The humor newsletter The Onion runs the same headline, every time there’s a mass shooting in the United States.
It reads:
“No way to prevent this” says only country where this regularly happens
It’s like that with government shutdowns. Among developed democracies, the USA tops the world in these embarrassing budget battles, the same way we own the gun massacre category.
On Saturday morning the United States appeared headed for yet another government shutdown.
You are probably wondering if this happens elsewhere throughout the world with any similar level of frequency. It doesn’t. It’s just an American phenomenon. And it doesn’t have to be inevitable.
Parliamentary systems generally don’t have government shutdowns, because they tend to produce majoritarian governments, or a coalition that produces a majority. Even if a member pulls out, they have new elections, but don’t tend to shut down their governments, which may be administered by a caretaker government which keeps the administration running until the next election.
The U.S. has a presidential system. But most presidential systems have something in place that allows for emergencies, where the president can operate the system until the legislature can get its act together and pass a budget.
America has had roughly 20 government shutdowns since 1976. That’s far more than any other first world country, and may top what happens in a number of third world countries as well. And those don’t even cover all of the near-misses, “fiscal cliffs,” partisan showdowns, or similar games of budgetary brinkmanship. For other countries, it would be a crisis. They’ve become so routine in our country, that we can now name them “Wednesday.”
It doesn’t have to be that way in our country either.
Here are a few facts about government shutdowns. We never had one before 1976. They’re more of a function of our modern politics, where current legislators measure themselves by how many retweets they get, or “likes” or “followers.” Guest appearances, radio interviews and maybe even T-shirts await those “rebels” who can really make a name for themselves, the way people used to seek out sponsoring or co-sponsoring bipartisan legislation.
Republicans continue to operate upon the myth that they’ll “win” a government shutdown, even though all the ones initiated by Congressional GOP members may have helped presidents like Bill Clinton and Barack Obama politically. Leaders like Newt Gingrich and Donald Trump loudly call for shutdowns and act shocked when they are blamed for such events.
The GOP falls for shutdowns the way Charlie Brown keeps thinking he’ll kick that football one day.
Democrats seem to enjoy the spectacle of the GOP’s self-inflicted wounds in government shutdowns. While each is a tactical victory, it’s a poor choice strategically as the process sows mistrust and cynicism in America. No one wins, even if those on the left think they do.
Whether it’s changing House and Senate rules on budgetary matters, having mandatory continuing resolutions, or withholding congressional pay for inaction, America can’t and shouldn’t continue this shutdown-inducing system, which hurts the Federal government workforce, costs taxpayers billions, and feeds the negative propaganda machines of the Russian and Chinese regimes.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The Senate voted late Saturday to pass a continuing resolution approved by the House of Representatives… 3 hours before a shutdown of the federal government would have taken effect. The measure headed to the desk of President Joe Biden for his signature; it was signed that same evening, and allows the government to stay open for 47 days… giving the House and Senate more time to finish their funding legislation.
John A. Tures is Professor of Political Science and Coordinator of the Political Science Program at LaGrange College, in LaGrange, Georgia.