Government Shutdown Looms: Who Cares?

Government Shutdown Looms: Who Cares?

Over the last few weeks, the national media has focused on the impending default of the American government. For me, it’s like someone who says the sky is falling and you look up and see nothing but blue skies all around. While it may be true the sky is falling, it doesn’t seem real to you and more importantly, you can’t make the connection with the sky falling and affecting your everyday life.

Now imagine there were a group of people who could stop the sky from falling. We’ll call them the Skippers and the Hoppers. Unfortunately, the Skippers and the Hoppers really despised each other and always looked to one up each other. Neither group was willing to look “weak” nor was the word “compromise” in either’s dictionary. Nonetheless, without cooperation the sky would surely fall.

Let me tell you something, I don’t care if I was stuck on a desert island with Pat “Never Saw A Union Pay Raise I Didn’t Like” Crowley…if he and I needed to work together to get back to the comfy confines of Rhode Island – I’d suck it up. What’s the alternative? Um, being stuck on an island with Pat Crowley. ‘Nuff said.

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Compromise is in Obama’s dictionary

Well, in the real world Democrats and Republicans are at an impasse (shocker!) over the government defaulting on its debt. On Monday, Obama talked about compromise (guess it’s in his dictionary) saying in his address to the nation:

I’ve told leaders of both parties that they must come up with a fair compromise in the next few days that can pass both houses of Congress -– and a compromise that I can sign. I’m confident we can reach this compromise. Despite our disagreements, Republican leaders and I have found common ground before.

How many times have we heard this before? The first time I heard Obama speak phrases like this I was inspired, the tenth time somewhat moved, but after hundreds of similarly phrased speeches and sound bites my eyes just roll. I’ve talked about my disappointment with Obama before, but with this latest situation I’m more convinced that Obama is nothing more than the same typical politician with more sophisticated rhetoric.

But getting back to the question posed in the headline “Who cares?”

Will Democrats and Republicans Compromise?

Nothing gives me any confidence that our Congressional leaders will compromise other than the fact that I believe, if the government defaults on its debt, and come August 3 Americans are affected by the ineptitude of our legislature, there will be riots in the streets. And not only that, the political fallout from being unable and unwilling to make concessions will lead to politicians on the defensive in 2012 unlike ever before. Thus, for reasons of self preservation and nothing loftier than that, I believe Republicans and Democrats will compromise resulting in our governmental system continuing as normal.

But not before getting in their attacks on each other. Here are a few nuggets for your reading (dis)pleasure.

"It's everything the Republicans have demanded wrapped up in a bow and delivered to their door."

- Senator Harry Reid on his proposal and why Republicans should love it. They don’t.

“The president has often said we need a "balanced" approach—which in Washington means: we spend more. . .you pay more.”

- Rep. John Boehner in response to Obama’s typical kumbaya rhetoric.

-  "We, unfortunately, remain far apart because every time we get close the Republicans move the goal posts further to the right, further and further to the far right."

- Rep. Steve Israel commenting on the ‘evil’ Republicans.

And the list goes on and on. But, like I said Americans are getting fed up with the never ending impasse in Congress and will blame Democrats and Republicans alike if the country is unable to pay its debt on August 3.

How the lack of a compromise affects us in Rhode Island

The scariest part of all this, is the possibility that credit rating agencies downgrade American debt from its AAA (or highest) status. According to some, a downgrade could result in paying China an additional $100 billion dollars per year….repeat, $100 billion dollars to China because of a credit rating downgrade.

You can also kiss the low mortgage rates goodbye as well.

I know our economy is humming like a well-oiled machine and no one is out of work, so we’ll be able to absorb these and other effects easily, right? Wrong. While the government will be able to pay its debt and liquidity is not the issue, the stupidity of our Congressional leaders in not seeing the forest through the trees could lead to something all Rhode islanders are very familiar with – increased taxes. And with the problems facing our state we don’t need any additional burdens from the federal government.

I’ll be honest, I’m exasperated with our politicians. I just don’t understand why it’s so important to posture and not develop solutions towards a common goal. Are we that different that we can’t agree on anything? Are our positions so far apart that we’re unwilling to move an inch? If recent history shows us anything, it tells us the current crop of Democrats and Republicans don’t do bi-partisan well, if at all.

Never fear, Rhode islanders, at the end of the day self-preservation will rule out and we’ll come to some kind of compromise. So perhaps in answer to the question I posed, we don’t need to care because the Hoppers and the Skippers do have one thing in common – a desire to stay in power. And if the sky does fall, I still have faith voters will force change. But between here and August 2 it should be fun to watch all the posturing, fist pounding, and finger waving in Washington.

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Don Roach is a member of the Young Republicans. Don can be reached at [email protected]