Studies show that the typical American only has a few months’ worth of expenses in their savings account. Individuals who work for the government cannot afford to go unpaid for significant periods of time. They did their job and are willing to continue to work for their livelihood, Congress should learn from their example. The shutdown of the government impacts more than the bank accounts of families, it affects children with cancer who were going to sign up for cancer treatment trials and now can't. The government shutdown hampers the ability of the government to react in any crisis situation because the civilian workers who support our military are not there to assist in normal operations. The government shutdown creates a vacuum in spending, which will weaken our economy in a time where we just started to build momentum. The government shutdown closes parks and national monuments to children, family and individuals who go there for recreation, vacations or field trips. The government shutdown will cause many hardships both in DC and across the Nation. Let's not let it continue.

I am frustrated with inaction by the House and the Senate. All of them have not collectively represented the needs and welfare of our country.

The now infamous Citizens United ruling gave corporations a Constitutional right to influence elections through unlimited spending. This spending has a major impact on who gets elected and how public policy is crafted. There is a movement to reverse the effects of this Supreme Court ruling and regain control of our government. Several US Representatives have proposed resolutions to amend the US Constitution and establish that money is not speech and corporations do not have the Constitutional rights granted to people. Rep Nancy Pelosi speaks often about the need to do something about this problem, however she has not signed on to any of the existing legislation, nor has she written her own resolution to remedy this issue.

Last night, on the NBC Nightly News, Congressman Huelskamp said the government shutdown would not have a big affect on people. In actuality, some families will now struggle to feed their children, pay the bills and the rent. If the congressman thinks it's no big deal, how hard is he working to get the government up and running again? Tell Congressman Huelskamp the shutdown IS a big deal and he needs to realize that.

Shutdown leader Senator Ted Cruz of Texas is exercising more control over the House Republican caucus (and thus the agenda of the entire House of Representatives) than Speaker of the House John Boehner. Speaker Boehner needs to take back his gavel, take some control, and stop letting some Tea Party Senator use the House to hold America hostage to his extremist demands.

This is a matter of grave concern. House Republicans are willing to risk delaying new Social Security benefits and student loans, military pay and other government services – all in the name of re-fighting a battle they lost three years ago.

Why is the Congress not affected like the 800,000 Americans that have been furloughed and left with no pay?

Getting House members to work together should be the main job of the House Speaker. The Speaker should not be controlled by a minority of Representatives, as is currently the case. This is all the more urgent since the Speaker is second in line for becoming President! Currently, members of the minority party in the U.S. House of Representatives (Democrats) are under pressure by their own party to vote strictly on party-lines. Yet this means that the members of the minority party essentially throw away their votes and miss a strategic opportunity to elect a more bipartisan Speaker. This is actually possible. It takes only seventeen Republicans, plus all Democrats, to have a majority of the House. If this effort even gets close to working, it will have a lasting effect. As citizens and voters, we insist that our representatives make Congress more bipartisan. Democrats and many Republicans understand that an extremist, no-compromise approach to governance is bad for America and Americans. We want Democrats, as the minority party, and moderate Republicans to work together to elect a moderate, collaborative member of the majority party as Speaker of the House. We need an immediate, limited solution to shutdown and default crisis. However, this petition's call to action is a doable and more permanent way to prevent crises like this one from recurring--by making it difficult for a small radical minority to hold our government and economy hostage. (For more background, see this Washington Post story: http://wapo.st/18OPP6f)

My petition is to prevent government shutdowns and permit timely funding of the government so that agencies and department may plan for the provision of their services in an efficient manner.

I have watched some powerful persons in Washington inflict pain on our general population while being untouched by their actions, i.e., while having wonderful health care themselves, they want to eradicate health care for the poor; while able to afford food for their families, they cut food assistance to the needy. Enough! Time for them to see how their actions affect others.

The unwillingness of Congress to govern our country, and the fact that they continue to put themselves above the population as a whole and the laws they create, is unacceptable.

I refuse to sit idly by and watch our leaders get paid, while Americans suffer because of the mess that was made by those who are put in office to protect us.