If me pointing out that furloughed employees receive back pay requires that I couch it in explicit sympathy for their situation, we're doomed to talk about peripheral issues.
I agree, we're doomed. Yes, I see even in this post I see people cheering on the closing of hospitals and the burdens of workes increasing just because billionaires don't want to pay taxes. So I can't by default assume that "they'll get backpay anyway it doesn't matter" isn't uyet another dismissal.