With so many social debates like gay marriage and legalization of marijuana gathering the usual amount of controversy and attention, we tend to forget that these issues are ultimately the decision of our government.
Apparently, with issues like Syria, pot and civil rights keeping the government’s hands full, the government has finally become fed up with it all just decided to do what the Libertarians have practically begged it to do: nothing. That’s right; the government is taking a holiday for a while.
The Libertarians may be right to ask that for all we know, but that doesn’t mean this whole shutdown thing isn’t a huge inconvenience. After all, you may have had a Spanish teacher that was eager to become an American citizen, only to find out that his dream of citizenship has been put on hold due to the first federal government shutdown in over a decade.
Ridiculous coincidences aside, we still need some form of government in place. The Pacer staff is not comprised of anarchists, mostly because we’re not rebellious teenagers anymore.
We may not agree on how said government should be run, but we all are at its mercy when waiting on a decision. Therefore, we are all equals during this federal coffee break.
But when has that ever stopped Democrats and Republicans from fighting? The government may be out of the picture for a while, but that only means that now is the time to ask whose fault it is.
So let’s take a moment and reflect on our government, remembering what was going on just prior to the announcement of a shutdown, and how it could have come to this. It may not put anyone in a better mood, but at least there’s a chance we’ll learn a thing or two along the way.
