Most of the times as individuals we see or hear about national events and never make it relevant to our lives. However, the big buzz of Washington’s disagreements in regards to our Federal budget, will hit really, really close to home.
Locally, the Federal government funds the LBJ Library, the Museum on the UT campus, and several parks; such as Big Bend National and the LBJ Historic National Park. A Federal shutdown would force more that 800,000 Americans to stay at home while an agreement is reached in Washington.
Deputy Secretary of Defense William J. Lynn III released a message “to military members and civilian personnel outlining that activities in support of national security would continue in the event of a shutdown. They include operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Japan as well as Libya-related support operations.” As an individual I cannot imagine the hardship that can fall on all these Americans that solely depend on the goodness of Uncle Sam.
A wide range of Federal departments financially support Austin. Paying for everything from health care services, aid for public schools, tuition assistance and university research. For the 2009 Fiscal year, Travis County received $17.8 billion; Williamson County got $1.38 billion; and Hays, $645 million. The statewide total was $227.1 billion in federal support.
As a taxpayer and a citizen of the United States, I hope our elected officials can come to accordance in regards to our Federal budget, otherwise this is becoming a despairing deception.
