Really, Congress??

I am an American and my government has shut itself down.  I'm completely flabbergasted and appalled, but sad to say, not shocked.

There are really two facets to my thoughts here.  The first is that I was always taught to respect authority.  Taught that the people in charge are smart and good and know what to do.  I'm starting to suspect I have been horribly mislead.

How can these people not do their jobs? It's not like needing a budget snuck up on them, it's a regularly scheduled event.  I can't just not to my job, not only because I'd get fired but also because I AM AN ADULT.  Sometimes I do things that are difficult and upsetting because they need to be done.

The Affordable Care Act has already been signed into law, it's a done thing.  Stop throwing a hissy fit, put on your big boy pants and freaking fund it.  Seriously.

(As a total side note, I don't really understand why people are so upset over the Act.  I'm more than willing to pay a bit more in taxes so my friends (and everyone else in this country) without insurance can get some.  Also, people without insurance still go to the emergency room, which we end up paying for anyhow.  I'd rather pay for preventative care.  Might it take a bit of time before we figure the whole system out? Sure.  But it's worth it.  I had a friend a few months ago who jacked up her knee falling and couldn't go see a doctor because she had no insurance.  This is a girl with a MS in Architecture, not one of those uneducated lazy schlubs the Republicans keep inventing and blaming things on.  I'm all for the greater good.  Anyhow, I digress)

I fell asleep last night on the couch while watching C-Span 2.  Listening to the Congressmen made me want to drink.  They all sound like either blithering idiots or whiny children.  These are really the best and the brightest we can find to run our country?  I think something has gone really wrong with our political system.  Have all the good people been driven out and been replaced by idiots bent on only securing their own re-election and pandering to party lines? Do those people care about the greater good?

The second facet is related to federal employees and tangentially the greater good.  I'm starting to think that Congress views the people who work day in and day out as people who belong to the aforementioned "uneducated lazy schlub" class.  Heck, I'll tack an "entitled" on to that.  Federal wages have been frozen for years, so there's no cost of living increase.  Not that it was an amazing increase to begin with.  "5% more! Wow, I'm buying a mansion!" said nobody ever.  Now all federal workers are at home, not being paid.  These are THOUSANDS of Americans who suddenly don't have a paycheck to rely on for an undetermined amount of time.  While Congress is still receiving their paychecks.  What assholes.

Do they not realize what they're doing to their Federal employees? Do they not care?  Is Congress stuck in its own Ivory Tower such that they don't realize they're actively screwing over everyone who works for  them?

It's incredibly disheartening.  We're Americans, we're better than this.   Or rather, we should be better than this.