Government Shutdowns Essay PDF

Preview

Summary

Persuasive writing essay...

Description

1

Government Shutdowns LaQuotsa Tansiel English Department, Southern New Hampshire University English 123: Composition 2 Deena Shehata, MFA February 21, 2021

2

Government shutdowns should not happen because they are too costly, both financially and emotionally for Americans. It costs millions of dollars every time a shutdown occurs, and non-essential government workers cannot report to their jobs, which affects their pay. Also, anything government related cannot be processed until the shutdown has ended. The emotion and financial stress put on Americans because of government shutdowns should be prevented at all costs. It costs millions of dollars every time Congress cannot come to an agreement of how to distribute funds for the next fiscal period. Those millions should go towards the funds for that upcoming fiscal period. According to the Tribune Content Agency, “The Congressional Budget Office estimated that… $3 billion in lost economic growth will not be recovered.” (Tribune Content Agency, 2019) This information is reflective of the recent shutdown of 2018- 2019. The cost of this one shutdown should have been funds that went towards things like healthcare and social security. Shutdowns prevent non-essential government workers from going to work and maintaining their way of living. This also puts a strain on the essential employees who then must pick up the extra work to keep things running. Kristin Myers of Yahoo Finance reported that during the 2018-2019 shutdown “…over 420,000 employees worked without pay… while 380,000 others were not working.” (Myers, 2019) The emotional toll on both sides is concerning and should be a factor to consider when Congress is on the brink of a shutdown. Some may argue that the furloughed employees may receive back pay for the time during the government shutdown. The key word in this argument is “may”. This is not a definite and it does not reassure those employees who needs the money and is working paycheck to paycheck. If Congress does agree to give those employees back pay, it will not cover the possible late and

3

reconnect fees these workers may have incurred on bills and utilities. Credit card usage goes up, which affects credit scores (Self.inc, 2019). Loans are taken out, which is another bill they will eventually have to pay back. Again, this harm cannot be justified by maybes. The sections of the government that shutdown affect all other Americans as well, not just the government workers. When these shutdowns occur, anything government related, such as applying and obtaining a social security card or applying for social security benefits are halted until the shutdown is over. There are simply not enough workers to process the applications. As stated previously, loans are taken out and credit utilization goes up affecting credit. This will end up costing Americans more money besides the millions that are already being poured into the shutdown. There are claims that there is a positive side to a government shutdown. E.S. Browning speculates that “analysts who have studied past market behavior say that backdrop…moderate economic growth with low inflation and strong central-bank backing…is excellent for stocks.” (Browning, 2013) Although the source has been deemed credible, it does not provide enough evidence that it benefits those in need. Also, this claim is not based on information from all shutdowns, especially the more recent in 2019. There is a report from Schwab.com that states, “…the impact of a shutdown on U.S. stocks historically has been mixed.” (The Schwab Center for Financial Research, 2019) Therefore, this claim not only sometimes benefit those who invest in stocks, but it also does not prove to be beneficial to everyone. The overall prevention of government shutdowns is necessary to protect the financial and emotional wellbeing of Americans. Shutdowns are costly and lack any benefit. The millions of dollars, per day, being taken away from the economy’s growth has proven to provide more harm than good for anyone. Non-essential government workers are not able to go to work to provide

4

for their families. Also, government transactions are halted which can affect people on different scales, whether it is getting a social security card for work/school or filing for benefits to maintain a way of living for the retired. Therefore, government shutdowns should not happen and be prevented by any measure.

5

Works Cited Browning, E.S. (2013, October 21). Fiscal Spat Has Upside For Stocks. EBSCO. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&db=asn&AN=91527884%20&site=ehost-live&scope=site Garvey, J. (2019, January 24). Could the government shutdown shut down your credit?. Self.inc. https://www.self.inc/blog/could-the-government-shutdown-shut-down-your-credit-score Myers, K. (2019, January 27). Government shutdown to potentially cost millions.. Yahoo! Finance. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/government-shutdown-potentially-costtaxpayers-204747550.html The Schwab Center for Financial Research (2019, September 26). How government shutdowns have affected the stock market. Schwab.com. https://www.schwab.com/resourcecenter/insights/content/how-government-shutdowns-have-affected-stock-market

Tribune Content Agency (2019). Impact of 2018–2019 Government Shutdown on Quarterly GDP Growth. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints. https://go-galecom.ezproxy.snhu.edu/ps/i.do?p=OVIC&u=nhc_main&id=GALE| IDYZXD615822285&v=2.1&it=r&sid=OVIC&asid=be188eb...