By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
OCT. 17, 2025 | Since we are in the midst of a governmental shutdown at the federal level, let’s go back to previous recent shutdowns.
In office as president for the most shutdowns was Ronald Reagan, who oversaw eight shutdowns, the longest of which lasted only three days. There were three funding gaps between 1990 and 1995, then none until 2013.
In recent times, the threat of a government shutdown has become more frequent, as Congress has found itself engaged in funding fights that are ultimately resolved with massive, yearlong spending packages.
The most recent lapse in government funding, the longest, in late 2018, caused $3 billion in permanent losses, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Hundreds of thousands of federal workers are expected to feel the impacts of a shutdown if a deal isn’t reached this time around.
Here are dates of shutdowns since 1980, 14 in all, from CBS News.
Date …………. Days …… President
Oct. 21, 1982 ….. 2 ….. Reagan
Sept. 30, 1982 ….1 ….. Reagan
Dec. 17, 1982 …..3 ….. Reagan
Nov. 10, 1983 ….3 ….. Reagan
Sept. 30, 1984 …2 ….. Reagan
Oct. 3, 1984 …… 1 ….. Reagan
Oct. 16, 1986 …. 1 ….. Reagan
Dec. 18, 1997 … 1 ……Reagan
Oct. 5, 1990 ….. 3 ….. Georga H.W. Bush
Nov. 13, 1995 …. 5 ….. Clinton
Feb . 15, 1995 … 21 …. Clinton
Sept. 30, 2013 .. 16 …. Obama
Jan. 19, 2018 ….. 2 ….. Trump
Dec. 21, 2018 … 34 ….. Trump
Oct. 1, 2025 ….. ? …… Trump
High electricity rates: According to a story in the recent New York Times, Georgians are paying the fourth highest electrical rates in the nation, seeing our monthly bill rise to $518 a year. It’s gone up by 33 percent since 2023.
Only Alaska, Hawaii, Connecticut and West Virginia residents pay higher electric bills. Those mega data centers being allowed to come to Georgia by local Planning and Zoning boards must cause lots of this rise in power costs.
The streaming services from the Internet has widened our movie viewing, often enjoying older movies, since there seems to be many shows of lower quality on regular television.
Though it may cost you nothing, the streaming channels have you glued to the set, therefore you are ripe for them to see commercials interrupting the movie. Often they repeat commercials the same night, and boy! is this frustrating. And many advertisements are for medical products, talking of ailments we’ve never heard about. Big Pharma is trying to get us to self-medicate their product and get our doctors to recommend us taking that product!
We’ve found one way to limit this type of advertising. Though they remain on the screen, when the commercial is on, we hit the “Mute” button. The screen may be showing something, but at least you don’t have to listen to it!
Have you noticed how we in our everyday conversation have elongated the courtesy of thanking people? It’s something that has sneaked into common usage.
We as children were taught to say when appropriate: “Thank you.” But today, it has become most different, as you hear most adults adding to the wordage, saying: “Thank you so much.”
So much? To us the simple “Thank you” is sufficient. What is meant by adding “so much?”
The brevity seems enough. “So much” adds little. Think about it.
Want a Santa Claus outfit, large size? Person has one for free. Only used four times. If you might use it artfully, send a note to me at ebrack2@gmail.com.
- Have a comment? Click here to send an email.
