Shut Down News

FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH, THE WRITER OF THE BELOW CERTAINLY KNOWS WHAT HE’S TALKING ABOUT! I WAS IN PROCUREMENT FOR 30 YEARS AND WAS PURCHASING UNDER ARMED SERVICES PROCUREMENT REGULATIONS (ASPR)! BELIEVE ME IT WAS A SLOW PROCEDURE. ISN’T IT HARD TO FIGURE OUT THE PERSON WHO GAVE THE ORDERS FOR THEM!!!!!





Sun, 6 Oct 2013 12:46:52 -0700



Did anyone besides me wonder how they got all those signs printed and distributed far and wide, including to all the national parks and cemeteries overseas only eight to ten hours after the government shut down? Take a look at this from someone who wanted to remain anonymous.



I have worked in the government on and off for 40 years. During that time I became quite familiar with requisitions, bidding, awarding contracts etc. It is a time consuming process with bean-counters and pencil-necked bureaucrats every step of the way. The simplest request takes months not days or hours.



In less than 8 hours of the shutdown, miraculously, professionally printed 3X4 foot signs appeared all over the country in the tens of thousands saying-“this [park, facility, etc. with custom logos] closed due to government shutdown. There has not been a government shutdown in 17 years. These signs were designed, specifications were determined, signs were then requisitioned, bids were posted and vetted, government contracts were awarded. The materials were then ordered and the signs manufactured then distributed U.S. Mails or freight companies.



This shutdown was orchestrated and planned well in advance at least 6-8 months ago. Millions of tax dollars were appropriated and spent in this process. There is a paper trail a mile long leading directly to the White House. rolleyes

 

Link? This can quickly become an HBT. Don't be suprise if this gets closed.

 

Here are a few, I bet the media won't touch it for awhile! Call it a myth then just take a moment to think how could it be possible even with a magic wand! It will come out on major sited soon it has to.

http://directorblue.blogspot.com/2013/10/boom-this-shutdown-was-orchestrated-and.html
http://patriotupdate.com/articles/much-shutdown-signs-cost-long-take-print/
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/3078983/posts?page=1
http://www.usaprepares.com/governme...t-to-ten-hours-after-the-government-shut-down
http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread976436/pg1
http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?S=157&F=1546&T=12163565&P=1

 

Call it what you may but look at sign that was laminated and the plastic ones, these could not be made in hours especially when there were hundreds of installations closed. Some pretty hard evidence attached

 

Sorry oldphil but you misinformed or just don't understand the facts.

Having been a government employee for 24+ years, I can confirm it "can" take weeks or longer to get a requisition through budgeting and purchasing. But I have also seen and personally "walked through" mission essential requirements in just a couple hours - all it takes is the right person's signature on the right form. And with that essential signature, the need for bids, vetting and contracts being awarded is all bypassed. So suggesting it takes weeks for every requisition is just BS.

NO DOUBT the design, size requirement, and verbiage for the signs was setup long before the shutdown because the "workers" in the trenches do their jobs BEFORE deadlines run out - not after! Because those in the trenches know if they fail to meet deadlines or fail to do the jobs they were hired for, they get fired!

NO DOUBT shortly before deadline came, emails with the designs and specs go out and someone at the local level takes a USB thumb drive with the file on it to their local FedEx or UPS print shop and has them printed on the spot. Many big government sites (like large military bases) have their own printing shops on site. So it is simply wrong to say it could not be done in such a few short hours.

More BS. This is just naïve Obama bashing. Anyone who knows anything about how the US Government works knows it is Congress who controls the budget. Not the White House.

The shutdown was not "orchestrated" but you can be sure "contingency" plans were put in place in case the shutdown did occur.

While not a fan of the "Affordable Heath Care Act" (Obamacare) myself, the facts are this. It is the law! And it became law because the majority in the House and the majority in the Senate passed the Bill, and the president signed it into law.

