Government Shutdown

We are in the midst of a government shutdown and a lot of people are affected as a result. People are curtailing their vacations to national parks, others are wondering where their next paycheck will come from, and some are just unhappy Republicans and Democrats can’t seem to get it right as the two sides are more apart than ever before.

According to an article, Congress “missed its midnight deadline to keep the government running.” It has been four days since and now the government is racing to put a comprise together that will appease both sides. The shutdown will have a significant impact on the economy and depending on how long it continues, it could cost more than $50 billion dollars. President Obama stated, “A shutdown will have a very real economic impact on real people, right away. Past shutdowns have disrupted the economy significantly. This one would too. It would throw a wrench into the gears of our economy at a time when those gears have gained some traction.”

Why can’t the government be run like a business. No business can survive and function the way our government does. No shareholders would tolerate decades of expenses greater than revenues. How is it possible. No wonder we have a partial government shutdown.

The question is not about how big or small government is. Rather, the question is where is the stewardship? Regardless of the size of the government, we should not spend more that what we have.

The last government shutdown was back in 1995 and it lasted for eight days. Hopefully this one won’t continue any longer because we can’t afford it as a country. After such a large recession, it would be silly not to reach a compromise soon.