Obama Vs. the AP on a Government Shutdown

http://www.futureofcapitalism.com/2011/02/obama-vs-the-ap-on-a-government-shutdown

At his press conference the other day, President Obama painted a dire picture of what happens in a government shutdown brought about by a failure of Congress and the president to agree on funding the government's operations:

I think people should be careful about being too loose in terms of talking about a government shutdown, because this has -- this is not an abstraction. People don't get their Social Security checks. They don't get their veterans payments. Basic functions shut down.

The Associated Press now has a news article that says the opposite, without pointing out that it contradicts the president's claim:

WASHINGTON – Social Security checks would still go out. Troops would remain at their posts. Furloughed federal workers probably would get paid, though not until later. And virtually every essential government agency, like the FBI, the Border Patrol and the Coast Guard, would remain open.

That's the little-known truth about a government shutdown. The government doesn't shut down.

by Ira Stoll  |  Feb 25, 2011 at 9:17 am Related Topics:  Politics, President Obama, Press receive the latest by email: subscribe to the free futureofcapitalism.com mailing list