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Even on the Brink of a Government Shutdown, Congress Still Doesn't Get it

At the risk of sounding trite, let me just say that "here we go again." Overnight budget talks failed to lead to a federal budget agreement, and now we're just a few hours from the first U.S. government shutdown in 15 years. The shutdown could put 800,000 federal employees out of work, while creating a nightmare for U.S. taxpayers who are regular users of government services. As bad as that all sounds, the shutdown threat isn't the worst thing I see here - not by a longshot. The worst thing is that - with a $14.2 trillion national debt - the part of the budget the two sides are squabbling over is miniscule. Democrats have agreed to $34.5 billion in spending cuts, while the Republicans have agreed to $39 billion for the fiscal year that ends Sept. 30. It's a rounding error.
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