A hot topic for many weeks now has been the Government shut down, but just how does this shut down affect the lives of the people all across the United States? In the New York Times article “What Is and Isn’t Affected by the Government Shutdown” there is an alarming connection between approximately 800,000 U.S. employees, and what is now almost the longest government shutdown in the United States. Of the 800,000 government employees around half of them are working without pay and the other half are just flat out not working at all, and with no definite end in sight for this shutdown, these government employees have no idea when their next paycheck may be coming in. The article further discusses who exactly is affected by this shutdown. The main concerns here are for food and public safety. The Department of Agriculture remains checking meat, eggs, and dairy products for any anomalies, but it leaves seafood, fruits, and vegetables unchecked, which could easily lead to a bacteria outbreak, endangering thousands of Americans. There is also the concern for public safety brought up in this article because many law enforcement agents are currently working without pay…which makes one wonder, how long are these people willing to work before they receive a paycheck? Overall, this article raises more concerns about the current state and the future of our country.
How does this affect society? Within the concept of public issues, this is about as public as it can get! Not only does this affect the government/federally sanctioned employees, but it also affects everyone living in the U.S. This shutdown has halted the work of several power plants, oil refineries, and water treatment facilities according to the New York Times, which puts our health and safety as citizens at risk. This shutdown has also halted the inspection of seafood, fruits, and vegetables by the Agricultural department and coming off the back of an E.Coli breakout less than a month ago we can see that the health of our nation is not something that seems to be of high concern to our public officials. There is also the concern for public safety with the F.BI. the Coast Guard, and the Customs and Border Protection all having to function without any pay coming in. Hilariously the Customs and Border Protection agency is being affected, even though a main reason for this shutdown is the “Wall” that is meant to protect our borders. If this shutdown continues for much longer these government employees might get tired of working without pay and decide to stop working until the shutdown is over, which potentially puts all of our safety at risk. This government shutdown has a huge effect on the lives of all Americans, this issue falls heavily under the definition of a public issue, and it is a public issue that can only be remedied by those who are in charge.
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Brenna Sociology 107 