If the majority of our elected officials did not vote yes to pass the bill, it would not be law. So the Tea Party and some republicans lied when they said Americans didn't want it because like it or not, majority rules in democratic societies.

The irresponsible Tea Party didn't like it, so after UNSUCCESSFULLY trying to appeal the law 41 times, they blocked passing the budget bill in the House, shutting down the government.

Even the Republican leadership acknowledged the irresponsible actions of this minority faction was the cause this $24billion fiasco. There is a proper time and place to propose appealing a bad bill - forcing a government shutdown - which never would have stopped the Affordable Health Care Act anyway - was not it!

An no! I am not a Democrat!!!

@DavidGP - I realize living across the Big Pond, you have to tread lightly when discussing US politics, but you are absolutely correct. That was just hearsay and ranting, is null and void because it is based on BS, not fact.

 

Maybe they knew the shut down was was going to happen one way or another, no matter what the signs had to be made quite awhile before hand. I myself ran a supply depot when I was in the USAF believe me things do take a long time to come to fruition!

 

Well here is a video.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162...t-in-partisan-government-shutdown-blame-game/

 

Then you should be able to tell by my sig that I know a bit about how AF supply channels works. I was in communications maintenance and I have seen many people jump through hoops many times to get MICAP parts "sole source" locally right now. Of course, everyone was doing some serious explaining over the next few days, but it can be done. It is a pain, but not hard. So please stop saying it can't be done because YOU KNOW that is NOT true.

WRONG! I can go online right now to the FedEx store order signs, banners or whatever I want using a .pdf or jpeg file uploaded from my computer, and in a couple hours, with credit card in hand, go pick them up. So again, stop saying something that is just not true.

Come on! That's just silly. Nobody but Ted Cruze and his cohorts knew they were going to force the shutdown until it actually happened. All the White House could do is the same as the rest of us - sit back and watch the idiocy unfold with astonishing disgust.

 

Then World is going to burn in hell soon.So watch the US government start it lol:-D.The us government has no idea what they are doing any more.

 

The US Government is not the problem. It is the "minority" of elected representatives pushing their personal agendas instead of the will of "The People" they were elected to represent. :mad

 

If the agency or person responsible had a GSA issued Visa or MasterCard, they could have gone someplace like Office Depot or Staples and had the signs made in 1-2 days.

I'm not sure if this would qualify as "following the rules;" however, when I worked in retail, I saw these cards being used without the buyer presenting a requisition or purchase order

 

Absolutely! No it would not be legal without authorization, but authorization would not be hard to get, under specific conditions.

 

Comment in red mine, bold mine.

To the OP, I did find it interesting how all these signs 'showed up'. Often, I have thought about how the protesters in other countries get banners and such so fast, as quickly as a protest can build up in other countries, they almost always have nicely done signs and banners. Honestly, just my opinion, but many protesters here in the US don't really do a good job with the banners and such. But third world countries have full color banners ready at what seems a moments notice. :confused

And no, I am not a republican.

Oh, and Article I section 7:

Reference to Article 1 sec 7 and obamacare is a tax, or revenue bill:

And finally, a link to 'deemed to pass' bills in the US House. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-executing_rule

:-D

 

Not this again. These things never end well.

 

Nope, but when someone is an expert, and is wrong, I can't help myself. :-D

I like that quote Just Playin, very accurate.

 

Back to the OP.

All you need to make any of those signs is a printer that can print bigger than A4, practically all companies, resorts, parks have a large printer, they are very cheap these days.

Every sign I've seen is also different meaning each has been designed by a different individual, they weren't mass produced before hand.

The irony? The reason they can print signs efficiently is so they can warn of the troubled area while waiting for the bureaucrats to OK the spending on the fix:-D Why fix something when you can print a sign?

Be wary if you see a sign warning that the sign printing machine is broken though Oldphil:booger

 

To tell the truth, I want some of this protest bidness. I got the printers... Don't talk politics at work... :-D

 

Have you seen any suspicious sign printing activity 6-8 months ago Fred?roflmao

It's just SO ridiculous!

