My volunteer job at Sandy Hook Lighthouse is shut down. I like this job and the Lighthouse serves dozens or more visitors every day who come to see this historic reminder of the Revolutionary War.

I am a disabled and homebound constituent of Rep. Wenstrup. I count on SSDI and Medicare to live; I also get SNAP benefits. If this shutdown continues, or the government defaults, I will be homeless and without my medications. I will have no money for food soon. Why does the Tea Party want people like me to suffer and live in fear?

My IRA has taken a hit and will continue to drop precipitously if we default. We believed it was our patriotic duty to stay the course when the market tanked in 2008 and we lost over $100,000 in our IRA. Amazingly we made it all back. Now, due to the actions of an extreme wing of the Republican party, we stand to be thrown into a recession worse than 2008, and possibly lose the money that we have gained during the past five years by staying the course.

Government services that I have paid for with my taxes and depend on have been cut or severely curtailed. End the shutdown now and never allow such a disgrace to "we, the people" and to our country to happen again.

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.

I was robbed at the Istanbul airport. I returned home desperate to replace my identity cards social security card and I cannot. Everything is shut down. It is illegal to drive without a license and by now criminals can be doing anything with my original IDs. Please end the shutdown.

Because of the government shutdown, we are worried that the flu vaccine will become unavailable. We haven't yet been able to get our flu vaccinations. Even if we get our vaccine, what if a general shortage occurs, which could affect all of us this winter, with higher rates of illness, contagion, and even death? Please stop holding our health and our very lives hostage to your extremist politics!

As a Catholic Christian, I see that the poor are affected, especially children who need the Head Start program; the lunch programs for the kids who don't have enough money are also cut. And, worst of all, I know it is because the Tea Party and others want to dismantle or defund the Affordable Care Act. Doing that will hurt millions of people who cannot afford healthcare like regular annual checkups and doctor visits which could prevent a terminal illness like the one that happened to a dear friend. He works every day, is self-employed, and is not a "bum" or on welfare, but ended up with advanced prostate cancer, because he couldn't afford regular doctor visits or an annual checkup. Medicaid is paying for his treatment, but it could have been far cheaper to have caught the disease much earlier, and treatment would have most likely saved his life. We know there are many others like our friend who would have caught an illness, like diabetes or cancer, early. Some might not even get an illness if they have regular healthcare, like free mammograms, thanks to the ACA. And some Republicans want to stop all that.

Head Start and other programs that I work with through my job at the Federation of Child Care Centers of Alabama have been affected by this terrible bit of decision (not) making on your part. We will not stand for this behavior. Shape up or get shipped out. Americans will not forget this, Ms. Roby. You are my representative and I hope that you are sincere in your desire to listen to my needs and concerns. Please know that I do not feel well served by you at all.

The economic harm caused by the shutdown and looming debt ceiling debacle affect every single American. Every day the shutdown continues, the cost increases, adding to the deficit and debt. That fact alone should motivate Republicans to end their intransigence. The risk to national security, and the safety and security of all Americans, is unthinkable. Neither a shutdown nor refusal to raise the debt limit are viable options for a functioning government. Either can only occur when Congress has failed to fulfill its constitutional responsibilities. As deliberate tactics, they are desperate, dangerous, treasonous acts.

Mortgage companies require federal paperwork in order to fund loans; these are being held up. People who were just recovering from the last Republican debacle are now being subjected to another unnecessary impasse. Outrageous.

My niece only has me left to help her. I am a disabled veteran on a fixed income. She has two children. I can't afford daycare or the $700.00 formula for her baby when WIC is closed in Texas. Republican extremism has impacted me. Shame on you for voting to shut down the government.