Since the start of the government shutdown October 1 , analysts , journalists and experts have been sorting through the claims of Republicans and Democrats about the underlying issues in the budget dispute . Here 's a sampling of pieces published by CNN Opinion : . Frida Ghitis : World baffled by America 's self-inflicted wound . America 's enemies must be laughing . But most of the world is just baffled , mystified at the sight of the world 's most powerful country tangled in a crippling web of its own making . The government shutdown is weakening the United States before its allies and its foes . It is eroding American standing and prestige while reducing American power and influence . The democracy that once inspired the world now leaves observers perplexed . Read more . Bob Greene : Taxpayers , you deserve your money back . If we had paid for an airline ticket , and in the middle of our trip the airline informed us that one leg of our journey had been canceled , we would justifiably demand a refund . If we ordered an annual subscription to 52 weeks of a magazine , and then , a few months into it , the magazine told us that its new policy was to publish only 26 issues a year , we would , with good reason , ask for half of our money back . If we paid for a one-year membership in a health club , and the club announced that it would have to close for repairs for three months , we would expect a 25 % refund . So ... exactly when can we expect to see our refund checks from the federal government ? Read more . David Gergen : Shutdown could be shock therapy . Yes , conservative hard-liners have chosen the wrong place to fight ; arguments over Obamacare are no excuse to shut down the government . Yes , hard-liners like Sen. Ted Cruz , R-Texas , are creating deeper partisan divides . But Democrats can ill afford to continue rejecting any talks or negotiations . Now that the shutdown has happened , Obama has a fresh opportunity -- indeed a fresh responsibility -- to seize the mantle of leadership and get us out of this mess . Instead of just blaming the Republicans , he should call in the leaders of both parties and in Lyndon Johnson fashion , keep 'em talking till they get a deal . Read more . Marian Currinder and Josh Huder : Boehner 's bad choices . No House speaker wants to go down in history for a legislative record opposed by the majority of his or her own party . And no speaker wants to go down in history for presiding over one of the most unproductive Congresses in history . But these are Boehner 's choices . While [ former Speaker Dennis ] Hastert relied on a majority of the majority , Boehner has had to rely on a minority of the majority , together with a majority of the minority , to pass important legislation . Read more . David Rothkopf : Where 's the outrage ? The most stunning thing about this first shutdown of the U.S. government in almost two decades is the degree to which it is a nonevent , considered par for the course given the sad state of affairs in the nation 's capital . Voters may be angry . They may be depressed . But there are no mass demonstrations . Congress ' approval rating may have hit new lows , but beyond that , the response has been a shrug . Read more . Thomas Mann : GOP House ca n't claim to speak for America . The Affordable Care Act is law . End of story . The House Republicans ' attempt to nullify a duly enacted law violates the norms of our constitutional system . It is reckless economically and an egregious affront to our democratic form of government . Read more . Matt Welch : Government shutdown is nothing to worry about . So when President Barack Obama says the shutdown will `` throw a wrench into the gears of our economy '' and put `` the American people 's hard-earned progress at risk , '' it is appropriate to treat such claims with skepticism . As we saw during the run-up to the March 1 sequestration trims in federal spending , politicians are incentivized by self-interest and unconstrained by shame in maximizing the hyperbole about what may happen if their ability to collect and redistribute our money is impeded even a little bit . Read more . Theresa Pierno : Parks take the hit for Congress ' failure . The closure of America 's crown jewels threatens the livelihood of park businesses , gateway communities and the American families within them , whose economies rely on national parks being open for business . Families , school groups and tourists from around the world who have made plans to visit and enjoy our national heritage will face disappointment . Bar Harbor , Maine , adjacent to Acadia National Park , attracts nearly 10,000 visitors daily in October . The loss of these visitors could be shattering to a community that relies on that final flush of tourism dollars before the steep drop-off in winter ... The federal government shutdown has made a bad situation even worse for our national parks . Over the past three years , the National Park Service 's budget has been cut by 13 % , or about $ 315 million . Read more . Dean Obeidallah : 10 % of Americans like Congress -- are they nuts ? When you think that 10 % of Americans believe Congress is doing a good job , you have to ask yourself one question : Who are these people ? ... Congress is so dysfunctional that dictators in other countries are probably pointing at it as an example of why you should never have a democracy . Yet , somehow , about 30 million Americans are looking at what Congress is doing and thinking : `` I like what I see . '' If you actually think Congress is doing a good job , something is terribly awry in your life . People in your family need to stage an immediate intervention . Read more . Meg Urry : NASA shutdown a blow to science . Scientists at NASA and the National Science Foundation are some of the hardest-working people I know . The government shutdown means they are forbidden to do any work . They ca n't take their laptops home or phone into teleconferences from home , the way I might if a hurricane or snowstorm threatened Yale . So , you might think they are having a nice ( though unpaid ) vacation . But actually , the same work is sitting on their desk when they get back , and it all has to get done . So it means they 'll work longer hours to catch up and for most civil servant scientists , there is no such thing as overtime pay . Read more .
CNN commentators assess the impact and causes of the government shutdown . Frida Ghitis : The spectacle is baffling to America 's friends , encouraging to its enemies . David Gergen : The shutdown is bad , but could have a silver lining if it forestalls default . John Cassidy : It will be hard for Republicans in Congress to pass any kind of spending bill without Democratic support. As in the past , we 'll survive the shutdown without lasting effects .