Republican extremism has impacted me in this way: My dad spent most of WWII in a German POW camp. As a result, I can't let people go hungry. As a result I make fairly large donations to my church's food pantry, food drives, and buy groceries for my friends, despite my rather limited means. If this business keeps up, it's going to cost me a damn mint! Besides, it's just plain stupid, and making our country look bad abroad.

We elected them and are paying the Congress to work for us. They have chosen not to do so. A vacation long-scheduled in a national park, clinical trials which may be needed for my cancer-stricken husband, research for better treatment for cancer-stricken patients, our children's education, and a myriad of social safety nets are in peril. No one in any elected office should be able to harm the people in this fashion. Stop the cuts, pass the budget, raise the debt limit. Now.

As a former federal employee from Washington, D.C., I appreciate how hard federal employees work and how they and their families rely on a regular paycheck. Congresswoman Michele Bachman recently argued that members of Congress are "federal employees" (for purposes of the Affordable Care Act). If that is the case, they should feel the pain of a furlough like other federal workers.

Republican extremism has impacted me in this way: They have taken away the ability for the people to make a living , and support my family. these are damn fool.

In the event of a government shutdown, hundreds of thousands of federal workers are furloughed, not knowing if or when they might get paid. They are powerless to change their fates. Members of Congress get paid in the event of a government shutdown — no matter what. Perhaps it's this lack of having skin in the game that encourages some members of Congress to be reckless and cavalier about their childish threats and ultimate misguided decisions to shutdown the government when they can't get their way. Simply put -- if Congressmen and women vote to close down the government, they shouldn't be paid while the government is closed. Members of Congress should have to bear the same responsibility for their decisions as those who are most affected by them.

Republican extremism has impacted me in this way: Research funding for the basic sciences has been cut by the Republican budgets, including the sequester, leading to unemployment for me and for many other scientists nationwide. As we are forced to abandon the pursuit of basic research that has led to huge economic advances for our nation and the world, we see that these budget cuts are discouraging young people from pursuing science and we are telling our students to go into other fields or move overseas. We are ceding our national advantage in innovation and development to countries like China and Korea who are raising their investments, which will ultimately aid them in surpassing our economy and relegate the U.S. to following, rather than leading, in our global, technological economy.

Tea party Republicans have held our government hostage for too long! During that time, more than 800,000 government employees have been unable to work, 3,200 children have been locked out of Head Start, and 401 national parks have been closed to the public. We've had enough -- it's time to end the shutdown, raise the debt ceiling and help America move forward.

The democratic issue of letting the people have their voice in the House of Representatives is not being articulated or respected. The current leadership of the House is preventing a vote by the full House on the issue. This representation of ALL of the people is an issue fundamental to American way of government, and yet this issue of democracy is not being well-presented by the current protagonists. This is not a totalitarian government. Let the people speak.

Republican extremism has impacted me in this way: Trying to stop or delay the Affordable Care Act will keep my family from buying health insurance."

I believe that if we run into the debt limit impasse and fail to deal with it, this could lead to a major recession with reverberations throughout the world, such as happened in 2008-2009. At that time, the real estate market totally stagnated, jobs were lost, and home mortgages were foreclosed in large numbers. There is such a thing as the "Full Faith and Credit of the United States of America", and when the U.S. government stalls out on the simple issue of paying their bills, this can happen.

When Governor Pataki cut income taxes for the richest New Yorkers in 1995, his tax cuts led to multibillion dollar budget deficits, poor investment in our state's schools and infrastructure, and a stagnant middle class. His specialty is clearly in wrongheaded tax cuts for the wealthy. So it's a mystery why Governor Cuomo would ask former Republican Gov. George Pataki to lead a commission to cut $3 billion in taxes. All he knows how to do is to help out the top 1%, who have already done perfectly fine, while neglecting the needs of our families and children across the state. Expanding universal pre-K, building our infrastructure, and tackling record income inequality all deserve our attention ahead of giving more to those who have enough. Let's save that money and invest in our people and values.

As someone who was injured on the job almost 18 years ago, I have not been able to get medical insurance because of my pre-existing condition. My spine and knees are literally deteriorating due to arthritis and I live in fear of the day when my knees blow out or I bend over to pick something up and the disc in my back bulges, sending me to the emergency room for treatment I can't afford. I live in pain every day and can't afford medication to make it tolerable. But apparently, Republicans have decided that people like me don't deserve affordable health care. Even my own Governor has decided to turn his back on me by denying Louisiana citizens the access to healthcare that other people have. Canada is looking better all the time.