What We Have Here

Is a failure to govern. No, actually, what we have here is extortion.

To shut down and eventually restart the government costs a staggering amount of money.  And now, because the House of Representatives can't figure out how to do its job, we're all on the hook for the bill. I am not amused. 

Notice how they do this in a non-election year? How many do you think would survive a vote if it were next month, instead of in thirteen months? The last time Congress did this, the party in power in the House (the Republicans) lost seats in the next election anyway, and it was a full two years after the shutdown.

Perhaps they not only can't figure out how to do their job, they don't want to do their job, and they're doing everything they can to get voted out of it.  The theory makes about as much sense as any other, doesn't it?

And don't get me started on the Affordable Health Care Act.  It's an imperfect law. Newsflash: they all are. But it is the law, so get over it.  Shutting down the entire government is not an appropriate way to try to change the law.  You have other tools, use them--and be prepared to bow to the will of the majority, because that's how it's supposed to work.