I'm a little worried about not getting paid.

I'm honestly a little concerned about not getting paid.

I've mentioned previously that I'm in the Army. I honestly love my job. I'm a guitarist in the Army band, which allows me a unique opportunity to serve my country and play my guitar simultaneously. It has, so far provided over a decade of reliable paychecks and government health care, both of which are the reasons I re-enlisted the first time. Now I'm just pretty sure I'll stay in as long as they'll have me. I like being one of the good guys, and I honestly believe that members of the US military are the good guys.

However. I'm in Iraq, sending money back to the States each month to ensure the my kids get things like food on a regular basis. This is not only a good thing, it's a moral and, I'm fairly certain, legal obligation. And one I may not be able to fulfill if the government shuts down. Oh I'll have to go to work each day. But I won't be able to send food money to the family, and that's a huge concern. I know that the unemployed have had to fight this battle many for years. My heart bleeds for them, really. But there's no place to go sign up for food stamps here if my paycheck next month is $0.00. It will be difficult to call all my creditors from Iraq to say, hey, I can't pay you until they pay me. Call Boehner.

I feel for him. He's stuck between not having any way to win with the budget he has proposed, and not having any way to get re-elected if he compromises. The Tea Party will be directly to blame if I don't get paid next month.

Since I brought the Tea Party up, let's tackle that issue for a moment. Lower taxes are their answer to everything. Taxes are lower now than at any point in the last 50 years. So it would stand to reason that the economy is better than at any point in the last 5 decades, right? Oh, is that not the case? It is true that lower taxes stimulate the economy. I can't disagree with that, however, I will point out how much less effective lower taxes are than targeted spending. The argument that the Rockefellers will spend more, thereby creating jobs, is only a little bit true. Because Donald Trump may build a skyscraper, but he will also buy stocks and put some into banking, maybe save a few million, all actions which contribute little to the economy. Building a highway or hiring cops and teachers improves, respectively, interstate commerce, security in areas that need safety for economic growth, and education for the next generation of business, scientific, or political leaders. Will some money trickle down? Sure, and the dog under the table usually gets a nibble. I'd rather see my government invest in the future than in people who are already unbelievably wealthy.

If our roads were as nice as the German autobahn, we could have higher speed limits. It would decrease shipping times and, since long drives would be shorter, it would lead to fewer sleepy drivers causing accidents. Shippers could deliver more goods in the same amount of time, leading to increased productivity. I've driven the autobahn at 145 mph. I would never drive an American road at that speed, even if it were legal. It's too dangerous, because we won't invest in it. However, the investment would pay for itself in the long run. But not as much as high speed rail. Germany does that better than we do, too.

American technological dominance was guaranteed for the last half of the 20th century. Why? Because the US government, frequently under the auspices of military advancement, funded technological research at an unfathomable rate. The reason research programs are always on the chopping block is because the money we invested was astronomical. Did it pay off? Absolutely. Silicon Valley because source of astonishing revenue, and names like Apple, IBM and Microsoft became world leaders in high technology. We took the world from tube radios to microchips and superconductors in 50 years. Because the government invested in it. And then they reaped the benefits in increased tax collection, from more productive, higher earning citizens.

And now the Tea Party wants to fix the deficit, right now. Few credible economists see the deficit as a significant threat; many see government cutbacks as a quick way to a double dip recession. (I would like to thank the oatmeal.com for their handy guide to the use of the semicolon.) Government cutbacks, the $61 billion that Boehner is being told he must generate, will remove $61 billion from the economy. That's how it works. Boehner is on the record saying "so be it" with regards to the jobs that will be destroyed by the Republican plan. So be it. So he'll let the government shut down. With me as a government employee, I'll play the example. Shut down. I don't get paid. I don't send money home, my family goes to family and friends begging for food. Since the military changes my state every few years, we don't live near any family, so they go get food stamps. I hope; states are cutting back on those programs this year. I don't pay the car payment, or credit card, or student loans. I get hit with late fees, my family is hungry, my credit takes a hit, all because the Tea Party won enough votes to scare the Republicans out of any chance of being reasonable. Sending up an unacceptable proposal and refusing to negotiate isn't reasonable. And my life may well get very bad in a month or two.

Thanks for reading. And if this happens, please remember what they did to me next election season.