US Shut Down:Republicans Block the Future

Incredible. Something like this has not been seen in 17 years. Yesterday, Republicans in the House of Representatives refused to approve the budget that includes Obama’s health care law — which still goes into effect today. Therefore, without the budget approved and with the fiscal year having closed on Sept. 30, the government can undertake no public spending aside from what is essential; as a result, the federal administration has closed down. What does this mean? The services that are considered “nonessential,” such as national parks, public administration offices, several Pentagon services are simply closed, and their employees — more than 800,000 — are forced to take an unpaid vacation. This is capitalism, and this is the American right. The left can comfort itself by saying it is the lesser evil.

Today, Matthew Yglesias, who has a popular blog on Slate.com, wrote that this impasse is better than the more more severe one, which weighs the whole world like the sword of Damocles: the possibility that Republicans will decide to vote against increasing the debt ceiling on Oct. 17, with catastrophic global consequences. In fact, the dollar is considered the most reliable currency in the world, a currency issued by a state that pays its debts; it is faith in the dollar that supports the international financial system. If America decides not to honor its creditors, there will be a global financial crisis, and Republicans are unabashedly moving forward to threaten this kind of scenario. It is of no importance to them that 800,000 citizens will not receive their paychecks at the end of the month because not paying for the health of others — that is, not approving “Obamacare” — is a matter of principle for them!

We now find ourselves — the entire world — in front of right-wing subversives, whose only real purpose is to dismantle what remains of the state, regardless of its legality or constitution, like in Italy, with its (already inadequate) public service. These politicians are dangerously anarchical; they are the ones who are putting our future on the line. Then there are still those who fear communism, as if it were the big bad wolf! Today’s right wing has claimed all the space for subversion that a democratic society can tolerate and taken it to the limit. We need to put a stop to these right-wing politicians or our future is truly the “Wild West.”