Meghan Harmening | Opinion Co-Editor

Thus far it’s been a test of values. The Republicans are not backing down this time – not compromising on the change they’ve wanted for too long. This is the change the United States needs right now. On too many things, President Obama has started off by saying he will do one thing and then flip-flops on his decision. A president should not be surprised when his Republican held House of Representatives decides to finally stick up for the country they believe in. Our country deserves to have a president who is in the business of sustaining the values and beliefs we were founded on.

Of course our country has changed since the day it was founded. Of course the Constitution and Bill of Rights both have new meanings in our modern day world. However, the principles that our country was founded on – simple things such as honesty, working hard, and the American dream – are not being conveyed through our government and the laws they uphold.

“Republicans just want their way; they don’t care if people suffer.” Oh really? Huh. I don’t know a single person who actually wanted the government to shutdown purely for the sake of being shut down. On the other hand, according to the Wall Street Journal, President Obama and Senator Harry Reid wanted a shutdown in order to reestablish the president’s lame approval rating. Hmm, I wonder why that is so? No matter who “caused” the shutdown, it was an absolutely necessary measure to take.

President Obama says he won’t negotiate on raising the debt ceiling – that it needs to be done and is irresponsible to not do so. Raising the debt ceiling without balancing the budget or at least making significant spending cuts is the irresponsible thing to do. The debt ceiling is not to be messed with when our debt is pushing 17 trillion dollars. Our country needs a slap in the face, and until people feel the pain, our country can never fully repair itself.

The other main cause of the shutdown is the obsession over defunding Obamacare – or The Affordable Care Act of 2010. President Obama claimed that by passing this law into effect, he would not raise the deficit. This simply isn’t true and has raised the deficit by billions of dollars. In addition, President Obama stated on October 3, 2013, “It’s the law of the land, and it’s here to stay.” The cockiness of this statement threw me for a loop. He is the president and is acting like he proposed and passed the greatest act of all time. If the Affordable Care Act is the best America can do, I don’t want to be a part of that anymore.

Obama’s presidency has been filled with hypocrisy, after dishonesty, after utter lies. His appeal comes with acknowledging and pleasing the masses. Our country has not been run on these principles in the past, so why should they be now? It’s neither party’s “fault”, but rather both. So stop blaming and be reasonable. The Affordable Care Act isn’t suddenly going to be flushed down the toilet. Neither will the debt ceiling be raised without some mandatory spending cuts.

Overall, the majority of our country is moderate. Our values, laws, and Congressmen should represent that to the best of their ability. The future of the wealthiest country in the world is at stake and we have Democrats and Republicans up in Washington D.C. who can’t compromise. Now get back to kindergarten – I mean, err, Congress.