Snowmageddon: U.S. capital standstill is costing taxpayers about $100 million/day

Catherine Dodge and Kate Andersen Brower – Thu Feb 11, 12:00 am ET
Feb. 11 (Bloomberg) --

The blizzard and record snowfall that brought the U.S. capital to a standstill is costing taxpayers
about $100 million each day the federal government is shut.

Near-whiteout conditions left federal offices closed for a third straight day yesterday, and last night the Office of
Personnel Management announced the shutdown remains in effect for today. The office estimates that each day the government closes results in a loss of about $100 million in productivity and other costs.

Washington yesterday broke its annual snowfall record. The nation’s capital received at least 9.8 inches (24.9 centimeters), pushing the seasonal total to 54.9 inches, which breaks the old mark of 54.4 set in 1898-99, according to the National Weather Service in Sterling, Virginia.

The storm was the second for Washington in less than a week; 20 inches of snow fell over the weekend.

Many government employees are working, even as their offices have been officially closed.

“Employees either telecommute or bring work home,” said Steve Ellis, vice president of Taxpayers for Common Sense,
a Washington-based watchdog group. “Not being in the office doesn’t necessarily mean not being productive.”


“The country can get by a few days without people manning the offices and the phones, but I imagine if it went much longer we would start to run into problems,” Ellis said.

son of a bitch, these jokers cost us money even when they don't work

From now on no more snow in DC...Lets make that a law. And their productivity that is lost is them spending our money.

Joebert wrote:

From now on no more snow in DC...Lets make that a law. And their productivity that is lost is them spending our money.

i'd rather pay them to not screw us up any worse

KK wrote:

Joebert wrote:

From now on no more snow in DC...Lets make that a law. And their productivity that is lost is them spending our money.

i'd rather pay them to not screw us up any worse

How about we eliminate half of them and cut the pay of the ones that are left.

Joebert wrote:

KK wrote:

Joebert wrote:

From now on no more snow in DC...Lets make that a law. And their productivity that is lost is them spending our money.

i'd rather pay them to not screw us up any worse

How about we eliminate half of them and cut the pay of the ones that are left.

works for me!!!!!!!!!

Joebert wrote:

KK wrote:

Joebert wrote:

From now on no more snow in DC...Lets make that a law. And their productivity that is lost is them spending our money.

i'd rather pay them to not screw us up any worse

How about we eliminate half of them and cut the pay of the ones that are left.

an them all and get off scott free

The government has got too big. I thought the messiah Obama was going to fix that little problem.

it only got bigger