THE UNIVERSITY DAHY KANSAN
N
Managing editors Allison Kohn Dylan Lysen
NEWS MANAGEMENT
Art Director
Katie Kutsko
Editor-in-chief Trevor Graff
Business manager
Mollie Pointer
ADVERTISING MANAGEMENT
Sales manager Sean Powers
NEWS SECTION EDITORS
News editor
Tara Bryant
Associate news editor Emily Donovan
Sports editor Mike Vernon
Associate sports editor Blake Schuster
Entertainment editor Hannah Barling
Copy chiefs
Lauren Armendariak
Hayley Jozwiak
Elise Reuter
Madison Schultz
Design chief
Trey Conrad
Designers Cole Anneberg Allyson Maturey
Opinion editor Will Webber
Photo editor
George Mullinix
Special sections editor Emma LeGault
Web editor
Wil Kenney
ADVISERS
Media director and content stategist Brett Akagi
PAGE 2
Sales and marketing adviser Jon Schlitt
CONTACT US
editor@kansan.com
www.kansan.com
Newsroom: (785) 766-1491
Advertising: (785) 864-4358
Twitter: KansanNews
Facebook: facebook.com/thekansan
The University Daily Kansas is the student newspaper of the University of Kansas. The first copy is paid through the student activity fee. Additional copies of the Kansan are 50 cents. Subscriptions can be purchased at the Kansan business office, 2051A Dole Human Development Center, 1000 Sunnyside Avenue, Lawrence, KS, 66045.
The University Daily Kansan (ISSN 0746-4967) is published daily during the school year except Friday, Saturday, Sunday, fall break, spring break and exams and weekly during the summer session excluding holidays. Annual subscriptions by mail are $250 plus tax. Send address changes to The University Daily Kansan, 2051A Dole Human Development Center, 1000 Sunnsy Avenue.
KANSAN MEDIA PARTNERS
Check out KUJH-KUI on knology of Kansas Channel 31 in Lawrence for more on what you've read in today's Kan萨 and other news. Also see KUJH's website at tvku.edu
in radio. Whether it's rock
'n' roll or reggae, sports or
special events, KIHK 90.7
is for you.
What's the weather, Jay?
N MEDIA PARTNERS
KUJH
2000 Dole Human Development Center
1000 Sunnyside Avenue
Lawrence, Kan., 68045
weather.com
Sunny. Zero percent chance of rain. Wind S at 12 mph.
Tuesday
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2013
HI: 85
LO: 58
Wednesday
HI: 86
LO: 62
HI: 81
LO: 53
Wake me up when September ends
Mostly sunny. 10 percent chance of rain. Wind SE at 8 mph.
Thursday
Scattered T-storms. 40 percent chance of rain.Wind SE at 12 mph.
I'm walking on sunshine
Calendar
Raindrops keep fallin' on my head
Monday, Sept. 30
What: Flu Clinic
When: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Where: Kansas Union, 4th Floor
About: Seasonal flu clinic open to all KU students, faculty and staff
Cost: $20 shot / $25 nasal mist
Tuesday, Oct. 1
What: Know KU?
What Now Roll
When: 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Where: Kansas Union, Malott Room
About: Workshop that summarizes all research resources on campus
What: Chalk 'n' Rock
When: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: Wescoe Hall, Wescoe Beach
About: Chalk design competition for student organizations
What: Symphony Orchestra
When: 7:30 to 9 p.m.
Where: Lied Center
About: School of Music symphony orchestra concert
Cost: $6 KU student ticket
Wednesday, Oct. 2
**What:** Professional Edge Breakfast: China and Comparative Cultures in Business
**When:** 8 to 9 a.m.
**Where:** Edwards Campus, BEST Building, Conference Center
**About:** Light breakfast and lecture from John Kennedy, director for the Center for Global and International Studies.
**What:** Neutral Ground: The Death Penalty Should be Abolished
**When:** 7:30 to 9 p.m.
**Where:** Dole Institute of Politics
**About:** Debate forum with Pedro Irigonegaray and Ed Duckers
Thursday, Oct. 3
What: Art and Architecture Library Open House When: 3 to 6 p.m. Where: Spencer Museum of Art, Art and Architecture Library About: Open house, wall collage activity, scavenger hunt and light refreshments along with a tour of the library.
What: Collaboration Across Boundaries: 10 Compelling Ideas
NATION
When: 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Government faces shutdown with budget deadline
Where: Edwards Campus, BEST Building, Conference Center
About: Lecture by Rosemary O'Leary, Public Affairs and Administration professor, and reception
YU KYUNG LEE
vlee@kansan.com
Crisis.
The word flashes across television screens and newspaper headlines as the federal government nears its Oct.1 deadline for the federal budget without a resolution in hand. Threats of government shutdown loom over the country before the day ends.
So what really is this "crisis?"
It's politics. as usual
What is keeping Congress from passing a continuing resolution?
Currently, Republicans control the House of Representatives while Democrats control the Senate and the White House. Divided, the government is caught in a stalemate.
"The larger thing to understand is that it's a fight over how large [of a] government you want and how much spending services the government is going to do," said Mark Joslyn, associate professor of political science with focuses on public opinion and American politics. "Republicans want to limit spending because they are worried about the debt and deficit and they don't like large government. Democrats are on the opposite side of that. So one side will scream, 'crisis' but the other side will say, 'It's not so bad, we can still spend. It's not such a big deal'."
