To anybody I know that thinks shutting the government down is an acceptable political tactic:

This comes from a friend in the military:

"Straight from the pentagon, if the government shutsdown, military will get 1 weeks pay instead of 2! You stupid F$&ks on capital hill better get your s@=t straight. You all go home every night to your families and never deploy....F%#K YOU!!! I don't go home every night and I spend months away from my family. Are you going to pay my direct withdrawals from my account and over the limit fees?"

Let's get this out of the way first - the last time Republicans shut the government down as part of some hissy fit to make a point, it backfired on them politically. So, from somebody who thinks you guys play dirty and don't actually have the best interests of the country at heart, thanks. This will help public servants who actually want to do something to move the country forward.

Compromise is not a one-way street. It's time for Republicans and conservatives to sit down and come to an agreement, rather than throwing a hissy fit when they don't get their way. Democrats and progressives in Congress do it over and over, angering their strongest supporters, in the hope that it will allow them to get more done. Unfortunately, that's never the way it works.

On the upside, the last time Republicans shut down the government, a Democratic President was reelected a year and a half later, the economy grew in unbelievable ways, and - shock - the federal budget was balanced as a result of all that tax revenue from the business success. Here's to hoping that the same thing happens now. 

But more importantly, shutting down the government hurts actual American families. Not just the economy, but it makes life harder for people. You may say they're government jobs, but those paychecks are spent at actual businesses and contribute to the actual economy. Most notably, as my friend points out, our men and women in uniform, who put their lives on the line and follow orders given to them with the intention (hopefully) of protecting this great nation, are affected by this. 

By shutting the government down you're hurting people and hurting America. Who's the real party of patriots now?

Posted via email from Stephen Feller