The Government HAS NOT Shut Down

The "government shut-down" has been all the rage in the news for the past week or so, with strong talks of checks not being disbursed for the last few days.

However, I would maintain that the U.S. Government HAS NOT shut down.  I have heard this opinion from a couple of other sources in the last few days and I completely concur.  True, Republicans and Democrats are not able to reach an agreement regarding raising the debt ceiling.   An, of course, at the center of the debate is the cost of Obama Care.  However, while they claim the government is shut down, due to a lack of reaching an agreement on this, there are a couple of things to consider.

Let's look at this realistically:

1.  Is anyone in Congress - the House of Representatives or Senate - going without a paycheck?
2. Is the President going without a paycheck?
3.  Is anyone in Congress - the House of Representatives or Senate - going to lose their health insurance            because they no longer have a job to go to?
4.  Have the Secret Service Agents that guard the President and his family been sent home?

Unless the answer to these questions is "Yes", then the government HAS NOT shut down.  The only thing that their threatened actions are doing is hurting the citizens of this country.  They are threatening that there will be no Social Security Disability checks.  Is that punishing themselves in any way - does that affect them in any way - NO.  They are threatening that there will be no VA Pension/Disability checks.  Does anyone else find that deplorable?  They are threatening to cut off the income of the very people who laid their lives on the line, and in some cases gave their lives, for this country.  But yet, they all still draw their paychecks?
What is wrong with this picture?

As for the debt ceiling, I propose that every member of the House of Representatives, every member of the Senate, and the President all reduce their salaries to an amount that is comparable with the salary of the average U.S. citizen.  This alone, would go a long way towards reducing the debt.  I also propose that, regardless of what office you held (and YES, I do include the Presidency in this), that when you leave office - you no longer get paid.  I do not know of a company on earth where I can go and work for 4 years, quit and receive my salary for the rest of my life.  More progress toward debt reduction.

As for Obama Care, I propose that every member of the House of Representatives, every member of the Senate and the President himself, be mandated to have Obama Care as their insurance.  If you want to "force" a plan on the citizens - be ready to swallow your own medicine.

I think it is a crying shame that we have a government that is going to punish the citizens because they can't reach an agreement.  This is worse than a couple of two year old children having a temper tantrum, breaking the living room lamp, and blaming the dog.

What do you guys think?