Another Science Facility Bites the Dust, Temporarily 193
An anonymous reader writes "Today, the latest victim of the U.S. government shutdown, the National Radio Astronomy Observatory
shut its doors and essentially mothballed all three of its radio
telescope facilities: the Very Large
Array or VLA (think Jodie Foster, Contact); the Green Bank
Telescope, and the Very Long
Baseline Array or VLBA. While the ALMA telescope is not yet
affected (mainly due to it being run by a consortium of European,
Japanese, Chilean and U.S. organizations), the U.S. funds for that will soon
also dry up. Not only does this furlough most of the ~550 employees, it has also
thrown a monkey wrench into many long-term carefully planned observations
(to the tune of wasting half a million dollars and a year's worth of
work). Emily Lakdawalla of the Planetary Society also has a commentary
on the closure — and a plea to 'stop the madness.'"
Re:that's Obama's choice (Score:3, Informative)
You have absolutely no idea what happens when a budget doesn't get approved in time, do you? Here's some education for you: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/09/30/absolutely-everything-you-need-to-know-about-how-the-government-shutdown-will-work/ [washingtonpost.com]
Re:many gov sites down but (Score:3, Informative)
not if you paid attention to what they want to do. Only portions of the aca is mandatory and they tried to remove the mandatory itself. Now they just want to remove thr medical device tax which several democrats agree with doing, remove the subsidy scheme oboma designrf for congress, and either delay the personal mandate as long as big business is exempt or remove the exemption.
Re:that's Obama's choice (Score:2, Informative)
Imagine an open field with rocks and trees. Now imagine putting up baracades and rangers to guard them. Some have edtimated that it costs more to close them then it did to operate. They are even paying overtime to sit rangers at the entrances of budinesses that get no federal funding at all in order to close them down only because they lease land from the parks or service patrons of the parks.
Re:many gov sites down but (Score:4, Informative)
The military is still being paid, but they are no longer sending feeds of sporting events ( including the NFL ) to the soldiers.
They are however, keeping Camp David and military golf courses open ( which he plays a lot on ).
On other notes. Republicans in the House passed a resolution to keep funding NIH research ( into things like childrens cancer ), but a party line vote in the Senate killed it. They also "shutdown" the WWII monument. This despite the fact that it remained open during other shutdowns. This despite the fact that it is open 24/7 but only manned during working hours. Veterans arriving found the monument blocked off by "Barry-cades". They were not to be stopped and simply went around. So to save the money for the shutdown the adminstration hired people to wire the Barry-cades together.
Oh and the White House chefs are considered essential. They have not been furloughed. Guess they are needed to bake the cakes.
Re:that's Obama's choice (Score:2, Informative)
I was going to respond "President Obama has NEVER signed a budget", but other people have already made the point for me. The object of "cut spending" would suggest that the NPS should lock the gates and go home. But that's not what they're doing - they are (under Presidential direction!) doing ANYTHING THEY CAN to spite the American people, in an attempt to prod the populace into demanding quick action. When Nixon did that, few reporters called him on it. Now, the entire "press" is Obama supporters and will do or say anything to support "The One". But with this internet thingie and cell phones and Twitter, the "media" has lost their exclusive control of the "news".
And Obama's warnings of doom about the debt ceiling and our impending default - that isn't so clear, either. The Treasury is getting plenty of money, MORE than enough to pay all the debts that are due; bond payments and the like. The problem is that they're spending it even FASTER. So when we ram into the debt ceiling at Mach 3, somebody at the Fed will need to make a choice - make the bond payments and screw all the welfare recipients, pensioners, Michelle's vacation partners and Federal employees and NOT default, or default and give the money to other people. Or, keep borrowing and break the debt ceiling.
Defaulting or breaking the debt ceiling would both be impeachable offenses, but I suspect that he'd rather default and collapse the economy EVEN FASTER than he has been doing for the past 4 years.
I'm lucky; I'm old and probably won't need to worry about surviving the civil war that is coming. Because it IS coming.
Oh, one other tidbit; the Washington Post is ENTIRELY in Obama's pocket. He probably wrote that piece. It doesn't enhance your credibility to be quoting it.
Re: Supernova (Score:1, Informative)
Fortunately, there are observatories in other countries not being torn apart by incompetent, know-nothing teabaggers who can pick up the slack.
What majority? (Score:3, Informative)