The longer shutdown is, the worse it'll be

Even the right-wing Enquirer thinks John Boehner should allow a vote on a clean continuing resolution to fund the government. This editorial appeared in today's paper:

Raising the debt limit is not a bargaining chip. The country has already racked up the debt, and it needs to be paid. Not doing so would be like ringing up thousands of dollars on a credit card and then refusing to pay it. That will ruin your credit rating.

Reopening the government is not a bargaining chip. We are beginning to see all the ways a functioning government affects our lives. One of the largest employers in Covington, the Internal Revenue Service, is shut down, affecting many of the surrounding businesses that rely on its 3,000 workers, says Northern Kentucky Chamber President Steve Stevens. Home sales are being held up just as the market is returning because some required documents are not being processed.

Obamacare is not a bargaining chip. The health care law was passed more than three years ago. It has a long timetable for full implementation, but it has already started. It was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court and has withstood more than 40 votes by the U.S. House to gut it. It is the law of the land and if the Congress wants to change it, its members can do that. But do it the right way, by amending the legislation, not by holding the country hostage.