Even our government is having issues with paying employees

Got a question about tax refunds, polluters or subsidized housing? Don't expect an answer this Friday.

That's because four federal government agencies will be closed on Friday, including the Internal Revenue Service, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Environmental Protection Agency and the White House Office of Management and Budget.Employees at all four agencies will be on furlough that day.

They include nearly 115,000 workers -- or more than 5% of the 2 million-strong federal workforce -- who are being forced to spend Friday at home without pay. It was triggered by the sequester, or the March 1 federal spending cuts that shaved $85 billion from government agencies and programs through Sept. 30. Friday is the first of several days when so many agencies effectively close down, because almost all their workers are on furlough. This week, employees will get a four-day weekend, as the furlough comes ahead of the Memorial Day holiday on Monday.

The mini-shutdown on Friday is the first time such large parts of the federal government will be closed for business since 1995 and 1996, when the entire federal government shut down several weeks due to budget fights between the Republican Congress and the Clinton

Administration.Related: Flood alarms threatened by budget cuts

This time, workers from these four agencies may not get the kind of attention garnered by air traffic controllers when they were forced to take furloughs in April. It led to such a hue and cry that Congress intervened and dialed back the furloughs.

Still, people will notice, according to experts and unions groups.Taxpayers, who want to check on their refunds, should be prepared for delays. The IRS, with nearly 90,000 employees, will be closed for business for five days starting Friday -- including June 14, July 5, July 22, and Aug. 30. On those days the agency will shutter offices, most hotlines and assistance centers nationwide.

The furloughs couldn't come at a worse time for the IRS, where employees are already reeling from accusations that lower level agents delayed applications for conservative groups seeking special tax exempt status."There's obviously a lot of criticism about delays already," said Max Stier, president and CEO of Partnership for Public Service, a nonprofit that advocates for a more efficient federal workforce. "Closing that agency doesn't make delays any better."Over the four-day weekend, no progress will be made on the backlog of tax returns, nor letters sent to late or underpaying taxpayers, according to the agency. An IRS website warned that taxpayers would be unable to electronically check the status of their tax returns starting 7 p.m. Thursday night through Tuesday morning.At HUD, furloughs could delay the processing of housing vouchers for homeless families, union officials have said. Also maintenance of government housing -- such as a broken window maintained by HUD -- will likely be delayed. This will be the first of seven fixed furlough days for HUD's 8,400 staffers.EPA's 17,000 workers face a total of 10 furloughs days, which they have been taking since April. It's led to delays in investigations of environmental offenses, according to the agency's Criminal Investigation Division, reports Greenwire.

Related: Federal workers under fireThe White House's budget office has 480 employees, who will take a total of 10 unpaid days off.

During the federal agency shut down in 1995 and 1996, employees considered "essential" were allowed to work, Stier said.Currently, only presidential appointees confirmed by the Senate are allowed to work."It's a highly unusual circumstance and not a good way of running our government," he added.

Immersion Corp is a stock that I've been suggesting for a long time

I can rwmember when this stock was sitting a little over $4.00. I'm happy to see it close over 8 today. I had a coversation about 2 years ago about companies that will succeed through an era of patent and copyright power. Immersion is one of the companies thay owns a solod invention. Its the thing that make your phone vibrate as you type. Better yet, its the technology that makes your playstation controller vibrate.

Today the company announced that it has secured  a multi year contract with Samsung. Now samsung being the #1 mobile phone in many of the world's largest countries, gives immersion alot of room to generate money. Money that it wouldnt have earned for the coming years, if they hadnt signed the deal.

This company doesn't offer dividends at this time, but who knows what the future holds. In my opinion this is a long term stock, and with all it's haptic technology patents will play a major role in future technology.

Morning Inspirational Quote by W. Clement Stone

"Have the courage to say no. Have the courage to face the truth. Do the right thing because it is right. These are the magic keys to living your life with integrity".  - W. Clement Stone 

Morning Inspirational Quote by W. Clement Stone

"Be careful the environment you choose for it will shape you; be careful the friends you choose for you will become like them".  - W. Clement Stone

6 Tips for Getting Government Contracts

The SBA brought together government contractors and entrepreneurs for nearly four hours of instruction in how small businesses can go to work for Uncle Sam. Here's what we learned.

