Things I learned from a limited watching of the government shutdown

I want to preface that I am not a political scientist, making me the only one of 6 in my family who is not. Additionally, I am a liberal strictly by definition. That is, I am favorable towards individual rights and freedoms. The following are observations made during the government shutdown.

1) The GOP still has some backbone. Or they are even more terrified of the Tea Party than the Democrats.

2) The government shutdown and the world did not end. It’s as if life goes on despite limited government interference.

3) Americans are over dependent on the federal government. A partial shutdown results in 800,000 people not at work. There should not be 800,000 people relying on the government for work.

4) Essential services like Social Security and Medicare are still up and running. However, Medicare will not pay doctors until the shutdown is lifted. Not like they paid doctors timely anyways. Also, if they are so essential, why are they relatively new ideas?

5) The GOP is racist, sexist, and a bunch of anarchist. This is pure rhetoric. If the GOP called the Democrats any of these they would be lined up and shot. Besides, the GOP controlled House of Representatives has put forth multiple funding bills with proposed compromises on Obamacare.

6) The media has a gross misunderstanding of the process of our government. Maybe we should hire more Brits to do our reporting because they have taken American government and remember what they learned.

7) The media controls information passed onto the American public. It is very dangerous to believe secondary resources. I would urge doing primary research and using the opinions of secondary resources to help develop and understand your own feelings and beliefs.

8) There is a difference between the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and Obamacare. The ACA was passed by the 111^th United States Congress, signed into law by the President, and upheld by the Supreme Court of the United States. The product we have today, Obamacare, is very different. There are changes made by the President to enactment dates, coverage including out-of-pocket limits, and costs. None of this is legal or constitutional as seen in Clinton v. City of New York. Once it’s passed by congress, it cannot be changed.

9) Parliamentary procedure has been tossed aside along with the rest of the Constitution. The President does not change laws, Congress does. The government cannot be funded without a budget, yet somehow has been funded since 2009 without one. As for Obamacare, again it cannot be changed after being passed by congress.

10) Somehow medical insurance is included in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Nobody has a God given right to have a Blue Cross Blue Shield card. If an insurance company wants to charge an asinine amount for insurance then it is their decision. But if we had a free market and the insurance industry was deregulated, someone would charge a competitive price and the price of health care would have to fall.