The Shutdown: Who’s at fault?

The Democrats and Republicans are exchanging accusations of the other party being responsible for the government shutdown. The media keeps talking about the Republicans shutting down the government. It’s much easier to trust the media than either party, but I strongly advise that you do not let the media tell you what your opinions are. The Democrats and Republicans both played a role in the shutdown.

As I have said repeatedly over the years, the American media can’t be trusted. They always have questionable motives and misrepresent reality for their own selfish gains. I’m actually not going to join them here. Instead, I’m going to suggest something that might seem stupid at first. I want you two visit two websites more biased than the media.

Let me explain this for a moment. While the media is highly deceptive and unreliable, their motivations are variable. As a result, they have uneven bias. Going for Fox News and comparing to any of the liberal networks will not provide a fair comparison. Perhaps the best way to look at this issue is to find sources with the same motivations for bias. The best sites might actually be the official homepages for the Democrats and Republicans. Both websites are designed to sway public opinion to their favor. While writers on these sites will not match perfectly, the bias for these sites should be roughly even.

Both parties are clearly guilty of exploiting the shutdown for political gains, which I do not view as anything valuable. In fact, it could show a desire for a shutdown because they feel that they can benefit. Instead of blame, I want to make some suggestions on what to look for. Try to find signs that the party does not want the shutdown. Look for comments that show that they wanted to keep the shutdown from happening. Look for comments that show that they want the shutdown to end. Instead of falling for the blame game, look at what the parties have to say to defend their own actions.

I don’t want to detail my personal views on the shutdown here. I will say this much. Don’t let the media cloud your judgment. Despite all the rhetoric, both parties deserve some of the blame. How much should go to each side? I’m not going to tell you what to think. That’s your job.