There are few things as worthless as a government shutdown. At this point, they're only a reminder our system is broken.
And we aren't doing anything to fix it.
It's a tricky situation. The problem is politics and the only way to fix politics is with politics. Politics makes everything questionable. The actual solutions are things no politician would ever do.
I tried to be a politician once and failed miserably. That ought to add a little legitimacy to these ideas. So here's what I'd do.
To make these even more out of reach, they're going to have to be constitutional amendments. Congress always finds a way to warp laws.
The simple solution is this as a 28th amendment: If congress should fail to pass a budget, the previous budget will extend until one is passed.
But, let's be honest, that really doesn't fix the problem. The problem isn't fixed until there are consequences for the government shutdown.
So let's make a simple adjustment: If congress should fail to pass a budget, the previous budget will extend until a new budget is passed after replacement elections for current members of congress.
I'd wager that amendment would put an end to government shutdowns.
You see, nothing should shut down the United States government. Especially not politics. Politicians who put party in front of U.S. government have no business in U.S. government.
Granted, it's going to be tough to replace every single member of congress all at once. And you know one party is going to come up with a good excuse to shut things down just because they think a new election will work in their party's favor.
So let's change it up some. The 28th Amendment could read: If congress should fail to pass a budget, the previous budget will extend until a new budget is passed. Until that happens, the president, the senate, and congress will forgo a minimum of one month pay and benefits until a new budget is passed.
I know, I know, their actual pay and benefits are pocket change compared to what they're pulling in on the side. Which is why we might need a couple more amendments.
Let's take care of some of that side money. The 29th Amendment could read: Only individual humans can vote and only individual humans can make political contributions to candidates or political organizations. Neither a corporation nor an association are persons. Spending money is not free speech. Congress may pass laws to limit the size of political contributions to individual candidates.
While we're at it, might as well throw in a 30th Amendment to further tamp down some of the political baloney we all have to deal with in our elections. The less the parties actually have to do with the process, the better off we all are. So, the 30th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution could read: Congressional districting in all states will be overseen by nonpartisan boards in each state using standard redistricting methods every 10 years. All primary elections will be open to all registered voters.
That's it. Seems simple to me. But so does keeping a government open, so what do I know?