WASHINGTON, D.C.—In breaking news this week, the government made a landmark decision to not shut down. Political spectators across the country simultaneously unclenched as they were once again relieved to hear that the inherent stubbornness and selfishness of elected officials still does not extend beyond the loss of their paychecks.
However, don’t be fooled into thinking that this is the same sort of last-minute deal, only meant to solve problems in the short term, that we’ve seen before. Most likely in response to comments like, “It would be fire if the government stuck around for more than another year. I would buy into that,” the Senate toiled to structure a settlement that would prevent this ordeal from happening again for another two whole years.
This is the type of future-minded decision you would expect out of this historic, nearly 250-year-old government. In order to form a more perfect union, the strength of that union must be tested on a yearly basis in the form of budget cuts.
I hope this sort of progress will continue to happen in the coming years, until everything stops again.
Cook is a member of the class of 2017.
