A government that can literally switch itself off at the whim of politicians isn’t broken – it’s strategically designed to hold citizens hostage. Once again, the U.S. federal government hits the pause button.
Basic services vanish. Employees stare at empty paychecks. Citizens juggle bills while bureaucracy plays chicken.
These “shutdowns” aren’t accidents. They are baked into the architecture. The Antideficiency Act ensures that if Congress doesn’t approve the budget, non-essential operations must halt. (peoplesworld.org)
Workers, veterans, small businesses, neighborhoods – all become collateral damage in political theater. Meanwhile, Congress debates. Meanwhile, rent doesn’t pause.
Other democracies handle missteps differently:
Canada: failed budgets trigger votes of no confidence.
U.K.: essential services continue via interim funding.
Germany & Japan: previous budgets roll over, no citizen left hanging.
Only in America can a government weaponize its own paralysis – not as a glitch, not as a last resort, but as a recurring, performative tactic.
Shutdowns aren’t mistakes. They are mirrors. They show who the system really serves: spectacle over survival, politics over people.