So ridiculous I'll wager Donald Trump will be pressing for Obama's hands to be swabbed for toner residue.:-D

 

Have seen a lot of suspicious printing. We call them political yard signs... :-D

Why are you bashing bo? he had nothing to do with the gubment... LOL, OK, Sticking to the facts here. :-D

 

FBHO
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/06/us/a-federal-budget-crisis-months-in-the-planning.html

 

It's usually convicts and Psychiatric patients that end up doing the labour for Govt. signs. And there's non cheaper labour, believe me!~ So yeah, moot point, to an extent.

 

A lot of the newly elected congresscritters ran on a platform of repealing bo care.

A little OT, but have any of you checked obamacare prices yet, or are you going to just pay the fine?

 

Disagreeing is not bashing. Intentionally placing blame where it does not belong may be, and in this case, I believe is bashing. The White House was being blamed and accused of "orchestrating" and "planning the shutdown" for 6-8 months. That is clearly false. The White House did not shut down the government. Congress did. The poster also claimed "there is a paper trail a mile long leading directly to the White House". Yeah, right.

Huh? How about the one funding the government - the one the Tea Party blocked forcing a needless shutdown that cost US Taxpayers $24B? The one that made the US look ridiculous and irresponsible to the rest of the world - and in particular to countries that invest in, and depend on the "Full Faith and Credit" of the US. How 'bout that budget, Willis?

Again, huh? Just saying what?

It was too voted on. See HR 3590: Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act - Passed House March 21, 2010, Vote: 219-212 and HR 3590: Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act - Passed Senate December 24, 2009, Vote: 60-39, 1 not voting. For another, I never said anything about which chamber goes first. So are you trying to debate facts, or just nitpick and instigate?

I did not say "democracy". I said "democratic society". Does being this nitpicky really advance this discussion?

Okay, you got me. I made a grave mistake and created a typo. rolleyes I should have said repeal, not appeal - feel better? The point is, the Affordable Care Act is law - already passed by the majority in each chamber of Congress and signed into law. A minority of members forcing a government shutdown, costing US Taxpayers $24B in the process is NOT the way to "repeal" it. Especially noting that EVERYBODY KNEW blocking government funding would NOT stop "Obamacare" from starting anyway.

In ANY organization, especially one that has a fiduciary responsibility to manage other people's monies, it is a gross misconduct of duties and responsibilities to fail to meet critical deadlines. This deadline did not pop out of the blue.

 

Good question. I have heard you have to open an 'account' and enter a lot of personal information before you can get a price on obamacare. I don't know of a set figure. I do know if you don't have an approved plan, you have to pay the IRS $95 the first year.

If you are bored, you can go here: https://www.healthcare.gov/ and pretend you are a US citizen.

I am also hearing it is often a 100% or more increase over private plans, but that is from more Conservative sources. I have found often the truth is somewhere in between the Conservative sources and the liberal ones. Thus my query if anyone here had gotten it yet.

 

OK, you are right. Bo and the White Had absolutely nothing to do with the gubment shutdown. Continuing Resolution now = budget. Got it. But heck, even Clinton got a budget passed when back in '94... Criticism of bo is bashing, unless everyone agrees it is valid. Reconciliation = full vote, as does Deemed to Pass.

I do agree with you about them knowing it would not defund bocare. Was just a show.

Since I don't want to go HBT here, will just smile.

But just for giggles, here is some words of Mr. Obama I actually fully agree with. I wonder what changed?

http://www.whitehousedossier.com/2012/01/13/obama-called-smaller-bush-debt-rise-unpatriotic/ Short video of bo himself is what I am talking about.

:-D

 

One of the problems to get a full understanding is that each state has their own rules and options. But it is important to understand the Affordable Care Act (ACA) really only applies to those who do not have health insurance through other sources. So everybody (and their dependents) who already has insurance through their work is not affected - and that includes most Americans.

