Congress enters the first weekend of the government shutdown with no clear end in sight and the statutory limit on the federal debt nearing breach. Rumors of a grand bargain and internal talks between the Speaker and House Republicans have yet to yield any tangible plan. In the House, Members have been asked to vote on piecemeal openings of "favored" programs--in fact, necessary programs that meet the needs of low-income families and children. Every one of the, a party line vote.
There are good, rational ideas on both sides of the aisle and on both sides of the Dome. But the conversation so far has been anything but substantive. The weekend should not be considered a respite. Federal employees who would be on the job this weekend will likely not be. The Capitol police who sprang to Congress and the Public's defense in Thursday's tragic events were not getting paid for their work. American taxpayers are not only starting to feel the pinch, but are legitimately starting to worry about the safety of our water, our food, our highways, our airways, and our children. And what of those Americans who have, for so many reasons, counted on the government to help between starvation and hunger, and even between life and death? We're talking about babies, seniors, and everyone in between.
Vice President Humphrey put it, "It was once said that the moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy and the handicapped."
It is time that our lawmakers see the light.
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