The campaign to smear Planned Parenthood is reaching peak idiocy:
Posted by Media Matters for America on Friday, July 31, 2015
Oct 9, 2013
Millions of veterans will miss disability payments if the … – PBS http://www.pbs.org/…/millions-of-veterans-will-miss-disability–payments-if…PBS
Oct 9, 2013
How government shutdown affects benefits for seniors, poor …
Oct 1, 2013
Absolutely everything you need to know about how the …http://www.washingtonpost.com/…/absolutely-everything…The Washington Post
Sep 30, 2013
Bankrate Dot Com
Here’s a rundown of who would likely suffer most from a government shutdown, and who would escape relatively unscathed.
Biggest losers in a government shutdown
Government contractors and vendors. Government spending accounts for roughly one-fifth of the U.S. gross domestic product, and much of that adds to the bottom lines of government contractors and vendors. A government shutdown likely would mean that payments to vendors and contractors would stop, Parker says.
International travelers. During the last government shutdown, the Department of State slowed the application process for new passports and visas, leading to long delays for those seeking to travel internationally.
Taxpayers expecting a refund. A government shutdown could delay the issuance of tax refund checks and the processing of tax returns, especially for those who sent in paper returns.
“The (Internal Revenue Service) would basically shut down, so there would be no one there to process your taxes or send you your refunds,” Goldwein says. But you still need to pay your taxes on time.
Recent retirees. If the last government shutdown is any indication, new applications for Social Security benefits would be significantly slowed, resulting in lengthy delays for new beneficiaries.
“There will be no employees on the job to process the applications, which require more intense handling than just simply the mailing of checks, which is fairly automated,” Parker says.
Government employees. Nearly all government workers would see their paychecks delayed by a government shutdown. Those deemed “essential,” such as active military, corrections officers, firefighters and utilities, would continue working with reduced or delayed pay until things returned to normal. It is likely they’d be reimbursed their missing salary, Goldwein says. Nonessential workers would be furloughed, possibly without pay.
New Medicare and Medicaid patients. Applicants for Medicare and Medicaid benefits likely would face delays because there wouldn’t be employees to process them.
Kids’ Health and Wellness
Take a look at some of the ways that the shutdown will impact kids.
Food Safety
With Congress at impasse, government agencies can’t perform their most basic responsibilities sufficiently. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in the midst of a government shutdown, the “FDA will be unable to support the majority of its food safety, nutrition, and cosmetics activities,” which is likely to make some parents think twice about what they put on the dinner table during this period. (You can still keep tabs on the latest food and product recalls by checking Parents.com.)
New Patient Care
Flu Shots
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can’t support its seasonal influenza program, so the fate of flu vaccines administered by the CDC is up in the air. Not only is it a critical time to receive flu vaccinations for the whole family, but the flu is also especially dangerous for children, and can lead to various complications. Fortunately, it’s not too late to get your child vaccinated, and the CDC is far from the only provider.
Federal Grants
The Administration for Children and Families can’t go forth with quarterly formula grants for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Child Care, the Social Services Block Grant, Refugee Programs, Child Welfare Services and the Community Service Block Grant programs, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This means that crucial programs can’t receive the funding they deserve based on predetermined criteria such as population size served, and consequently, many children could lose support in a number of welfare sectors.
Kids and Their Families
Care for Moms and Small Children
Funding for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) will fall on the states. Federal funding that would have gone toward clinical services, food benefits, and administrative costs are stalled, which leaves low-income mothers who rely on WIC’s thousands of clinic sites without complete care. This is worrisome for the women who benefit from WIC’s health and nutrition support and the 53% of all infants born in the U.S. served by WIC.
Head Start
While only a handful of Head Start programs have been immediately affected by the shutdown, the future of the school-readiness program for low-income children and their families as a whole isn’t certain. As a program of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Head Start faces more funding woes, as new discretionary grants for the program can’t be made. And the longer the shutdown looms, the less prepared kids in Head Start will be for school. For families who depend on Head Start for childcare, they will have to find temporary caretakers for their kids while moms and dads work.
Heating
With fall and winter around the corner, heating bills are bound to go up. But that’s not feasible for families who need the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program to keep warm during the colder months. There’s already a chill in the air, and it’s sure to sting much worse should the shutdown continue, delaying funding for families left in the cold.
Government Workers
The government needs many more people to function than just those in Congress, and 800,000 government workers forced to stay at home are really feeling the pinch. Delayed pay means that families in government service will likely have to put a hold on spending for their children. Food, clothing and mortgages could all be derailed until the government starts up again. And adding another layer of distress to families who have lost loved ones in active duty, the death benefits they receive will be delayed.
Kids’ Exploration
Museums
Because the turmoil is brewing in the nation’s capital, it makes sense that some establishments in the city would temporarily shutter. But sadly, many of the sites in Washington, D.C., that are closed are also some of the kid-friendliest, like the Smithsonian Institution, which includes 19 museums and galleries and the National Zoological Park. (But don’t worry — even though the panda cam has gone dark, the animals at the zoo will still be cared for.) Many private museums will stay open, but the Smithsonian Institution’s and national monuments’ free admission is why these places are accessible to families from all income levels.
National Landmarks
Whether you’re in Rock Creek Park or Yellowstone, you’ll have to pack up your picnic basket and your hiking boots because all national parks are off-limits. Even campers who were in the parks before the government shutdown must leave immediately. It’s especially a shame because fall is arguably the most beautiful time of the year to explore the country’s natural national treasures. Visitor centers at destinations such as the Statue of Liberty will also be denied entrance.
It is important to stay focused on the existential reality of Donald Trump as a multi-billionaire. He an absorb a hit to the US economy at a far deeper level than you and me. His “float against the US GDP also tantamount to a toddler crying for a pacifier. As the English learned in pre-1940s Europe, you cannot given-in to certain entities. The GOP is one such entity. They want to force life in their paradigm, or else?
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