Government Shutdown Part II

Hi All,

Just a quickie post about the ongoing United State government shutdown.  USA.gov is the Official United States government portal for 'all things government'.  For example, there are links to Government Services, Government Blogs, Topics, Various Government Agencies and 'how to contact government'.  Click on any of the above links to go to that topic.

But the real reason I'm writing this blog entry is to write about the government shutdown and what it means to citizens.  Click on this link from USA.gov for a page entitled 'What's Affected by a Government Shutdown?  This is an extremely extensive list of impacted services by the government shutdown.  It is an interesting and informative list of services!!!

Policy wonks, reports, interested citizens, government workers and government consultants might want to click on this link entitled, 'Federal Government Contingency Plans'.   This link connects to various agencies' contingency plans across the Federal Government.  Links have an 'as of updated' date so users can see how current the information is.

Users can click on this link from CNN to read an article entitled 'Government Shutdown: Get Up to Speed in 20 Questions' which is a very concise, neat summary of what the shutdown means to citizens in real terms.

Hope the links help.

Regards,
Stu

A Possible Government Shut Down...

Hi All,

You've probably all heard the phrase recently, 'Government Shut down' regarding the budget deal that might not get approved by the U.S Congress...If not, click on this link from CBS News for some video and accompanying text that explains that might happen, and why, if Congress doesn't strike a budget deal.

Let me make it clear at the outset of this post - I am NOT taking any political sides to this issue. I'm being a political agnostic and just giving readers - as they say - the facts....

Long-time readers know that I like to use Wikipedia for a quick look-see for various topics that I write about.  The possible government shutdown is no different.  Readers should click on this link to see a Wikipedia entry about 'government shutdowns'.

Let us start at the beginning...what is causing the possibility of us having a government shutdown? Well, as this video and article explain, its simply a budget issue...click here for the link to the article and video - via USA Today.   Finally, you might want to get the New York Times view from this link, or the Washington Post view from this link.

So what actually happens when there is a government shutdown?  Indeed, the exact details of which government functions that would stop is determined by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).  Click here for a link to the OMB. Specifically, this link will give readers more information about what exactly happens during a government shutdown.

Unfortunately the OMB told various government agencies to start making shutdown plans on September 18th in preparation of the October 1st deadline.   USA Today posted a helpful article about the affects of the government shutdown back on September 28th. Entitled, 'Questions and Answers About Government Shutdown' this is a good summary article of the whole event - which may, or may not take place. Click here for the article.

So there you have it - a few good links that will help you understand the government shutdown in more detail. Enjoy!

Regards,
Stu

Hi All,

Last night President Obama gave the annual State of the Union address.  Click on the various links below to learn about the speech and to do some fact checking.

Click on this link for USAToday's summary of the speech. Next up is the New York Times.  This next link is the analysis and reporting from the New York Times. 

The Washington Post's view of the speech can be found by clicking on this link - hint: it has lots of numbers.  FoxBusiness's take on the speech can be read by clicking on this link.


Click on this link for the actual text of the speech - as printed in the New York Times earlier this morning.  Fact checking speeches, addresses and other public announcements is becoming quite fashionable lately.  Click on this link for just such a fact check of the speech.

Click on this link for the Republican rebuttal from the Washington Post. Here is the transcript of the speech - brought to you by FoxNews.

Finally, for a somewhat historic view of State of the Union speeches, click on this link from Wikipedia.  Especially note the links at the end of the entry that cover historic speeches. Interesting history at your fingertips!

Enjoy the sites.
Stu