Sequestration

There's one critically important thing to keep in mind as the sob stories about the pain and suffering caused by the hard-hearted Republicans' unwillingness to support the vitally important business of the government fill the press, and it's articulated well here by Paul Rahe:

Everyone has seen this before at the state level. The legislature trims the projected budget, and the Governor, intent on expanding patronage, responds by declaring an emergency and by cutting access to state parks, library hours . . . you name it. The point is to rally the public against the legislature by cutting popular items while carefully protecting the pork that sustains the Governor's political party.