The general public might now neither be surprised nor threatened of a US government shutdown by the GOP majority House of the Representatives, but should everyone care this time?
By: Ringo Bones
US Republican Party senators ted Cruz and Marco Rubio had
since vowed to shut Obamacare down since its ratification in 2010 – and this
time they may do it – by fair means or fowl. It may be a mere government budget
battle over President Obama’s flagship healthcare program more popularly known
as Obamacare that the 20 most hard-core conservative of the US Republican Party
will do a repeat of the 1996 US government shutdown unless Obamacare is
repealed. With all the drama surrounding the government deadlock over federal
spending at Capitol Hill, should we be concerned this time around?
The last time essential government services were shut down
by a legislative deadlock at Capitol Hill back in 1996, any American citizen
wanting a passport would have to wait until the government offices opens again.
National parks, museums and even the US Postal Service will be closed and the
last time it happened, it cost the US government a little over 1 billion
dollars to make things running again. But is holding the American people
hostage by the US Republican party just to advance their own political ends
truly justifies the means?
Worse still, there’s a looming crisis this coming October
where the US government could default on its international credit obligations
if the debt ceiling isn’t raised. Federal budget deadlock or not, sometimes I
wonder if this US Republican Party “political maneuvering” would alienate their
constituents away from them come election time – which is not that far away. Is
this just a mere pathological dislike of President Obama by the US Republican
Party? Maybe, but does the continued federal budget deadlock spell political
suicide for the GOP?