What is often misunderstood is that the uninsured cost everybody more in the long run. This is because they don't get preventative care so conditions worsen over time and cost all taxpayers more when those folks seek emergency care they can't afford or pay for and/or reach their senior years and go on Medicare when they reach 65 (or earlier if they become disabled due to lack of preventative care back when it would have done some good).

Wars, greedy Wall Street banks, and of course, sue-happy shysters.

 

I don't know if this is right, but $215 "sounds" about right.

But from there, there typically is a "co-pay" for each office visit that will vary from plan to plan. According to Business Wire, is $25 or less per visit. Then most plans also have a co-pay per prescription refill. And according to this survey ranges from $10.28 to $44.65, depending on the tier that particular drug sits on.

Finally, most plans have an out-of-pocket ceiling and according to Healthpocket, will be $6350 in 2014.

 

You know, I did have a run of some signs a while back... OMG, I think they were bitter clingers! :-D

 

What about the people who are loosing their insurance from their job?

Forbes seems to state a 99% increase for men, 60% for females.

That is why I was wondering if anyone here had gotten an obama quote.

 

Your first link is for 2010... Not apples and oranges when bocare kicks in. Hmm, so is your other link.. 2010...

 

Rather than criticize, providing a link to something more current would be good. Note I said right off the bat, I don't know if this is right.

Nevertheless, I disagree that the national average for those already insured through their work will change that much from whatever it is today after ACA kicks in. The truth of the matter is, we don't know yet what will happen. But I note according to the ACA FAQ,

Again, rather than criticize or automatically discount, please provide a link to supporting evidence if you don't agree.

And note your Bloomberg report refers to part-time employees who in most companies, have no insurance. And note it states,

Come on! You are spinning facts faster than the radical extremists like Ted Cruze and the talking heads on TV! :mad Those figures relate to those plans offered through "public exchanges", not to all Americans and those full time workers who get coverage through work.

Who do think is paying for the medical care the uninsured is getting now? Who do you think is paying for the very expensive emergency room visits the uninsured use because they don't have insurance to go to a regular doctor's office? Taxpayers - that's who.

Is the ACA perfect? Of course not. Has anyone come up with a better plan? No. If we keep doing nothing will it make things better? No.

As is often the case in life, the best plan (and compromise) is the one where no one is happy. What's the alternative? National Health? Sure that will work, if you are willing to pay a 20% Tax on almost everything you buy. Are you willing to do that?

 

Is this not getting off topic a little first it was about Parks closing and now health care how did that start.:-D

 

https://modeyv2.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/the-usual-suspects-box-cover-poster.jpg

 

OK, you criticize without posting current info... I am trying to get info myself. I am hearing all kinds of stuff, but am not sure what the actual premiums are costing people. That is why I asked the question.

Don't have insurance myself, so I pay when I go to the doctor. Only short term change I anticipate will be having to pay a $95 fine when I file my federal tax return. A friend of mine own a decent sized company, his insurance is not going up this year, (they had an employee retire that was costing well over $100K per year) but he told me next year, it is going up.

Again, I am trying to find out from anyone who got the bocare what the cost is.

Just Playin, that is too funny. :-D

 

I acknowleged from the start that it may not be accurate, but since it does reflect (for Nebraska anyway, where I live) accurately still today, I contend it is still pretty close.

Well, others take it pretty seriously.

 

So, it goes from may not be accurate, to accurately still today, to pretty close. Sounds good enough for gubment work. :-D

Back to the OP, it would be interesting to know how much all those signs cost to 'close' open air parks that don't need employees. I have heard (of course, hearsay) that in some cases it cost more to close the open air places than if they just left them alone...

