Date: Thu, 03 Oct 2013 16:30:40 -0400
From: "Mike B." <yahoo at omniphile.com>
To: wsfa-forum at yahoogroups.com, WSFA members <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: A point of information about the government shutdown
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>

On 10/3/2013 12:39 PM, mark wrote:

> contracting companies' employees. "Salaried" or "exempt" *used* to mean you
> got paid a fixed annual wage, regardless of work. These days, if you can't
> bill, you don't get paid.

Yes, these days "exempt" just means you don't get paid for all the hours
you work...i.e. free overtime for the employer.

> Right now, with the "Tea Party" (and their wealthy backers) shutdown of the

Sorry, but I'm sick of hearing this line on every radio broadcast or TV
news show I listen to, and I don't really need to hear this propaganda
here too!

The shutdown is the fault of BOTH major parties.  One wants to delay or
kill a law they find unconscionable, and have made a solid stand on
doing so and they won't pass a bill that requires them to back down on
it, and the other party refuses to look at any bill that does delay or
kill the same law because it would hurt the pride of their leader to
have his biggest triumph dented in any way.  It's pure pride, nothing
more at this point...for BOTH sides.

As for the bone they are squabbling over, both sides have excellent
points to make as to why it is needed, or why it needs killing.  This
tells me that the law certainly needs changes...and they should just
agree about what they are, make them, and get things back to normal.
The Democratic refusal to discuss it kind of prevents that though.  You
can't compromise with a party that says, "do it the way we told you to,
or forget it!"

I don't expect them to be reasonable while the Democrats think that the
Republicans are hurting themselves over it...which is only made worse by
news media propaganda that the Republicans' refusal to budge is
"extremist", "anarchistic", and "unreasonable", and the Democrats
refusal to budge is being called "principled" and "reasonable".  It only
encourages them to hold their ground.  If they thought they were getting
hurt too, they'd be more willing to compromise...and whether they think
they are or not, they are getting hurt.  Congress' status is dropping
like a rock as a whole over this mess...though it didn't have far to
fall I suppose.

-- Mike B.