One missed paycheck and they need a loan ? ...

[Mark in Ottawa]

The reality is that a very large percentage of people, particularly people with young families, live from paycheck to paycheck and have little or no emergency reserves. Financial planners (and I am one and have written a book on financial planning) can write or say all they want about maintaining an emergency reserve of 3 or 6 months revenue or even of one or two paychecks but for many people, it is simply impossible to do.

[dogtag]

The reality is that a very large percentage of people, particularly people with young families, live from paycheck to paycheck and have little or no emergency reserves. Financial planners (and I am one and have written a book on financial planning) can write or say all they want about maintaining an emergency reserve of 3 or 6 months revenue or even of one or two paychecks but for many people, it is simply impossible to do.

And everyone in the family has a $500.00 I pad, right ?

[blackhawknj]

And new cars, etc. The phrase "Living beyond one's means" comes to mind. Another is "burns a hole in the pocket." I work in finance and investment and I meet plenty of people with incomes over $100,000 who can't make ends meet, too fond of the credit cards and just plain ignorant when it come to money. There was a Congressman from New York a few years ago, an accountant, he said Congress need more accountants and fewer lawyers. I also note in this era of two income families there is a lot of fighting over who pays for what.

[Vern Humphrey]

And new cars, etc. The phrase "Living beyond one's means" comes to mind. Another is "burns a hole in the pocket." I work in finance and investment and I meet plenty of people with incomes over $100,000 who can't make ends meet, too fond of the credit cards and just plain ignorant when it come to money. There was a Congressman from New York a few years ago, an accountant, he said Congress need more accountants and fewer lawyers. I also note in this era of two income families there is a lot of fighting over who pays for what.

There is a simple rule that would make everyone a millionaire -- "Pay yourself first." Each month write your first check to your investment program. And in the name of Holy Gilhoolie, if your job has a 401k, take out the max!

[oscars]

Whether it's out of total incompetence and a lack of preparation or all part of the plan to destroy government one agency at a time, the Trump administration is doing its utmost to screw the government workers caught in this shutdown.

The contempt in the administration -toward these public servants couldn't be more clear, starting at the top. Trump has said they don't matter anyway, because they all vote Democratic. Other advisers have suggested that this is a pleasant vacation for all these folks, a welcome respite from their jobs. Republicans have dismissed their economic concerns, callously scoffing at the idea that these folks are living paycheck to paycheck.

As of now, the administration is making tens of thousands of employees in the IRS, air traffic control, Coast Guard, food inspection, law enforcement, TSA, fish and wildlife, and BLM continue working or come back to work despite the fact that they've been deemed non-essential. This eats into their ability to do what the administration has suggested to cover their missing paychecks: working off their rent with chores, or taking on side jobs. If they're full-time on their actual jobs, there's not a lot of time in the day to perform side jobs to cover the essentials.

Making it even worse, the employees who have been ordered back but are still classified as furloughed can't even get unemployment benefits like their counterparts who aren't on the job. A guidance still in effect from 2013 says that federal workers who are excepted from the shutdown and are required to work without being paid are "generally not eligible for unemployment benefits."

The administration is trying to exact maximum pain on civil servants while minimizing pain on the public, and that could rebound on Trump. Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is making sure that this continues.

[jdmcgrath]

And it turns out that the President is an unsympathetic boss, and not just to the top leutenants. Who knew?

[S.A. Boggs]

In my first medical class as an EMT in the late 70's my instructor's first sentence was that "Sometimes you have to hurt them to help them" rang true then as it does now. Our nation has a problem with illegal immigration and the importance of dangerous drugs across our southern border. No wall Nancy is the one standing in the road, the stoppage is as much hers as anyone. I could understand if she always voted against a wall, but she didn't. She is willing to let people suffer rather then see Trump succeed at a campaign promise. Isn't it time for all to rise above party and do the best for our nation? The President has offered to set down and negotiate "they" won't lift a finger except to point it.
Sam