Government Shut Down: How Would It Have Affected Us? By Daniella Zach

You all have, no doubt, heard of the recent government shutdown which might have brought this nation to financial ruin.  But, thankfully, it was averted by a last minute deal in Congress.  But what might have happened to us as students if the shutdown had continued onward? Now, the shutdown may not have affected us directly, since we are not employed in government jobs.  But it would have affected school funding, student loans for college-bound seniors, and, of course, our parents.

In the first week of the government shutdown, schools were funded by money given through a grant.  However, if the shutdown persisted longer than a week, we would no doubt see our teachers losing their jobs, perhaps no internet use in our school, and even school closures.  For those of you going to college, you would have found a tough time finding assistance with student loans, as workers connected with the program would be furloughed, or temporarily laid-off from work, leaving only a handful of people to handle loan applications.

Now, we would be mainly affected by the job situation of our parents in a prolonged government shutdown.  During the shutdown the stock market went down by 600 points, which was not good news for parents who invest in the stock market.  Now imagine if the shutdown was prolonged and the U.S. defaulted on its loans.  There would be panic on Wall Street and no doubt a complete stock market crash with many investors wiped out, some of whom may be our parents.  On the job scene, parents who are government workers would be furloughed or lose their jobs altogether.  We probably all understand that would mean cutting down on spending quite a bit and it would be extremely hard on families just making ends meet.  That would mean fewer trips to the mall to buy new shoes or clothes, perhaps a cancelation of phone service, or television, or anything that may save money.  In the extreme, social security benefits to the unemployed and elderly may be cut so the government can balance its budget.  Those unemployed, some who may be our parents, would not receive any income to just get by.

Evidently, it is a relief that Congress was finally able to set aside their political platforms and vote to prevent the shutdown from continuing further, and affecting our families as a nation.  But the question is, what is Congress going to do when we find ourselves in a similar situation down the road?  The government can’t keep borrowing money forever, and the consequences may be even more severe than those that I have mentioned.