Preparing for government shutdown on the 17th

[MrsBachbach]

As you can see from this chart from the Government Bureau of Labor Statistics food and fuel is in the calculations for inflation. Please get the facts right.

 Table A. Percent changes in CPI for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): U.S. city average                                                                                                                                                                                                Seasonally adjusted changes from                                                       preceding month                                                                                                Un-                                                                         adjusted                                                                        12-mos.                              Feb.  Mar.  Apr.  May   June  July  Aug.   ended                               2013  2013  2013  2013  2013  2013  2013   Aug.                                                                           2013                                                                                                                                                                 All items..................    .7   -.2   -.4    .1    .5    .2    .1      1.5  Food......................    .1    .0    .2   -.1    .2    .1    .1      1.4   Food at home.............    .1   -.1    .1   -.3    .2    .1    .1      1.0   Food away from home (1)..    .1    .2    .3    .2    .2    .2    .2      2.0  Energy....................   5.4  -2.6  -4.3    .4   3.4    .2   -.3      -.1   Energy commodities.......   8.6  -4.1  -7.9   -.1   5.7   1.0    .0     -2.2    Gasoline (all types)....   9.1  -4.4  -8.1    .0   6.3   1.0   -.1     -2.4    Fuel oil (1)............   3.1  -2.1  -4.4  -2.9   -.5   1.1   1.2       .0   Energy services..........    .5   -.2   1.4   1.2    .1  -1.0   -.7      3.2    Electricity.............    .3   -.6    .5    .8    .2   -.3   -.1      2.8    Utility (piped) gas                                                               service..............   1.2   1.0   4.4   2.4   -.4  -2.8  -2.3      4.8  All items less food and                                                           energy.................    .2    .1    .1    .2    .2    .2    .1      1.8   Commodities less food and                                                         energy commodities....    .0   -.1    .0    .0    .2    .0    .0       .0    New vehicles............   -.3    .1    .3    .0    .3    .1    .0      1.1    Used cars and trucks....    .8   1.2    .6   -.1   -.4   -.4   -.1     -1.0    Apparel.................   -.1  -1.0   -.3    .2    .9    .6    .1      1.8    Medical care commodities   -.4    .1    .1   -.5    .5    .4    .4       .0   Service less energy                                                              services..............    .2    .2    .1    .2    .2    .2    .2      2.4    Shelter.................    .2    .2    .2    .3    .2    .2    .2      2.4    Transportation services     .1    .2   -.2    .4   -.1    .4   -.5      2.5    Medical care services...    .3    .3   -.1    .0    .4    .1    .7      3.1

All this shows me is changes from month to month. Food and energy has gone up significantly in the last several years and we are experiencing significant inflation in the place it hurts us the most, non descretionary spending. I know I'm paying 100% more on many everyday food items than I was in the past. Same with fuel costs. Not knowing what items the government is putting in the shopping basket, these figures mean nothing and are not reflective of the real hurt people are experiencing. Even their cumulative figures don't accurately reflect what really is happening. Food and energy are everyday items, unlike cars or houses or apparel, etc. What percentage of the overall inflation rate do they represent? They are about fifty percent of my budget.

 

[frenchblackcopper]

Not to butt into a thread I havn't kept up on-read completely,but if all the 800,000 govt employees that are out of work because of this shutdown are non-essential workers,,why are they on the payroll anyway? What is the tax savings going to be by not having to pay these non essentials for two weeks or so? Anyone have a dollar amount?

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

Not to butt into a thread I havn't kept up on-read completely,but if all the 800,000 govt employees that are out of work because of this shutdown are non-essential workers,,why are they on the payroll anyway? What is the tax savings going to be by not having to pay these non essentials for two weeks or so? Anyone have a dollar amount?

Dont have a number but the way I understand it, its almost nothing saved in relation to our budget. We are spending more in shutdown now then we were spending running full steam a few years ago.

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

 

[hemet dennis]

Quote:

Table A. Percent changes in CPI for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): U.S. city average Seasonally adjusted changes from preceding month Un- adjusted 12-mos. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. ended 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 Aug. 2013 All items.................. .7 -.2 -.4 .1 .5 .2 .1 1.5 Food...................... .1 .0 .2 -.1 .2 .1 .1 1.4 Food at home............. .1 -.1 .1 -.3 .2 .1 .1 1.0 Food away from home (1).. .1 .2 .3 .2 .2 .2 .2 2.0 Energy.................... 5.4 -2.6 -4.3 .4 3.4 .2 -.3 -.1 Energy commodities....... 8.6 -4.1 -7.9 -.1 5.7 1.0 .0 -2.2 Gasoline (all types).... 9.1 -4.4 -8.1 .0 6.3 1.0 -.1 -2.4 Fuel oil (1)............ 3.1 -2.1 -4.4 -2.9 -.5 1.1 1.2 .0 Energy services.......... .5 -.2 1.4 1.2 .1 -1.0 -.7 3.2 Electricity............. .3 -.6 .5 .8 .2 -.3 -.1 2.8 Utility (piped) gas service.............. 1.2 1.0 4.4 2.4 -.4 -2.8 -2.3 4.8 All items less food and energy................. .2 .1 .1 .2 .2 .2 .1 1.8 Commodities less food and energy commodities.... .0 -.1 .0 .0 .2 .0 .0 .0 New vehicles............ -.3 .1 .3 .0 .3 .1 .0 1.1 Used cars and trucks.... .8 1.2 .6 -.1 -.4 -.4 -.1 -1.0 Apparel................. -.1 -1.0 -.3 .2 .9 .6 .1 1.8 Medical care commodities -.4 .1 .1 -.5 .5 .4 .4 .0 Service less energy services.............. .2 .2 .1 .2 .2 .2 .2 2.4 Shelter................. .2 .2 .2 .3 .2 .2 .2 2.4 Transportation services .1 .2 -.2 .4 -.1 .4 -.5 2.5 Medical care services... .3 .3 -.1 .0 .4 .1 .7 3.1