 

Since we're on the subject of signs...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzaZkRnrQA8

(there is one "sign" shown in the video that is NSFW...watch at your own risk :-D)

 

The name of that band is so sexist. :-D

 

Those parks don't clean themselves nor do they magically repel vandals and graffiti artists and I'm sure it was done for liability reasons also.

Why don't you have health insurance? Even healthy people get sick.

 

Cause I am broke...

:cry

And honestly, besides dental I have found it cheaper just to pay the Doc when I get sick.

 

Ever tried suing the gubment?:-D:-D Without a 24-7 armed guard detail, they are still susceptible to vandals. Did the signs stop vandals?:-D

" I am so gonna trash this monument". "But dude, there is a sign." "Oh Cra$$ a dang sign. Screw it, I am going home."

 

Now is your chance to get some.

I've never tried robbing a bank either but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen.

CYA. It's no more effective than the 'wet floor' signs in the gas station or grocery store are at keeping your or I from falling on our asses but they're quite effective at keeping the shysters off their backs.:-D

 

The jury is still out so to speak on the cost of this. My thinking is just pay the fine until I need insurance, then get some. No pre existing conditions, so why should I pay money into something I am getting nothing out of? :confused Plus, for emergencies, we already have an income adjusted state run hospital. Yeah, you have to wait a long time, but they actually have some good doctors.

True, but I heard where they spent more in some places to 'close' the open air memorials than it would have cost to just leave them open. Again, I just heard that, but in a organization that has around 800k 'non essential' employees, it would not surprise me. Oh, and when said broke organization opened back up, it brought all the 'non essential' workers back.

 

It won't pay for pre-existing bills.

I've found in emergencies that waiting is a disadvantage.

I prefer facts to rumor.

Maybe they should send all those VA people home again. People have to make sacrifices and freedom isn't free as Republican Congressman Blake Farenthold reminded us. Like Ted Cruz found out, it's easy to be smug and glib about all this stuff until the NIH sends home the cancer kids and war widows whose spouses made the ultimate sacrifice for us can't get taken care of. That's some of the 'non-essential' stuff you're joking about. I don't think they're laughing.

 

Regardless of what this ridiculousness has cost our population, legislation requiring fiscal responsibility is in the best interests of the general welfare, and the commonwealth. Health care should not, nor ever be a "for profit" enterprise.

What we've got here in today's Congress is what happens when corporate power overtakes the democratic process in a Republic.

Yes, the minority in this country do have rights. They have the right to protest, they have the right to dissent, and they have the right to disagree vehemently at times. BUT, no minority has the right to corrupt the democratic process. This debacle was a well funded extremist minority of the GOP grasping at the last straw they have left, because they have failed via ALL other avenues to accomplish their agenda. Resorting to using "the purse" as a weapon simply smacks of desperation.

When a Congressman or group thereof can threaten another with the loss of his/her seat if he/she doesn't "fall in line", because the other's fiscal resources and backing are greater than the latter party in question's own resources, that's not liberty. It's tyranny. Authority by coercion has never been tenable. Ever. It's always a negative sum result, and the backlash is often severe.

Major corporations, the Koch brothers et al., and their cohorts have corrupted our democratic process with untold millions of dollars, and their funding of this extremist minority "Tea Party" group. What they have done smacks of sedition, against the principles of limited charter, and against a major founding American principle that corporations WERE NOT PERMITTED TO BE INVOLVED IN CIVIC LIFE. This country was founded on the principle that corporations should exist to conduct business, and a democratic government should exist to represent the people of its Republic with a very high wall between them. Congress was not created to represent Oligarchy or the creation of a "Plutocracy". The violation of said core principle has led us to the wreckage we now stand amidst, and to the "Tea Party" even existing.

We can either look at the wreckage in dumbfounded ignorant wonder, or educate ourselves, stand up and demand a change by realizing that the biggest problem "We" have is uncontrolled corporate money and lobbying destroying our democratic Republic.

The choice is with "We, the People" to send these corporate sycophants packing, regardless of party. I hope "We" make that choice.