It's starting.
The fallout from a potential government shutdown has just begun.
As some of you may know, I'm an architect with my own (relatively successful) practice that has been struggling since the crash. I had to borrow money from my mother's retirement fund, I would have been on the street if it hadn't have been for ARRA rental assistance from the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Rehousing Program, and I received food stamps.
Since 2008, I have been doing anything and everything I could to survive. Teaching French, cooking, bartending; I even worked as a campaign consultant for a little while.
In December, things started looking up, and since then I have had enough work come in that (I thought) would keep me alive through 2011. I was thrilled - for the first time in three years, I was once again a full-time architect, able to pay my own bills.
Until today. I just got a call from my biggest client. He represents indigent criminal defendants in the federal court system, and he just got word that all their payments are on hold because of the threat of the shutdown next Friday.
He doesn't get paid, I don't get paid, people I owe don't get paid. And on, and on, and on. Multiply that by millions.
My other work is with the city redevelopment agency. I spoke with them today, and so far they're cool. But, our governor Jerry Brown is threatening to cut development monies, so now my future jobs with them may be in jeopardy too.
This is why even Goldman Sachs knows that cutting government spending grinds our economy to a halt.
I know the republicans are stupid assholes, but are they really that stupid? Are they really that assholish?
We shall see, I suppose. But maybe if other sectors of the federal government start putting a hold on spending next week, enough people will be affected and raise a ruckus that, combined with the Wisconsin protests, will put fear in the heart of every GOP hack whore out there.
I can only hope. In the meantime, I am going to have a (couple of) cocktail(s).