By Gavin Jenkins, Senior Managing Editor
Unless a miracle happens, the United States government is going to have a partial shutdown beginning Sunday morning.
This will be the fourth shutdown in a decade. It will be the 11th of my lifetime, and I was born in 1980. America was born in 1776.
Aren’t you exhausted by this? I am. I’m so exhausted that I finally understand why Post Malone got “Always Tired” tattooed under his eyes.
Our politicians are dysfunctional. It’s not normal, and it’s getting worse. Four shutdowns in a decade? Are you kidding me?
Government shutdowns hurt the roads and bridges construction industry by delaying projects. It also strains state, county, and municipal public works employees who maintain roads.
This government shutdown could trigger a recession, which we have avoided for the past two years. If the economy tanks, inflation goes up, again, and supply chain issues get worse, again.
The price of equipment and materials for working on roads and bridges will skyrocket.
And that will hurt the roads and bridges construction industry at a time when business is booming, thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The last shutdown was the longest at 34 days. Can you imagine if this shutdown matches that record or, God forbid, is longer?
That will hurt every single contractor in the country. Every operator, every engineer—everyone will feel the economic pain.
Well, not everyone. The politicians will be fine. And their mega-donors won’t break a sweat paying bills.
Politicians who force a shutdown don’t deserve to be in power. They should be voted out of office.
We need adults running this country. We need professionals who have policies and know how to govern.
We need leaders who can lead, who want to reach across the political aisle and get work done without shutting down the government. RB
