STATE LAWMAKERS JOIN CALL FOR END TO THREATENED GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN
INDIANAPOLIS – State Reps. Gail Riecken (D-Evansville), Cherrish Pryor and Robin Shackleford (both D-Indianapolis) today joined a national call for an end to a threatened federal government shutdown and prevent the risk of stopping programs that help the elderly, children, and veterans across the country.
The three Indiana state lawmakers were in Washington, DC, as part of activities conducted by the Women Legislators Lobby (WiLL), a national non-partisan network of women state legislators who work together to influence federal policies and budget priorities.
If an agreement on a new federal budget is not reached by midnight – the end of the 2013 fiscal year – a partial government shutdown will take place and numerous federal programs and agencies will be stopped until a deal is reached.
“When the focus of the American people is on job creation, quality education, and accessible, affordable health care, we don’t need the focus of our highest elected officials to be on job destruction, education failure, and health care obstruction,†Shackleford said.
An extended government shutdown would have long-ranging impact on many aspects of the lives of Americans, the three Indiana lawmakers agreed.
“Our first priority should be keeping government running so we can pay our bills and take care of those in the military and our veterans, whose paychecks are at risk of being cut,†Riecken said. “This manufactured crisis is an insult to those who have risked so much for our country. They too have to put food on the table.â€
Pryor decried the fact that those forces attempting to shut down government are doing so because of their opposition to a plan to provide affordable health care to millions of Americans.
“Shutting down our government because of a basic fear that every American should have health care is not in the best interests of this state or nation,†Pryor said. “It is time to accept that the Affordable Care Act is the law of the land and move on to other priorities, such as creating jobs and improving our failing infrastructure.â€
I say shut the federal government down completely. Federalism was a nice experiment when you had a relatively small country of 13 colonies; now it’s too large geographically and too diverse culturally and politically.
Federalism makes sense for defensive purposes, but for little else. At this stage in history America doesn’t use its military muscle for defense; it’s used to enforce world dominance through a failing petrodollar status quo, to install brutal puppet dictators in countries where allies have interests in resources or other strategic positions.
Give me 50 small, state-sized countries instead of this federal government behemoth. Government works better the more local you make it. Freedom is maximized where power is decentralized.
I’m pretty sure I couldn’t stand Indiana’s brand of “freedom” under your plan, Brad. You probably need to start growing everything you eat, purifying your own water, and toting around an oxygen tank, because I doubt you’ll want to breathe the coal soot-laden air. Military is not the only kind of defense we need the federal government for.
Yep, gotta have big government to redistribute money from the producers to the leeches.
To the point,,,I like it. Nothing I dislike worse than a backrider.
Why does it have to be all or nothing LKB? I do not see where Brad has called for no government or that we all live a self sustaining lifestyle. However, we can not continue with this self created federal behemoth. There is a crash greater than this shutdown coming, and the ACA is accelerating it.
Was this letter postmarked from Urbana, Ill? Rep. Riecken and the Pat Bauers fled to Ill to shut down the Indiana State Legislature.
SHUT IT DOWN!!!!!!,the government is way to big……………..
The military will not be affected. They already addressed that. I say shut it down and leave it closed. Every single politician needs to be removed from the city level to the federal level. They are all part of the problem. Our government has failed.
According to Military.com, the paychecks tomorrow will go out, but after those there may be a delay. The Senate refused to pass legislation to pay the military because of the “poison pill” to delay ACA for a year. The military is definitely going to be adversely affected by the furlough of its civilian employees.
From Politico; The House-passed bill to ensure the military is paid was approved without dissent in the Senate on Monday — a rare bipartisan agreement as Congress stumbled toward midnight when the fiscal year ends and current appropriations expire.
It’s not good to shut the Government down. It has all types of unwanted consequences and it will cost us all more in the long run.
I can’t remember the last time a bunch of radicals tried to shut our government down as I was not born yet. But history records what happened in 1863.
Actually it happened in 1995 & in 1996 with little fanfare and no consequence outside of the bubble world of Washington DC.
It was pretty bad for Newt Gingrich and the GOP!
Yes it was. My comment was about regular people not the ruling class.
Yes, as the Gop only continued to control the House for 10 more years and elect GWB to two terms (which wasn’t that great, but it does prove you wrong).
Editor: You are correct and I agree with you on this point. It is not really a shutdown—it is a cutback. Most people will not notice any change. Let her happen Captain.
because of the mentioned shut downs clinton signed the welfare reform law …….and actually the gop expanded their majority in the senate after the 96 shut down………
Riecken was not so much of a purest when it came to shutting down Indiana’s legislative process. Just more politics at its worst.
““Our first priority should be keeping government running so we can pay our bills and take care of those in the military and our veterans, whose paychecks are at risk of being cut,â€
It appears that the true first priority is the ACA.
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