FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Our government is broken. The Democratic Congress under the leadership of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid chose not to bother passing a budget in September, when it was due.
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2011/images/04/07/art.pelosi.jpg caption="House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi speaks during a press conference about the possible government shutdown."]
Now, because of disagreement over a few billion in spending cuts when we are running trillion-dollar-plus deficits, the federal government is set to shut down Friday night.
And we go around telling other countries how they should conduct their affairs.
A new Gallup Poll says nearly 60% of Americans want lawmakers to vote for a compromise on these budget cuts and avoid a government shutdown rather than continuing to hold out for a budget they agree with. Not surprisingly, when you break it down by party, more Republican voters than Democratic voters want their party leaders to stick to their guns and not give in.
Fifty-one percent of Republican voters say their leaders should hold out for the budget plan they want, even if it means a government shutdown. And 44% said they should agree to a compromise.
But only 27% of Democrats say their leaders should hold out for the plan they want even if it means a shutdown, while 68% say Democratic lawmakers should compromise, even if it means passing a budget they disagree with.
The Gallup Poll also found that Americans think President Barack Obama and the Democrats in Congress are doing the better job on the budget than the Republicans are – 41% to 34%. But 20% of those polled had no opinion.
Here’s my question to you: How much do you care if there is a government shutdown?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Kevin in Annapolis, Maryland:
A lot. This game-playing is already costing us money. And now that it all boils down to a bunch of ideological riders that couldn't be accomplished in a straight up or down vote, I'm even more incensed. Focus on the task at hand.
Jon in Lima, Ohio:
Well, since many of the things the federal government does could be better handled by the states, I prefer much of the federal government to be shut down permanently. And if, while shut down, they are not spending money, even better. If the Republicans cave on this, I will be "ticked."
E.J.:
Why is it that politicians can get away with murder in the U.S.? Look at what is happening in the Middle East to rulers who just take and take and take. Maybe the people in the U.S. should get the guts that people in the Middle East have and take back their own country.
Ben in Boston, Massachusetts:
Here we have this Presidential Commission that lays out the financial crisis and a strategy to solve it. The President and both parties in the House and Senate say what a good job the Commission has done and then they commence to squabble over billions when the problem involves trillions. They ought to act in the spirit of the Commission instead of revealing themselves as modern day Neros. It's just so embarrassing!
Jimmy in North Carolina:
No problem as long as President Obama can still get a golf cart.
Donald in New Mexico:
Whenever the government shuts down all of Congress should be fired and new people elected. If they all left it would take at least a nanosecond for a new Congress to be bought and put in place.
Craig in Scottsdale, Arizona:
I, for one, am thrilled. As one of the dwindling number of Americans that actually pays Federal Income Tax, it gives me great joy that the bloated bureaucracy is shutting down. It is the same feeling I have when I hear my air conditioning unit shut off.
Toni in South Carolina:
Jack, I don't care at all! Unemployed and with no jobs out here for the millions of people looking for work, who cares if they shut down! They are not doing their jobs anyway! Hell, I've been shut down for over a year now, so, join the club!