All this shows me is changes from month to month. Food and energy has gone up significantly in the last several years and we are experiencing significant inflation in the place it hurts us the most, non descretionary spending. I know I'm paying 100% more on many everyday food items than I was in the past. Same with fuel costs. Not knowing what items the government is putting in the shopping basket, these figures mean nothing and are not reflective of the real hurt people are experiencing. Even their cumulative figures don't accurately reflect what really is happening. Food and energy are everyday items, unlike cars or houses or apparel, etc. What percentage of the overall inflation rate do they represent? They are about fifty percent of my budget.

All that was posted for was to show that food and fuel is counted in the calculations for inflation.

 

[hemet dennis]

Not to butt into a thread I havn't kept up on-read completely,but if all the 800,000 govt employees that are out of work because of this shutdown are non-essential workers,,why are they on the payroll anyway? What is the tax savings going to be by not having to pay these non essentials for two weeks or so? Anyone have a dollar amount?

The non-essential workers are doing things like processing government loans, doing paperwork for all the government agencies, park rangers.

Anyway there's 800,000 of them and they will be payed for all the days they missed, and will probably rack up some overtime when they go back.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Quote: Or hanging out at the White House, waiting for Marine One to fly him to a golf course

 

[Michael Apple]

What a ruse. Out of 18 government "shutdowns" in the past 37 years, 15 were done while Democrats controlled the House. This time the person occupying the office of President refused to negotiate like a spoiled child, and took unprecedented steps to make things as difficult as possible for the public. On 9/30, just hours away from the deadline, House Republicans dropped all conditions to fund the entire government with one exception; delay the individual mandate which forces people to buy insurance against their will. It was the Democrats who rejected the proposal and refused to negotiate for 16 days, while accusing Republicans of Sedition. The media echoed this through television networks across the nation. In this case, the Republican Party was right.

This President and Congressional Democrats refused to even discuss the matter the entire 16 days, while they turned their propaganda machine to the task of winning politically. Good job, America. You get to have this for another couple years for sure. There is no debt ceiling when the sky's the limit to the cons in DC.

 

[boxofpens]

I'm still trying to figure out how the current WH occupier got re-elected. Maybe 5% of the people I know and/or talk to actually like the guy. I know I'm in Texas, but we have a high Mexico related population that are historically democratic voters, and even they don't like him. Obviously some do, but percentage-wise, it's pretty low.

There are plenty of areas that could be cut without cutting SS, Medicare, and Defense. How about starting with all the dumb*** grants that are being handed out to these perpetual students who don't want to have to pay for anything? How about cutting Medicaid? Why is a Medicaid dentist charging $5,500 for braces when you can get them at a private dentist for $3,000 or less? Because someone else (the taxpayer) is picking up the tab. Typical gov't waste too, because most are putting braces on and taking them off before the child's jaw is fully developed, so they just have to do it all over when they're older. No, I'm not some disgruntled dentist, and I know that's just a drop in the ocean of debt, but it makes it seem like those $10,000 toilets and $4,000 hammers aren't so far fetched. There is waaaay too much opportunity for fraud and waste. I see the same thing starting to happen with Medicare claims. Charging an outrageous amount for something that would be about 1/2 to 1/10th of the price if it were private pay. It's not the private doctors who are the problem in my experience, it's the gov't programs and the doctors therein.

My husband used to work in a public health clinic, towards the end of the fiscal year, they would start cramming patients onto his schedule. He was seeing 20-30 patients a day. Divide that by 8 hours per day, and how much time did each patient get? Not much. The reason they did this is to bump their patient numbers up for the last few months of the year. This allowed the
owner/primary doctor to get more money from the government (in the millions of dollars), all in the name of benefiting the poor (most of whom weren't truly poor--when the patients of a basically free clinic are driving mercedes and cadillacs, and the contracted doctors and staff are driving beaters, there's something terribly wrong with that picture.) So the system is being worked at both angles. That's just one clinic. Multiply that times how many? And now Obamacare is just adding another spoke to the wheel. Those types of systems are doomed to fail. A temporary gov't shutdown is nothing compared to the real messes we are in.

 

[mom'sfolly]

Again, there are lots of budget games and real numbers that say you cannot balance the budget without cutting SS, Medicare and Defense, and also without raising revenues. Try the games, they can help you get a grasp on the real numbers.

I paid ~$6000 for braces here in Texas, with no dental surgery or anything else, and I go to a "cheaper" dentist. Every Kid I know who has had braces has started at between 10 and 12 years, well before their jaws are finished growing.