Even though the federal government has shut down, it’s nice to know that Colorado State is looking out for us.

Some university officials have been in meetings since 3 a.m. yesterday trying to figure out what the federal shutdown means for our campus, and how they can get us through it. We’d particularly like to thank the members of the Registrar’s and Executive Offices that have been helping figure out how our student loans are affected, as well as those who are helping CSU veterans hold onto their benefits.

As for the current situation, maybe it’s high time that our duly elected officials take a good look at what their antics are doing to the country as a whole.

There are 800,000 people who will not be paid during the shutdown, and 2 million more will see their paychecks delayed. If the shutdown lasts more than two weeks, the veterans who put their lives on the line for this country will cease to get their benefits. If it lasts more than a week, nutritional programs for women and infants will be disrupted, as well as head-start programs for low income kids.

That’s a whole lot of pain for what is, on the surface, a petty disagreement.

We hope you’re happy, Congress. It’s high time the whole lot of you saw some consequences for all of this partisan infighting. Maybe it’s high time you all got the pink slip, or at the very least, a furlough.