Will the Government Shut down Next week?

ISSUE: If the Congress does not vote successfully on a federal budget, parts of the government will begin to shut down.  This delay in passing a budget rests largely because many Republicans are very upset that the new Healthcare Law will go into effect beginning next month. Some Republicans are attempting to delay a vote on the Federal Budget unless the Obama Healthcare Law is defunded, or basically dropped. Most Democrats have refused even to consider this since the law was passed successfully by Congress last year, upheld by the Supreme Court as Constitutional, and they believe should be funded and rolled out.  This is the setup to the political war that is unfolding as we speak in Washington, D.C.

Goal for today's class:  Get a basic sense of what is happening, and why. See what different people have to say, and perhaps hear what you think:

Let's start with the Political Cartoonists! First, some visuals to set the stage: (WARNING: SOME OF THESE ARE INCREDIBLY BIASED AND DEFINITELY HAVE A PARTICULAR POINT OF VIEW!!! That's not necessarily a bad thing, but you need to be aware that these artists have a particular opinion that they are sharing with you!)