December 16, 1995, the U.S. Federal Government shut down for 24 days. While members of both parties blame the other, it is imperative to recognize that what happened in the past is the same thing that is happening now. No compromises are being made now for government to go forward. Besides the fact that compromises were also not being made 17 years ago, another parallel can be drawn between then and now. The Republicans controlled the House of Representatives, and the president was a Democrat. While one side has continually tried to comprise and bring the other side to the table, the other side won’t have it. The compromising side has been, in both cases, the Republicans and on the other side lie the Democrats.
What is the most effective response to a government shutdown? Compromise.
A bi-partisan government works best when both parties come to the table and discuss ways to compromise so that both parties are happy and our government can function properly. It would be ideal if both parties got what they wanted, but we live in a country with diverse and often-competing wants, beliefs, ideals, and dreams. That’s why our government is set up the way it is, in order to accommodate the needs of the many and not the few. The problem today, as it has been for years, is that neither party in our government has been working to showcase this greatness.
Even though this should have been done months ago, the first step in preventing a government shutdown is President Obama and Speaker Boehner sitting down and talking face to face. It does not matter if they hate each other personally; they must be able to push aside past animosities and determine a course of action that keeps the government running. Our government cannot simply stop; it needs to start working again. Since 2009, the Senate has failed to pass an annual budget, and Congress passes a continuing resolution to fund the government for unacceptably short periods of time.
Our federal government has come to the point where it has truly forgotten what it is like to actually function properly. While as Republicans, we do give Democrats the lion’s share of the blame for the mess we are in, we recognize that partisan bickering is not the answer to the shutdown problem the government is currently facing. The GOP has voted to extend President Obama’s sequester spending levels, and the Democrats should make short term concessions to keep the government open, such as on Obamacare funding. Once Congress leaves this latest kerfuffle in the past, both parties must recognize that repeated contentious, short-term patches do nothing to address long-term national priorities. The American people deserve an annual budget, not a partisan war of words leading up to deadlines that Congress has imposed on itself.
