When I heard about the U.S. government shutdown of 2013, I had to hold in a little chuckle. I had never heard of a government completely shutting down. How big and dramatic could this problem or dispute be that lead to a government shutdown? Has U.S. politics really become so bitter that the government can no longer function itself?

The shutdown occurred because the two houses of Congress, the Republicans and the Democrats, failed to agree on a new budget. The two conflicting parties argued back and forth about Obamacare. The condition for passing a bill was this healthcare law. Because they missed their deadline for this spending bill, this estimated three-week shutdown fell upon the American government. Due to this recent shutdown, over 700,000 federal employees are now facing an unpaid leave. The department of education, energy, health and human services are expected to be greatly affected by the shutdown. A large fraction of their staff will be sent home. Not only will the workforce be affected, national parks and some government museums will close, and services like passport processing will be put to a halt.

After reading about the first shutdown in the U.S. since 1996, I couldn’t help but wonder how it would impact businesses. For instance, a small business owner may need government loans to sustain their business. However, the owner now has to wait until the shutdown is lifted. The delay in loan may cause problems for running the business and can lead to long-term issues and debt. The shutdown ultimately threatens the economy and puts it at risk.

How long do you think the shutdown will last? Should the U.S. government stop playing the blame game and start resolving this problem? Do you think the first shutdown in 17 years was preventable?

Figure 1: http://www.policymic.com/articles/65009/government-shutdown-2013-what-s-in-it-for-you

Source 1: http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/30/politics/shutdown-showdown/index.html

Source 2: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-24343698