Thus it was, in 2013, the idea of defunding programs got its start. At the moment, it wasn't meant as a way to reduce the national deficit, but it didn't take Congress long to realize if they could defund Obamacare, they could defund other programs, as well.
Probably not, but who knows but what history will record something along the lines of the paragraph above. I don't hear anyone even thinking along such lines at the moment, so, like I say, probably not.
But, me, as we finish our first day of the government shutdown, I consider more on the idea of shutdowns as a way of reducing the national deficit. Now, this does not mean I like the current shutdown. It is very comprehensive. What I like is just picking some things, and defunding them. And, only defunding programs we have not already paid for, only ones where the money isn't already out the door and it is just a matter of whether we pay the bill, because we should pay our bills.
Now, here's perhaps the biggest argument against defunding any part of the government: jobs. You defund a program, you lay off people, send them home to feed their families without having money to feed their families. Not a good thing. I've thought in the past that if we cut federal workers, we should place them in jobs in the private sector. I think this should be done, even if the federal government has to shepherd the creation of new jobs in the private sector in order to accomodate the dismissed federal workers.
Doubt Congress would do this.
And, what would likely happen instead, is many of the out-of-work federal employees would simply file for unemployment.
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