Both husband and I are Fed. I am on furlough since I'm on maternity leave and my husband is also on furlough because he is taking time off to help take care of me and the baby.
I'm self-employed and DH is active duty military, so thankfully we're not directly affected. Many of our friends and family are, though, especially since we're here in the DC area. I get so angry seeing proud Tea Partiers (and freaking Steve Doocy) gloating about how "this isn't bad at all!" and "Effects? What effects? I'm not feeling any effects! Looks like we don't need all that gosh-darned gubmint after all!" that I just have to walk away from the TV.
While the shutdown isn't affecting me personally, it is affecting some of my clients. I'm a wedding planner, and clients of mine who need permits for photographs at the monuments are SOL -- I'm just telling them to go take their pics without the permit and we're making backup plans in case they're asked to leave. I also have couples who need DC marriage licenses. DC said at first that they weren't going to be accepting new marriage license applications, then they said they can after all. I'm telling all my couples to get that paperwork in NOW, though, because I don't want them to miss out if the DC courts decide they have to suspend that service after all.
All of that is relatively minor, of course, compared to suddenly not getting paid, but it's still stupid and annoying to have to deal with.
batsteph - I LOVE your sig. I have just watched it about 12 times. I'm hypnotized.
wawa We're even, then, because I love your baby. Her giant-mouth baby smile makes me grin every time I scroll past it. It's one of my favorite things babies do. Plus she's cute as buttons.
Neither DH nor I is - but I just learned that our entire Cancer Information Services team is furloughed (we host the CIS team). That's 86 employees.
"It's sad to think that a program that serves cancer patients is 'nonessential,'" said the center's director, Nancy Zbaren.
As many as 11,000 people each month turn to the call center, often right after being diagnosed with cancer. Workers provide expert information in two languages about treatment options and even connect patients with clinical trials.
"Those patients are still trying to call us and they're not getting through to us," Zbaren said. "It's horrible."
That infuriates me even more than my own husband being furloughed.
Last Thing Government Worker Needed Was Agency Labeling Him ‘Nonessential’ NEWS IN BRIEF • Politics • Government • ISSUE 49•40 • Oct 1, 2013
WASHINGTON—Following Tuesday’s government shutdown, which furloughed the jobs of all federal employees not considered to perform essential government functions, National Gallery of Art facilities manager Don Henning confirmed to reporters that the last thing he needed at this point in his life was to be called a nonessential employee. “Well, this is just great. I’m already working 60 hours per week in a low-paying job with horrible hours and zero perks, and now I’m officially being told that I could straight up stop going to work at all and it would not ‘essentially’ change anything,” the 49-year-old husband and father told reporters, noting that after more than two decades living basically paycheck to paycheck with no real chance of upward mobility, the one thing missing from his life was a furlough notice from the government informing him that what he does for a living is essential to absolutely nothing. “Listen, I get that my job could disappear at any minute and it wouldn’t matter to anyone. I can read between the lines. But there’s no need to tell me in a personally addressed letter that it’s actually better for the government’s survival if I’m not working than if I am. I mean, Christ, my self-esteem is low enough as it is.” At press time, Henning confirmed to reporters that, given the circumstances, 3 p.m. on a Tuesday was definitely not too early to start drinking.
Not furloughed, but we've heard do many conflicting things about passport processing that we're unsure if Jr.'s passport will come in time to go to Turkey in November. I'm annoyed.
I know this sounds completely spoiled and first world problem-ish but H is going to be in Europe for a month. If Jr. and I can't join him for at least part of it he's going to miss out on a month of his kid's life. That prospect makes me sad.
I'm working, but my federal contracts (which are 2 of my 3 active jobs) are kinda up in the air and we can't conduct any traffic counts since we're in the DC area and traffic isn't normal. which means I can't start any new studies.
traffic has been amazing! that's the one bonus side to all of this.
i am working as normal, my DH is working as he's at an agency that has some money left to play with. if this stretches too far he will be furloughed.
I support a fed contractor so I'm still (over)working. Many of our projects are still going but the level of crazy within has been brought up a notch. Yay Q4.
