This Government Shutdown Sucks — WTF
Opinion: Do these clowns even care about the American people?
Another government shutdown, another round of political theater at the expense of the people. Let’s be clear: this isn’t about fiscal discipline, it’s about power. A small faction of extremist politicians has decided that wrecking the government — and the lives of millions who depend on it — is a fair bargaining chip to push an agenda they can’t pass democratically.
Federal workers will go without pay. Families waiting on food assistance will face delays. Small businesses counting on federal loans will stall. And yet the same politicians driving this crisis will keep cashing their own taxpayer-funded checks. It’s hypocrisy dressed up as principle.
Shutdowns don’t shrink the deficit — they inflate it. They cost taxpayers billions, destabilize the economy, and undermine faith in our democracy. This isn’t fiscal responsibility; it’s vandalism. And the cruelest part is, the pain lands hardest on working people while the wealthy and well-connected glide past the chaos untouched.
Progressives should call this what it is: governing by sabotage. We need leaders who invest in people, not politicians who weaponize the budget to tear down public institutions. The real “waste” isn’t in social programs — it’s in the endless circus of shutdowns, austerity stunts, and corporate giveaways that keep Americans scraping by while billionaires thrive.
If the government can’t stay open, maybe it’s not because we’re “broke.” Maybe it’s because too many in power are bought and paid for by those who benefit when government fails.
Yasmine is a Chicago-based activist and community organizer focused on economic justice and grassroots democracy. She writes about power, inequality, and the need to build systems that put people — not profit — first.