Paul Krugman, PhD, Nobel Laureate

The House Republicans, led (or maybe followed) by John Boehner, R, Ohio, are ready to shut down the government in order to force President Obama to delay implementation of various components of the Affordable Care Act, aka “Obamacare.”

They are not shutting down the entire government. The government will halt so-called “non-essential services.” The EPA, FDA, IRS help desk will be furloughed. This is precisely what Grover Norquist, Charles and David Koch and other big Republican donors want. It’s what they mean by “Starve the Beast.” Oddly enough the shutdown does not include Congress, which will remain in session, so our Representatives in the House and the Senate can continue to work, or at least draw paychecks. Continue reading →