There is a difference between bills for things you already spent money on, and things that you plan to spend money on. We could have paid the bills of things we already spent money on. This is like you saying you can't pay your bills, even though you can pay your mortgage, just but can't buy the new TV you wanted next month.
Your analogy is flawed. It would more apt to say that I've signed a binding contract to buy that new TV next month. So maybe I haven't literally spent that money yet, but I have an obligation to spend it that doesn't go away if I can't get a increase in my credit limit. barfo
Your example of "I've signed a binding contract to buy that new TV next month" is the same as my example of being able to pay your mortgage. Those are the bills we can pay.
In case you really don't know, the shutdown cost the government money. Spending didn't decrease, but revenue did. E.g., park rangers got paid to sit at home instead of collecting user fees. It also cost the economy at large an estimated $24 billion. barfo
Yes it is. And the reason it is, that's the only kind of bills that the government has. The government doesn't have any spur-of-the-moment impulse purchases. So if your argument is that we should only pay the mortgages, you are just saying let's pay everything. barfo
You answered you own question. You just posted that they were getting paid to sit around with the parks closed.
No, that doesn't answer my question. The fact that we pay them does not in any way suggest that we do not have to pay them. barfo