less money than they can make in the private sector because they think they are making a difference to the people of this country. (Yes, some are in it because it is the only job they can get because they get a veteran preference or they have a connection that got them into the job, but that is true in any private company as well. Some people are there for other reasons, but I am talking about the majority who do have a choice.) If they are so dedicated to their jobs and feel them so important that they are willing to work without pay, they may not be allowed to do so because we have rules, regulations and laws against that. But then again, if no one is there to enforce those laws…

All of this damage is just on a domestic level. This is just what will happen to individuals, but do you see how it will spread? If subsidized rent is no paid, how does the landlord pay his mortgage or buy food for his family? If you can’t travel overseas to make that deal for your company, how does your company make money and pay you? With millions of more people out of work and not paying for food, clothing or utilities, how do you get money, no matter what job it is you do? Just these things will reach every corner of our country and every household will suffer.

I have not even gone into the global ramifications. I think the domestic are scary enough.

I am disgusted that people know so little about our country they would even consider reaching the debt ceiling to be an option.