It’s day 10 of the shutdown, and the effects are starting to become more visible. National parks are losing $30 million a day, and small business are starting to feel the crunch. For instance, craft breweries are an integral part of Fort Collins’ economy and identity, and breweries like New Belgium and Odell’s cannot produce or label new beers which will affect their bottom lines.
But of course, there is a bigger danger on the horizon. If the U.S. doesn’t reach an agreement on whether or not to raise the debt ceiling, which it needs to be open to do, by Oct. 17 then the country will default on its loans. A U.S. default is projected to have catastrophic effects on the global economy and will probably plunge the country into a depression.
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And yet, neither side seems willing to move a muscle towards a compromise.
Both sides are culpable for this entire mess. The Republicans need to understand that the Affordable Care Act is actually a law now, and that they really should have tried to ‘fix’ it when it was being discussed. Democrats are part of the problem too, in that they should actually be talking to the Republicans about a compromise. Even if you think a compromise is futile, you still need to try.
The American system of government is based on the idea of compromise. We elect you to represent us, and if you let this country suffer or let it default on its loans over petty pride, then you are not doing your job.
Figure it out.
