And we have shutdown

Ok, so I’m actually writing this before the shutdown has happened or been averted. But I am publishing this the morning the shutdown would go into effect. Once we had a government capable of performing the tasks laid out for it. This is no longer the case.

As usual, the House of Representatives is hostage taking with their threat to shutdown the government. This time it is contraception, specifically, that Obamacare requires employers to use insurance that covers birth control pills without a copay. Naturally, RHRealityCheck had a piece by Adele M. Stan on it. USA! USA!

So as of Monday morning, the most recent threat is that the GOP wants Obamacare delayed for one year, but specifically on the implementation of the mandate that says employer provided healthcare plans have to offer birth control pills without a co-pay. They are calling this a “conscience clause.” Just a reminder, Republicans believe that by controlling the reproduction in society they can control society, and they aren’t wrong. If there are questions about my theoretical bases for this or examples let me know, and I’ll write one up.

So why the shutdown? Senate Majority Leader and useless individual Harry Reid (D-NV) said he won’t send any spending measures that include cuts to Obamacare to the Senate floor before the government runs out of funding. However, the actions by House Republicans almost ensure a government shutdown. A reminder of what the shutdown will do: furlough close to a million federal workers and cut off services for millions. I'm not sure how this will impact DC because Mayor Gray has promised the city will be open tomorrow. Also, is the US defaults on its debt the global economy would take a hard hit. So I guess I should have moved the USA chat here?

The article includes a quote from a statement from the Pro-Choice Caucus, Led by Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) and Dinana DeGette (D-CO):

“While the American people need Congress to focus on passing a continuing budget resolution funding all services and resources for the American people, House Republicans are more intent on focusing their efforts—and now our precious time—on limiting a woman’s access to contraception. This egregious attack on women’s health could result in potentially taking away health services for millions of women and families. House Republicans’ pursuit of an extreme crusade against women’s health is bringing the federal government to the brink of a shutdown.”

 It is worth noting that the specific targeting of women’s health care services should be a seen as a civil rights issue because women are people being denied health care services because they are women. The measure the GOP is targeting also appears to delay the demand for insurers to cover the co-pay for preventative care such as mammograms and cancer screenings for women. Yep, someone tell me again that they care about women’s health. The Democrats are refusing to negotiate over a program that is already law, and was reinforced with President Obama’s reelection.

So we’re exactly where we have been, and I’m still left with a need for the Senate to protect us from zealots. The article concluded with a letter from the anti-choice nut-jobs that think Obamacare is pro-abortion. One day, one day I hope these people read what they are bitching about. It will make conversations go faster because I won’t have to explain the required reading beforehand.

So for the fun-times. ThinkProgress’ Judd Legum pulled together a list of 21 things the Republicans have demanded in exchange for not shutting down the government and/or tanking the global economy.

1. A balanced budget amendment [Link]

2. Approving Keystone XL [Link]

3. Eliminating funding for Planned Parenthood [Link]

4. Medicare privatization [Link]

5. Tax reform, as outlined by Paul Ryan [Link]

6. The REINS Act, which would require Congress to approval significant federal regulations [Link]

7. Means-testing Social Security [Link]

8. Defunding Obamacare [Link]

9. Allowing employers to eliminate insurance coverage for birth control [Link]

10. An expansion of off-shore drilling [Link]

11. Preserving all the Bush tax cuts [Link]

12. “Trillions” in budget cuts [Link]

13. Slashing funding for food stamps [Link]

14. Protecting mountaintop strip mining [Link]

15. Stripping the EPA of authority to regulate greenhouse gases [Link]

16. Loosening regulation on coal ash [Link]

17. Delaying Obamacare implementation by one year [Link]

18. Repealing a tax on medical devices [Link]

19. Eliminating Social Service Block Grants [Link]

20. Expanding drilling on federal lands [Link]

21. Restricting the child tax credit [Link]

Twelve of these directly impact the poor and/or women, they are those that are in bold. Six are anti-environment. Three focus on shrinking government. I’d like to shrink the government right now, by tossing these people out of office. There was also rumors going around over the weekend that members were drunk. I hate when people go to work intoxicated. Where is the conscious clause over that?