What you need to know about the government shutdown

Image via PolicyMic

Image via PolicyMic

A small faction of the Republican party in the House of Representatives has finally done what they’ve always wanted: shut down the government. As of midnight, the federal government has been shut down because Congress failed to pass a bill that would continue funding it. Speaker of the House John Boehner refused to bring a funding bill to the floor for a vote without amendments aimed at dismantling or delaying Obamacare, the once pejorative now popular name for the Affordable Care Act that will make health insurance more accessible to the millions of Americans without it. Of course, the president would never sign that into law, as healthcare reform has been the signature domestic victory of his presidency. And because the Republican party has vowed to never work with President Obama on anything, even something that was originally a Republican idea, here we are at this impasse.

If that sounds stupid, that would be in part because it is really stupid. But that’s just one man’s opinion. Here are some helpful links to help you decide just how ridiculous you think the government shut down is:

Mother Jones has compiled a list of 48 ways this government shutdown will screw you. 

Check out the federal workers who are protesting the shutdown, according to The Nation.

If you’re curious, you can read what some on the right are saying about the shutdown over at Salon.

Some historical perspective: there have been 17 government shutdowns since 1976.

You can also see which health and environmental services are considered “nonessential.” 

Colorlines breaks down the effects of the shutdown on communities of color. 

The New York Times has provided a handy guide on which federal workers are and are not going to work.

There is one winner in all of this, according to The Atlantic.

And if you like all of your information in one place, the Washington Post has everything you need to know about the shutdown. 

While you’re reading, don’t forget: mid-term elections are only a year away.

Mychal Denzel Smith is a Knobler Fellow at The Nation Institute and contributing writer for The Nation Magazine, as well as columnist for Feministing.com and Salon. As a freelance writer, social commentator, and mental health advocate his work has been seen online in outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, Salon, Al Jazeera English, Gawker, The Guardian, Ebony.com, Huffington Post, The Root, and The Grio.

Mychal Denzel Smith is a Knobler Fellow at The Nation Institute and contributing writer for The Nation Magazine, as well as columnist for Feministing.com and Salon.

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