As I sifted through our class blogs, I found the blog belonging to Cameron Mirtsching resonated the most with my thoughts on our struggling government. He wrote about the behavior of our elected officials surrounding the government shutdown, and also asked how this shutdown will affect the economy.
First, I echo his sentiment about how our government appears to act "petty and childish". Someone like me, who has always been politically passive, it seems like a resolution to the shutdown should be pretty simple. But it's not. When the shutdown was looming, I initially placed blame on our leadership. I have stated in the past, that when an organization fails, it is a direct reflection of leadership failure within that organization.
However, the shutdown doesn't solely rest on the president's shoulders. I feel there are 3 sides to this mess. First the democrats pushed through new and expensive programs such as Obamacare. Then they played games on who would pay for these programs. Second, the GOP is at fault because they failed to inform the American people that adding an expensive program such as Obamacare wasn't in the budget, They went about this all wrong by publicly criticizing the president, who the public sees as a good man. And lastly, we the people are to blame. Collectively, we all got caught up in Obamacare, which is a good plan on the surface, but we didn't ask how this plan will be paid for.
But as it stands, Obamacare was signed into law, and takes effect January 1, 2014. It is a done deal. And I don't think its fair that a group of approximately 30 people are hold the country hostage because all parties involved won't compromise. Obamacare should not be part of the negotiations for the budget. The time to debate Obamacare has passed. President Obama has all the political leverage and can afford to wait it out.
What about the general public? How will it affect our economy if this shutdown continues on? During the first few days of the shutdown, the impact was more of an inconvenience. Surely Congress won't let this go on for more than a day would they? Unfortunately yes. We are now on week two. Federal employees are out of work. As the shutdown progresses, the cost will compound and we will see a spillover into the private sectors.
As the holiday season approaches, consumers uncertain about our economic future, will hold on tightly to their wallets. They won't be spending money on big ticket items or luxuries such as a movie ticket or dining out. This trickle down effect will harbor the growth of many companies. We will see a decrease in our stocks, our 401ks, but interest rates will go up.
If there isn't enough money to pay our bills, then there goes the world wide credibility of the United States.
It is all very embarrassing. At some point, one has to stop cheering for their "team" and see what is in the best interest of those involved. Not everyone likes every law, but with any law, holding the government hostage because your team lost, is immoral, unethical, and reeks of immaturity.
No comments:
Post a Comment