The fabulous furlough farce

Nice work if you can get it.

This week, the new Michigan governor and other Democrat governors across the nation decided that if the federal shutdown was going to continue, by God, they’d have something to do with it.

The “problem” they detected was that states were not given the go-ahead to pay government workers who were working without pay unemployment benefits. Apparently, the federal government has some sort of rule prohibiting unemployment payments to people who have jobs. Go figure.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, D, sent a letter to Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta, asking for a waiver on behalf of “thousands of federal workers” in the state who are probably on the brink of losing their homes and possible starvation. “As Governor, it is my responsibility to ensure the hardworking people I represent have the resources they need to provide for themselves and their families.”

I want a yacht, Gretchen. I haven’t yet been able to provide it for myself and my family because I’ve been working at about one-sixth the pay of the average federal worker. Where are my unemployment insurance payments?

And though Whitmer is asking for a waiver of a specific rule, most of the news reports repeat the talking point that the rules are ambiguous and need clarification. And if they don’t get what they want from the federal government, no worries. Sen. Blumenthal, D-Conn., has already introduced legislation to change the law in case this shutdown drags on because of his party’s own actions, or another one ensues because of Democrat obstruction and lack of national security concerns.

So here’s where we are: Democrat governors trying to suck their own government dry, you know, “for the little people,” who make twice as much money as most in the private sector and will get paid in full when the shutdown is over — and mostly vote Democrat.

PayPal, banks, and credit unions are offering loans to federal workers as the media suggests federal workers are on the brink of calamity after a month of non-payment.

There is no such push for payment of unemployment benefits to an entrepreneur whose business failed because of over-regulation. Neither is there such a thing for a business owner to get paid unemployment when he works, yet makes no profit.

Slow month at the ice cream shop? Tough. You knew it was a possibility that in January, nobody really wants ice cream. And if the ice cream shop shuts down, no one is guaranteed unemployment, but the Democrats want to make it law that when the federal government shuts down and workers remain employed, they will be guaranteed unemployment compensation.

I’m not sure how they’ll respond to the question, “When do you expect to be back to work?” Uh, tomorrow? Or maybe there will be a new box to check that will skip all the endless unemployment registration questions: “What the heck, I’m a federal worker, give me money.”

Yessir, top priority and every possible break given to federal workers. I’m sure that’s what the American Dream is all about.

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