RUSH LIMBAUGH (HOST): This is the first day in any government shutdown, the first day in all government shutdowns, that furloughed federal employees will miss a paycheck. Despite all these shutdowns we've ever had, despite the big shutdown over the budget battle in 1995, when we were getting stories about how federal employees were going to miss their turkeys for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and during the school lunch fiasco where Republicans were killing kids by starving them. This is the first paycheck that will be missed by federal workers because of a government shutdown.
Now, it might be the first time ever furloughed federal employees missed a paycheck but the checks went out almost immediately after the Clinton-Gingrich shutdown, and these missed paychecks will be made up. That has already been guaranteed. So, if this is the first -- I want you to listen to me carefully on this because historical perspective is crucial going forward -- if this is the first shutdown in the history of shutdowns where federal employees have missed a paycheck, then why have the drive-by media been reporting about all the hardships that federal workers are facing during all these previous shutdowns, when today is the first day and the only day that they've ever missed a paycheck?
The drive-bys have been shedding tears over missed mortgage payments, children going to bed hungry for three weeks now, but a paycheck hasn't yet been missed until today. There hasn't been any financial hardship until today. There wasn't any financial hardship during any of the previous shutdowns because no federal workers ever missed a paycheck. This is the first time.
And something else to notice about this: every time there has ever been a crisis in the nation, except the War of 1812 when the British burned the White House and the rest of the government, every time there's a crisis the beltway not only has not felt the pain, but they have prospered. This is one of the things that's led to this gigantic disconnect. The people of this country are facing consequences daily because of open borders, but not the people in Washington.
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So whatever economic hardship is felt by the people, either from open borders and rampant illegal immigration, or just economic decline, or you name it, it's never experienced by people who live in Washington. It's never experienced by people who work there. Except today.
Now for the first time ever, aside from the War of 1812, Washington is actually seeing what it's like to worry about holding your job. Washington is actually worrying and confronted with the prospect of not getting a paycheck. Washington and federal employees for the first time in the history of shutdowns are now feeling the pinch about being laid off or fired or facing some other insecurity.
