Government shutdowns aren’t really a big deal anymore, despite all the media attention. We’ve been doing this for 30 years. If you work for the federal government, you know every couple of years this is going to happen, and your pay will be delayed. So, you plan for it as a cost of being a government employee.
My favorite thing about shutdowns is how little they affect those of us who live our lives far from government. The sun still comes up, hot water still comes out of the shower, and the food in the freezer is still frozen. Most of us don’t need government nearly as much as government thinks we do.
But the shutdown is a symptom of something deeper: Congress no longer functions. We are operating as if we have only two branches of government. Presidents attempt to rule by a flurry of decrees and orders, courts eventually strike most of them down, and Congress remains catatonic.
Congress is forced from its slumber only by a funding deadline, because that's one of the few responsibilities Congress cannot dodge. And witness how well they perform that responsibility.
Pardon voters who are left with the impression that every four years we elect an all-powerful ruler to give us what we want and to punish our enemies. That’s not the design of our system, but it’s how we increasingly talk and vote.
Here’s the problem: each party has decided it cannot compromise with the “evildoers” in the other party. So both fighters retreat to their corners. Which is odd, since most ran for Congress promising to “fight.” Apparently, “fight” means appearing on cable TV.
Maybe instead of promising to fight, legislators should commit to doing what the system requires of them: work with opponents, build consensus, and solve problems. The people who disagree with you probably aren’t evil, and even if some are, they are still entitled to representation.
Compromise is not a dirty word in politics—it is the essence of politics. Our system was designed so Americans could resolve disagreements without resorting to fighting. Ronald Reagan advanced his agenda through a Democrat-controlled Congress. It required compromise, but it changed the world for the better.
If a conservative icon could work with his opponents, surely today’s leaders can do the same. Otherwise—welcome to the shutdown, and if we keep going down this road, welcome to the jungle.