I’m not going to spend a lot of time talking about politics on this blog, unless its the fictional politics going on inside my stories.  This blog is supposed to be here to help me work on my writing.  Someday, I’m hoping this blog will be a valuable resource for my fans, once I’m rich and famous and ruling the best seller lists from a golden throne.

But this is my blog, and I want to rant for a little bit about the shutdown, and the behavior of the Republicans in Congress.

I am not a Democrat.  I identify more with the Libertarians, honestly.  I’m financially conservative, socially liberal, and I believe that the vast majority of the power should be at the state level, making for a smaller, leaner, more efficient federal government.  I believe that the Constitution prescribes what the federal government is allowed to do, and everything that is done beyond that is either bonus, or criminal, depending on what it is that’s being done.

So now that I’ve described my general views, let me say that I believe that the behavior of the Republicans in the House is reprehensible, and I think that the dispute is not being represented very well in the media.  I’ve seen several publications put the blame on both parties.  I’ve even seen some people throw some blame at Obama for this.  The blame for this manufactured crisis should be fully set upon the shoulders of the Republicans in the House.

I like analogies, so I’ll use one.  Imagine two small children sitting at a table, working on their homework.  One of the children is diligently working along, trying to get his work done.  The other was working on his homework, but then stops, puts his pen down, and then tries to wrestle a hotly disputed toy from the other child.  Their Dad comes in and says, “Knock it off!  Your homework isn’t finished!” The obstinate child protests, “No!  Not until I get this toy!”

That’s what I see happening in Congress.  It’s not a perfect analogy, but it’s close enough.  The republicans have manufactured this crisis by picking a fight over something that doesn’t have anything to do with the budget.  They’ve started a fight, and have dragged everyone down to a low level.

How can the democrats respond?  How do you compromise with someone that’s willing to go immediately to holding their breath and throwing a tantrum?  And yet, if they don’t try to compromise, they’ll look as bad as the republicans.  They’ll look like the ones unwilling to fund cancer research or the space program or the World War II memorial.

This is a no-win situation for everyone, and it was created by the Republicans in the House.  Blame doesn’t help us get out of it, but I dearly want people to see what’s going on here, and remember.