Republican extremism has impacted me in this way:

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.

Divisive political games have very real consequences for all of us. This shutdown demonstrates to the world that we are divided and weak as a country. We are vulnerable and this shutdown demonstrates that our form of government is not working. And we all suffer just so that an extreme minority--politicians beholden to the Tea Party--can make a political point. This is shameful and short-sighted behavior that does not represent us as a people. America is better than this and we the people deserve much better representation. This shutdown--and any further attempts to hobble our government--must end once and for all.

As a U.S. Army civilian, I was recently furloughed for six days due to the sequester budget cuts. On top of that drastic cut to my pay, I am now facing an indefinite period of time with no paycheck in sight.

Republican extremism has impacted me in this way:

Republican extremism has impacted me in this way:

I believe that Congressional pay should be cut and no person in Congress should get paid just as those classified as non-essential don't get paid. Since you are getting nothing done and you allowed the government to shut down, you should be classified as non-essential.

There have been different versions of the idea of a 28th Amendment floating around the internet since the last government shutdown in 1996 (I can't take credit for all the text here, but some of it). Somehow we become complacent and end up doing nothing about it. This last shutdown just serves as another example of how "we the people" are the furthest things from the minds of our representatives. Let's take the power back by creating a very specific amendment to the constitution that gets ratified by the states and doesn't need congressional approval. This has NEVER been done before, so let's make it happen for the 1st time! This is America after all - as Lincoln said: a "government of the people, by the people, for the people". 1. No Tenure / No Pension. A Congressman/woman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they're out of office. 2. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security. All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people. It may not be used for any other purpose. 3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do. 4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. The Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%. 5. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in options provided by The Affordable Care Act. 6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people. 7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen/women are void effective 12/31/13. Congressmen/women made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work.

The across-the-board cuts set to go into effect at the end of the week will hurt the economy, and they should be stopped. But if Congress insists on cutting anyone's salary, they should cut their own paychecks first. In fact, they have proposed a 20% across-the-board pay cut for 800,000 federal employees--all while leaving their salaries safely intact. If hardworking employees will see an unexpected pay cut because Congress can’t get its own job done, shouldn’t our Congress members also see a pay cut? After all, we pay their salaries. As a family member of several government employees, I am seeing firsthand the devastating impact these cuts have on our local communities. Why should our congressional representatives and our President not make the same sacrifice, if they're really representing the best interests of their constituents? The least they can do is cut their own salaries first. Because of the 27th amendment, Congress can't change their salaries until 2014, but if the sequester happens, it'll cut public services for the next ten years. So Congress needs to make sure that the next Congress, and every one after that, also feels the cut. Instead, they specifically exempted their own salaries.

Give the people a greater, louder voice in and on what is happening in our Congress, other than what is communicated by corporate media and pundits. We stand with President Obama! Put all people in our government back to work!

Convince our Congresspersons to think for themselves. End grandstanding "Games" that only play with governing and GOVERN.

The effects on the economy from the government shutdown are much further-reaching than most people realize. We are in the process of selling our home. The purchaser is getting a federal FHA loan. The sale of our home has been stopped as no loans are being processed due to the shutdown. The shutdown is damaging our already fragile economic recovery. The forfeiture of pay is the least Congress can do to prove they are sincere in their efforts to provide a government worthy of our citizens and to prove that we are all in this together. It's time they start making decisions that not only affect us but also them.