Hillbilly wisdom: it is not a democrat shutdown nor a republican shutdown. It is a shutdown of the people’s government. While both parties currently in charge of day to day operations are the democrats and the republicans, they are representatives of the people. As representatives of the people they are doing what they understand are the wishes of their constituents. The government is shut down because the people want the government shut down? While I personally disagree with shutting down the government, in a democracy majority rules and the majority wants the government non functioning at this time? This type of revolt or protest seems overkill and harmful to society short term but the will of the people should be carried out. This is the situation that we were warned about by John Adams “There is nothing which I dread so much as a division of the republic into two great parties, each arranged under its leader, and concerting measures in opposition to each other. This, in my humble apprehension, is to be dreaded as the greatest political evil under our Constitution”.

Do what you think is right and act upon the wishes of the people. To do anything less is a situation of no representation and the United States is what occurred from a similar situation. So maybe the long term will justify the short term hardships inflicted upon the people.