I cannot imagine what it's like for the 800,000 US Federal workers not being paid

[TeePee]

Would the net result be the same either way?

Public ATC: staff stop being paid and so stop working.

Private ATC: gov stops paying the companies invoices, company stops providing services either for breach of contract or because their cashflow can't pay staff any more.

Eventually yes. But a private ATC company has more reserve and ability to get loans as a business. I prefer public ATC because I think it should be a function of government....

[philehidiot]

Just as a point, Trump has just taken out the Democrat's main bargaining chip. The unpaid workers. He's agreed to an opening of government just long enough to get them all paid and deal with the backlog. Then it's back to a ball swinging contest.

[TooNice]

Well, for something like this to happen to the biggest economy in the world is pretty shocking, but public servants not getting paid (sometime for months) isn't something I haven't seen before. What normally happens then is that they find "alternative source of income" (via bribes and whatnot).

[Zak33]

Well, for something like this to happen to the biggest economy in the world is pretty shocking, but public servants not getting paid (sometime for months) isn't something I haven't seen before. What normally happens then is that they find "alternative source of income" (via bribes and whatnot).

I don't see many admin staff or bin emptiers, managing to wangle a "bribe" to pay their medicare or their car installment.

[TooNice]

That is why you don't see bin emptiers, and admin staff typically take ages to get anything done, and that is assuming they don't lose the paper, make incompetent mistakes, or quit and the papers get misplaced (resulting in nothing getting done) in those countries.

[Zak33]

oh i see... sorry.. I missed the irony utterly.

back on track now...