Well, it’s finally over.

After 16 days of back and forth debates, a deal was struck to raise the debt ceiling and end the government shutdown. But all Americans really gained from this debacle was a deeper distaste for our government.

The deal will fund the government through Jan. 15 and raise the $16.7 trillion debt ceiling to cover our national debt through Feb. 7. The deal also includes back-pay for furloughed federal workers.

The changes being made to Obamacare are minimal, according to the Huffington Post. Tighter restrictions on income verification standards will be implemented for those receiving subsidies, which is far better than defunding the healthcare act.

Although it’s fortunate an agreement was reached before the borrowing limit deadline, the issue is far from over. Until our government spending is specifically addressed, we will face this same scenario come February.

An hour before the government shutdown, House GOP members changed the rules in order to ensure the closure, according to MSNBC. These are the people in charge.

What started as a move to defund Obamacare quickly morphed into a debate over our country’s spending habits, throughout which the Republicans did not hesitate to blame President Barack Obama.

However, the polls tell a different story. A majority of Americans blame the Republicans for the shutdown and accuse them of putting their political agenda before what is best for the country, according to The Wall Street Journal.

In a Washington Post article, Speaker of the House John Boehner stated, “We fought the good fight; we just didn’t win.”

I didn’t realize our economic stability was a game to be won.

It is shameful we live in a country where the people running the show are not willing to accept the consequences of their actions. I don’t understand how every morning millions of people go to work to get successfully do their job, yet officials in Washington D.C. spend the day bickering and losing focus on what is really at stake.

In an ideal world, we would live in a country where our leaders are people we trust and who always have our best interests in mind. It shames me that this is not the case.

The question is where do we go from here? Right now, politicians need to gain the American peoples’ trust back and prove that we will not come across another shutdown in our future.

These circus charades need to come to an end, and our economy needs to take priority before our debt becomes our demise.

 

-Dominique Wald is a senior communication major from Santa Clara, Calif. She can be contacted at 335-2290 or by [email protected]. The opinions expressed in this Column are not necessarily those of the staff of The Daily Evergreen or those of Student Publications.