Government inaction!

We all learn lessons from one thing or another.

As children we learn not to touch things that are hot, because it will hurt.

Politicians learn not to touch things that are hot, because it will hurt.

The budget is hot, both in debate and in it’s conflicting immensity of costly programs, projects and plans.

The budget has been contentiously hot for a number of years and our elected representatives have been afraid of getting burned beyond the salve of their partisan particulars and in so doing they have passed the pain directly onto the American people over and over again.

 It is not the government that should stop at midnight tonight, it is the bickering, the finger pointing, the name calling. It is the stubbornness of the tea party folks that needs to compromise. Every American is entitled to the freedoms and services democracy provides. Every federal employee is entitled to a paycheck and not a slip that says non-essential. Debate, discussion and even demands are encouraged, but not at the expense of the national operational process. Livelihoods are at stake. Democracy is compromise. Democracy is a sitting down and getting it done for the good of the whole.

          Our leadership must have the courage and integrity to seek the greater good and in that choice comes Response-ability. And, as democracy requires, we all share in response-ability, might it not be time for, we the people, to simplify our wants, and supply our needs.