What Was the Government Shutdown, Anyway??
Okay, for those of us who don’t follow the news, when the government is shut down, it means that the government cannot operate in many areas. Fun Fact: the shutdown cost America 24 billion dollars. So, why did it close in the first place? The Republican party does not like Obamacare, a healthcare policy that the Democratic Party, in general supports. This year, when Congress needed to decide what health care program to fund, the Republicans decided that they were willing to do anything to keep it from passing. So, they basically said that they would shutdown the government until the bill was repealed. More or less, they kidnapped the government. The ransom: repeal Obamacare. Following me so far? Good. Now the Democrats were in a pickle. The government couldn’t run for very long without money coming in and working the system. So, they held out as long as possible, which cost us 24 billion dollars in waste and lost income to the country, until the Republicans agreed to compromise. While the government was shut down, many programs weren’t funded, many of them were early learning centers for kids. Many workers worked for days without any pay coming in. So, who do we blame this on? Some think that the Republicans made the right move. Others think that the Republicans were afraid that Obamacare would work, and that the Democrats would prove them wrong. Politics, politics. We need you but hate you. As for what Obamacare is (Affordable Care Act) and the basic disagreements between Republicans and Democrats, tune in (or type in) to my next blog! Feel free to post comments and questions.