The Government Shutdown Continues and Life is Slowly Changing

Even if you don’t work for the Federal Government your life will be affected by the government shutdown.   If Federal folks around here are not getting paid, then those folks won’t be spending money. Think about that trickle down effect for local business.

There will be cutbacks in military services.   Military employees will get paid.  Congress put in a special exemption for them.   If you're a federal employee, you're on unpaid leave.  But in the two shutdowns we had in the '90s, they DID pay all the employees retroactively when the shutdown ended.

Here at Fort Hood both on-post commissaries closed Wednesday for the duration of the government shutdown, but Army & Air Force Exchange Service facilities will remain open.  The Oct 7 Mini Job Fair has been cancelled.

Non-appropriated fund activities, such as dining facilities, physical training, child care activities for required readiness and morale, welfare and recreation activities, will not be affected.

We already lost our trips to area lakes.  What else can we look forward to not doing while Congress bickers. Here are a few of them:

No national parks.  You can't go to Yosemite, Yellowstone, or the Statue of Liberty on vacation if you wanted to.  Or any other national park, national zoo, or national museum.  They'll all be closed . . . all 368 sites run by the National Park Service.

You will STILL pay taxes.

You will still get your mail.

The Affordable Care Act is still  funded.  It’s funds don't depend on the congressional budget process.

You won't be able to get a gun permit.  The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms are closed.

No federal loans.  No small business loans and no home loans.  And veterans' benefits won't be paid either.  But Social Security payments are expected to continue.

For Washington, D.C., there will be no city services.  Including trash collection.  The city budget has to be approved by Congress.