Each year, the government has to pass 12 appropriations bills providing new budget plans for the various federal agencies. When new appropriation bills aren't possible due to stalemate, Congress then has to pass continuing resolutions, which maintain the current level of funding for government agencies.
Obamacare
"Republicans, particularly in the House, have found it extraordorarily politically popular with their constituents to say they voted to repeal Obamacare", political science Professor Burdett Loomis said. Loomis specializes in Congress and American politics as well as state legislatures and interest groups.
The House Republicans attached the conditions of defunding Obamacare to the continuing resolutions bill and Democrats are refusing to accept such a resolution.
While both parties may be at fault for their obstinacy, Loomis points out that the Republicans are fighting what has already been passed into law in 2010.
"You can argue about it but we've had the policy debates and we are implementing it." Loomis said.
"Most of Obamacare is written into law so they can't defund it. Most of Obamacare doesn't require appropriations of money anyways. They [Republicans] are the ones that are forcing this crisis with ostensible desire to defund Obamacare because of their constituents."
“It's really hard for the congressional leaders because they are under a lot of pressure to get things done,” Loomis said. “You keep negotiating, negotiation, negotiating, and only just to keep the government going. There's nothing productive go on.”
As a result, Congress is stuck in its negotiations, with the Senate and the House tossing each other's version of the budget back and forth without arriving at a real policy conclusion.
While history has proven that Congress can negotiate when it comes down to the final minutes, there just may not be enough time to finalize the procedures before the Oct. 1 deadline. If time runs out, the government will shut down.
Government shutdown
The U.S. has experienced 17 government shutdowns since the 1970s, with the last one occurring in 1996 under President Bill Clinton. Government shutdown means "non-essential" government functions will cease as federal employees will be furledough.
"Services just stop." Joslyn said. "Things like military - necessary and important elements - will stay in function, but lots of government employees will just not get checks. They'll shut down altogether."
Based on previous shutdowns, people can expect many basic services to stop. Museums and national parks will close; the U.S. will stop granting visas and passports; many regulatory agencies, such as those regarding the environment and finances, will shut down and stop taking on new cases.
Essential government functions concerning national security and protection of life and property, as well as most entitlement programs won't be affected.
Only when the government passes a budget bill will the government starts up again.
The budget ceiling, the real crisis
Assuming Congress will resolve the shutdown - a bigger problem lies ahead - and that is the debt ceiling, which limits how much the
government can borrow.
With increasing national debt, Congress has to agree whether to raise the debt ceiling or let the government default on its loan
"If the debt ceiling is not increased, if Congress can't agree on doing that, then that will be extraordinarily serious," Loomis said. "It means the United States won't be able to pay all of its obligations, and so people around the world would look at us and say, 'you are not able to pay your debts,' even though we are perfectly capable if we raise the debt ceiling, and that could set off much larger repercussions."
Immediately, stock market values would go down and interest rates would rise,meaning investments would lose value significantly. The country has experienced shutdowns before and has been able to overcome it, despite inconveniences. However,the U.S.has never defaulted on its loans before,and the situation could prove disastrous to the economy on several levels.
What led to this?
Because of the structure of Congress, all issues that are even slightly conflictual will be magnified. After Republicans captured the majority in the House of Representatives, the debate over the debt ceiling has become increasingly political.
"It's only been the last three or four years they have really taken the debt ceiling hostage because previously, almost everybody agreed it had to be raised," Loomis said. "Now you've got 70 or 80 Republican Tea Party folks who simply don't agree with that."
Tea Party members ardently
against increased government spending have used the debt ceiling as leverage to get political victories, like the sequestration in 2011, which implemented federal budget cuts across the board.
Will this be resolved?
"I think Republicans will reconcile and the president will make changes. They won't defund the whole program," Joslyn said. "The last time the government shut down, it was many a time ago and Republicans tended to receive more of the blame from voters and congressional representatives. If the government shuts down, they don't want to receive the blame and in the next election cycle, get kicked out of office."
"Government shutdown, really, that is modest, but the idea of not raising the debt ceiling is truly horrific," Loomis said. "It's a really serious thing. We should actually engage in a policy where we don't have to have a debate over this. It should essentially be automatic because if you [don't] raise it, the damage it causes would be so great."
Will this be resolved?
The pressure from the public will force one side to yield.
Edited by Casey Hutchins
"I feel that it could actually become a crisis at some point but I don't think politicians in office will let it go that far as to risk their office."
Congress has always been able to reach some sort of an agreement, and even if the government experiences a temporary shutdown, the budget ceiling must be raised, Loomis said.
What do you think of the current budget crisis?
"I'm kind of annoyed with the whole situation so I'm going to let it play out. I think it's just stupid how Obama, the Senate and the House, nobody can get along."
Eric Alseth
Freshman, SC Louis
Chessica Evans Freshman, Baldwin City
"If they say it's a crisis, it probably is, but I know very little. I don't focus on it. It not very interested because there's not much I can do about it."
that's why I care."
"I think Taiwan's relationship with China is always influenced by the U.S. situation, so if U.S. is struggling economically, their influence on Taiwan and China will change, so that's why I care."
Derek Poskin Junior, Kansas City
Po-Yi Chen
Graduate Student, Taiwan
---