Shutting down and not shutting down.

The Federal government is shut down.

But it isn't.

I think it should really shut down.

And I don't think that because I'm one of those "we don't need the Federal Government" or even one of those "get the Federal Government out of my state (but leave the highway funds, please)" people. 

No, I think that as, when Congress does this, it keeps the full ludicrous extent of is failure a bit camouflaged by keeping on running "essential services" so you don't really notice.

Your mail will still come, the nation will still be protected, courts will still be open, and so on. 

And Congress will still get paid, as if there was any doubt.

So you likely won't notice that much.

Well, if reality set in, with that reality being the nation is deficit spending in the extreme every year, and these flaps are over peanuts in the budget, or in this case not about the budget at all, the public would notice and that would require something to be done.

So when I mean close the government, I mean close it.  The janitor at the Congress ought to turn off the lights, lock the door and walk out.  Congress can meet at Starbucks, or wherever it goes.  Ships should pull into the nearest port and all the Sailors go on leave.  Soldiers should pack up and head to the airport to wait for their family to send them airline tickets. . . to Canadian airports as the FAA should turn out the lights and lock the towers.

Something would happen, and fast.

But what about the Dreamers, you ask?  Isn't this all a noble effort to save them?

Well, maybe, but its not the right way to go about addressing the Congress caused crises when a much prior administration determined not to enforce the immigration laws in the interior, turning evading the law into a border game. Get across the border in any fashion, and you were home free.

Prior to that, immigration laws were enforced in the interior, which lowered the incentive to illegally immigrate considerably.  Essentially the US sent a message that encouraged illegal immigration, as long as you didn't give up in trying to cross the border, and as long as you didn't get arrested for a crime once you were here.  So lots of people came in illegally.  And lots of them had little kids with them. And deporting those children who grew up here would be cruel.

Which is why a Republican, not a Democrat but a Republican, has suggested simply counting those people towards one years immigration quota. 

Yes, that would drastically reduce new entrants for that year, but it would also clean this up in a fair manner.

But no, we're not going to do that.

Instead we're going to do whatever it is we're doing, and that doesn't mean closing the government, budget or no, where you might actually notice that it occurred.