The discussion revolves around the implications of a potential U.S. government shutdown, particularly focusing on how it would affect federal funding for research, government operations, and various payments to citizens. Participants explore the consequences of such a shutdown on different sectors, including research labs, contractors, and social services.
Participants do not reach a consensus on the overall impact of a government shutdown. There are multiple competing views regarding the effects on research funding, essential services, and the operational status of government employees and contractors.
Participants reference historical shutdowns and their effects, indicating that outcomes may vary based on the specific circumstances of each shutdown. There is uncertainty regarding the definitions of "essential" versus "non-essential" personnel and how contracts with the government may influence the continuation of work during a shutdown.
JDStupi said:I think that this gets to the heart of one of our most potentially pressing modern economic issues. The very peculiar modern situation that is characterized by racking up a massive debt being nearly a pre-requisite for economic mobility.
First, our contemporary society is suffering massively from educational-inflation, x amount of years ago you could get a *decent* job without a college degree, and not necessarily have to worry about a glass-ceiling limiting you to a crawl-space.
And no, it is not because "the modern world demands more education", many jobs do not require college education, including newly created-jobs that didn't exist "x amount of years ago".
In order to properly enter the workforce, you nearly MUST put yourself in a situation where you are massively in debt before you can ever begin to get a decent paying job.
This is a problem with the structure of our economy and social situation.
It seems to work fine now, but what if there is a long-term crisis? The very structure of the economy must change, not just "cut government funding to students" that could be disasterous to our advantage in the global market, nor just "fund everything with government". Something has to be thought up, and the problem with politics is political inertia. Nobody wants to radically re-conceptualize the way we conduct our economy and, in turn, its ramifications for social structure.
That should be the first on our list. Not abortion, not drugs, or a slew of other banal crap that gets passed off for politics.