Tuesday, October 1, 2013

2013 Government Shutdown


The year is 2013 and the United States Government has shut down. The last time there was a government shutdown was in 1996 when (then) president Bill Clinton and the Republican Congress couldn't come to an agreement over Medicare. Fast forward 17 years and deliberations have ensued once again.

This time it's another medically related issue leading the forefront that has made the government come to a screeching halt:

Obamacare

What does a government shutdown mean for us and what will be affected? A few things to name are: Recreation (national parks and museums will be shutting down), Medicare/veterans aid, Health Services, Federal employees loss of jobs (non-essential employees), and loan applications... to name a few.

So what does this mean for the average American? For the most part: not much will change. Unless you are a government employee you will still go to work, you will still pay your bills, you will still wake up in the morning and go to bed at night. 

With social media being on the front lines of this spreading news and having #govtshutdown trending on Twitter for an unprecedented amount of time, what effect do you think Social Media has, or will have, during the duration of this shutdown? Has Social Media proved to help the situation or hurt it? How do you think this shutdown would have worked and what would the difference in how the information would have been spread if social media were not "invented"?

Please sound off in the comments. Be sure to keep it civilized and professional, but don't be afraid to voice your opinion. Thanks!