Democrat, Republican, whatever... Come to some sort of agreement/compromise and let's move on. Sorry to my fellow citizens, but there is economic pain coming regardless. Many are to blame for it, but no one can stop it. I'm not happy about it either - but a shutdown isn't the answer. It costs more to "start back up" than you save on the shutdown. State workers who didn't get us into this  mess will suffer the most, but we all will suffer. (I'm not a state worker either)  While I am scared of the camel's nose under the tent in terms of taxes (income/sales) a compromise could be in a sunset provision.