I'm working, but my federal contracts (which are 2 of my 3 active jobs) are kinda up in the air and we can't conduct any traffic counts since we're in the DC area and traffic isn't normal. which means I can't start any new studies.
traffic has been amazing! that's the one bonus side to all of this.
i am working as normal, my DH is working as he's at an agency that has some money left to play with. if this stretches too far he will be furloughed.
It has! I have to go by Meade/NSA to get to any of my friend's houses or my IL's and usually it's a total cluster at rush hour - but not this week! Yay!
But it makes me sad for AH and all our other feds who need their damn paychecks.
Directly as in yes, I am affected, but I'd still say indirectly since I am not a Fed, and I am still "working" and getting paid. A majority of my job deals with federal funding, administration and several agencies which are mostly shut down, so "working" is all relative for me right now. I've had a very slow week in the office so far, and if this continues for an extended period of time and agencies start getting backed up, the next few months for me at work are really going to be difficult.
Not directly affected. But we get a lot of NIH funding for our research trials and I'm concerned about how that might go.
My brother is furloughed. I offered to hire him to come do some handyman work at my house, and I would pay for his gas to drive from FL to TX. We actually have quite a few things he could do and I'd rather pay him than a handyman. And I'd love to see him. And I'd love for my niece to come with him.
H and I aren't directly affected as far as work goes (heh...like I really work anyway), but H's job is affected.. despite reports there are areas of ICE and DEA that aren't working *as much* as they did. That seriously impedes some of what my H has to deal with on the daily.
"Not gonna lie; I kind of keep expecting you to post one day that you threw down on someone who clearly had no idea that today was NOT THEIR DAY." ~dontcallmeshirley
Post by Velvetshady on Oct 3, 2013 13:59:16 GMT -5
DH has been Cruzed.
I should be extremely busy, as I have 3 major deals going. However, all three are at a stage where we are waiting for information/updates from the Govt Contracting Officer and all three have been furloughed (and two are even the ever so much important military type). So I have ~2 hours a day of work at most. And all of the people that can't work at their client are begging me for work. Management did mention the possibility of furloughs in our group if this lasts too long (not sure how long is too long--next week, week after?)
I feel like I don't have the right to say yes since military pay is theoretically protected for a bit.
But, yes, services i use are shut down. H's work has been strongly affected, even though many of his civilian coworkers are deemed essential. I'm pretty sure, but not 100%, that my clinic appointment to get more meds won't be affected. I'm not 100% because the clinic itself doesn't know. I had a referral in the system that won't get processed, but at least my civilian providers are still providing care and hoping for the best when they fight for reimbursement later.
I won't complain about the commissaries being closed
Post by ChillyMcFreeze on Oct 3, 2013 17:49:06 GMT -5
So about 2/3 of the board is directly affected. That's insane to me. I think the attitude outside of the DC area is that only Washington-types are affected, but clearly that's not true. I wonder what the ripple effect will look like if this shutdown persists. Local economies are surely going to see a hit.
Post by EloiseWeenie on Oct 3, 2013 18:28:45 GMT -5
My H works for a credit union that caters to the military (so obviously he's not furloughed). People here have no idea what's going on, and he's asked all day long if the govt employees will be getting paid. The credit union will still "pay" those that are paid by the DOD. I'm so sorry for all of you that are furloughed
Mostly lurker, but DH is furloughed and we live in a closed park. I'm so angry. If this lasts the week, we won't be making full payments on bills this month. We need every cent of his GS 4 pay. If this lasts long enough for his VA benefits to be delayed, I'm going to be incredibly pissed.
Mostly lurker, but DH is furloughed and we live in a closed park. I'm so angry. If this lasts the week, we won't be making full payments on bills this month. We need every cent of his GS 4 pay. If this lasts long enough for his VA benefits to be delayed, I'm going to be incredibly pissed.
What does this mean?
I assume they love in a national park that is closed. Some of the bigger parks do have rangers, concessioners, and other personnel who actually live in the park.