On Oct. 1 2013, the United States government officially shut down. That means that all government workers that aren’t deemed essential personnel will be furloughed immediately. The police, military and firefighters will continue working, but everything else from teachers to passport offices are fair game for a furlough. So, even though this is an important and bad event, it’s not going to become a real life version of “The Purge.”
So why is this government shutdown happening? This is a result of a showdown between the Republican-controlled House of Representatives and the Democrat-controlled Senate. All bills dealing with money must originate in the House, and are then voted on and passed in the House and Senate. The House is refusing to send a bill that sets a federal budget that doesn’t defund the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, at the same time. However, the Senate refuses to pass a budget that defunds the Affordable Care Act. The Republicans said they would let the government shut down rather than allow Obamacare to be implemented, and the Democrats called their bluff.
The political fallout from this will inevitably end up on the Republicans, largely because people hear the words “government shutdown” and don’t know what it means, so they react out of fear and confusion. What is happening in Washington is more than a little bit terrifying, and I wish I could say that the more you understand, the less terrifying it is. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Still, I support the Republicans in what they’re doing, and I don’t want them to back down. The Republicans promised that they would repeal Obamacare before it could harm our country irreparably by skyrocketing our debt and ruining our credit rating, and I’m glad they’re holding to that.
As those of you who are from out of state might have noticed, the weather in Oklahoma can be brutal. The summers are hot and dry and the winters are icy and cold. My ancestors worked hard in those conditions to build something better for their children, and they were glad for the opportunity to do it. It’s inconvenient for us to not have our passport offices and national parks open, and I realize the furloughs are hard, but isn’t it better to follow our ancestors and leave this nation better than when we found it, rather than let it suffer a painful, slow death?
Nic Jensen is a sophomore at Oklahoma Christian University.
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