Federal spending is up. No matter how you might feel about that politically, it means great opportunity for government contractors. And that in turn means unprecedented opportunity for small and emerging businesses.

Here at National Small Business Week, the SBA set up a total of nearly four hours of training on how to compete for federal government contracts—with panelists including top SBA officials, contractors, and those who recruit subcontractors for the country's largest companies—companies that do a lot of government business.

Granted, there's something a bit meta about the U.S. government running classes on how to sell stuff to the U.S. government. But setting that aside, whether you want to contract directly with the government or carve out a niche as a subcontractor, we learned six key things about getting on the government payroll.

1. Really, truly know your business.

There are currently at least 31,000 federal contacting opportunities listed on the government's clearinghouse website (more on that in a minute).  But, in a way, 31,000 is worse than zero—at least if it's your role to comb through them all and figure out which ones you might actually want to compete for.

Well, the No. 1 bit of advice heard at the SBA training was to make sure you know your own company inside and out, and understand exactly what it is you have to offer. That can narrow scope of your search considerably.

"Own your own destiny," said Diane Marsden, manager of the small business office at Booz Allen Hamilton. "You have to get down to a level of granularity. You have to articulate what you do."

2. Be aware of your advantages before stepping into competition.

Small businesses can feel like they're at a disadvantage when competing against larger entities. Sure, you might be more nimble or customer-focused than a big organization with a matching bureaucracy, but playing with big boys can feel like a real fight.

In government contracting, however, that model can be turned on its head. For one thing, the government formally sets aside opportunities run by women, members of economically or socially disadvantaged groups, service-connected disabled veterans, and businesses located in certain underprivileged geographic areas. (Of course, there are a lot of restrictions; see each program for more details.)

Beyond that, the government tries to set aside about a quarter of its contracts for small businesses. That's a goal, not a reality—but it sets the tone.

3. Get comfy with all the paperwork.

If you want to do business directly with the U.S. Government, your company needs to be registered with the Central Contractor Registration database. CCR can also be a great tool for you, as well, because it lets you look at how many competitors in your industry are already doing business with the government. Maybe it will clue you in to what makes a business attractive to the feds, or even give you an idea about subcontractor opportunities.

4. And we mean all the paperwork.

For all the government contracts out there, landing them isn't easy. Another way to get  federal is to work as a subcontractor for larger companies. These big contractors usually maintain their own databases of potential subcontractor partners, and you have to register with them separately from the government's site. Check out the big firms' websites of course, but also keep in mind Supplier Connection, a shared database that connects potential subcontractors to 16 major contractors. Included are AT&T, Bank of America, Facebook, IBM, John Deere, JP Morgan Chase & Co., Kelloggs, UPS, and others.

5. Check the government database.For all the government contracts out there, landing them isn't easy. Another way to get  federal is to work as a subcontractor for larger companies. These big contractors usually maintain their own databases of potential subcontractor partners, and you have to register with them separately from the government's site. Check out the big firms' websites of course, but also keep in mind Supplier Connection, a shared database that connects potential subcontractors to 16 major contractors. Included are AT&T, Bank of America, Facebook, IBM, John Deere, JP Morgan Chase & Co., Kelloggs, UPS, and others.

In theory, every single government contract going out for bid is supposed to be listed on www.fbo.gov, known colloquially as "Fed Biz Opps."  Again, besides bidding for contracts yourself, keep in mind that this might clue you in on contracts that larger entities might go after. That might mean opportunities to latch on as a subcontractor.

6. Build lasting human relationships.

Sure, government can seem impersonal, but relationships are very important. It's easy to lean too hard on cold calls and databases. So while filling out the forms is a prerequisite, get out of the office, network, and try to meet the decision makers both in the government and in the large contractors. And do it in person, if possible.

"Choose two or three agencies where you think you can do work," suggested Bill Polizos, director of the small business program at AT&T Government Solutions. "Go to the events they hold so you can learn as much as you can about opportunities. As you do that, you'll bump into us."

Read more:

Meet the 'Small Business Person of the Year'

Behind the Scenes at Small Business Week

10 Standouts at Small Business Week

Bill Murphy Jr.: is a journalist, ghostwriter, and entrepreneur in Washington, D.C. He is the author of Breakthrough Entrepreneurship (with John Burgstone), and is a former reporter for The Washington Post. @BillMurphyJr