The Shutdown In Two Sentences

A lot of ink has already been spilled describing the impending shutdown.  Too much of that ink describes it as a standoff between Democrats and Republicans (or between the House and the Senate).  Greg Sargent nails it succinctly:

1) Only one party is demanding major concessions from the other in exchange for keeping the government open at sequester spending levels – levels leaders of that same party have already declared is a victory for them — while the other party is demanding exactly nothing in exchange for doing that.

2) Only one party is demanding major concessions from the other in exchange for making it possible for the U.S. to pay its bills — an outcome leaders of the same party have already declared is necessary to spare the country default and economic havoc – while the other party is demanding exactly nothing in exchange for doing that.

All clear now?

By: Stuart Shapiro

Stuart is a professor and the Director of the Public Policy
program at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers
University. He teaches economics and cost-benefit analysis and studies
regulation in the United States at both the federal and state levels.
Prior to coming to Rutgers, Stuart worked for five years at the Office
of Management and Budget in Washington under Presidents Clinton and
George W. Bush.