Perhaps the shutdown has nothing to do with the budget

[Taverner]

This article stuck out in my mind:


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/06/government-shutdown-looms-talks-continue_n_845383.html#48_shutdown-could-freeze-investigations-by-key-regulators

Today 11:35 AM Shutdown Could Freeze Investigations By Key Regulators

HuffPost's Marcus Baram reports:

A government shutdown could freeze investigations by federal regulators. Steve Crimmins, former Chief Litigation Counsel of the SEC's Enforcement Division, tells Compliance Week that a shutdown could impact the agency's enforcement and investigative functions:

"With the investigative staff, it is impossible to know which of the junior staff is about to hit “pay-dirt”—in other words, uncovering some on-going fraud where investor money needs to be frozen immediately before it's stolen or shipped out of the country, he says. “So effectively, you shut down hundreds of ongoing investigations, some of which are approaching critical mass, even though people don't know about it,” Crimmins says.

.....

According to Safety + Health Plus, "Reich told his staff only “imminent dangers” to life or property could be investigated. That would lead to about 95 percent of workplace safety complaints going unanswered, according to a DOL press release issued at the time. During the briefing, then-OSHA administrator Joseph Dear said the agency, at that time, received about 400-500 complaints from workers each day. Only about 200 of the 2,300 OSHA employees would still be working during the shutdown, he added."

[MineralMan]

1. Just a side effect, I think.

The real reason is that it's a power play tactic for the GOP. They're a little worried, though, this time, that it might just backfire on them.

[KurtNYC]

2. What investigations? Bernie Maddof is a very lonely inmate

and none of his colleagues are on the way to Club Fed any time soon.

But look on the bright side -- it will shut down all 3 wars.... :hide:

...NOT!

[A Simple Game]

5. Maddof was a fool!

He screwed rich people, the rest of them screw the middle class.

[cilla4progress]

3. Yeah AND

the Republicans just want to make Obama look bad and do something about the increasing economic foothold (destroy it), as jobless numbers decrease and there are small signs of strength.

Answer me this: do Democrats threaten to shut the government down when there is a Republican president in office?

The last 2 Democratic President - the Republican congress have threatened to shut it down.

This is what they do. This is who they are. My venom towards them knows no bounds.

[CrownPrinceBandar]

4. The GOP tried to shut down the govenment last time we had a Dem Pres...

Its their little power play.