McCarthy no longer Speaker; therefore, my January travel plans have ended.

from regular contributor, October 2023.

To keep the government functioning just from October 1 to mid-November, Speaker McCarthy successfully negotiated with Congressional Democrats; this bothered eight House Republicans, but not me.

The eight House Republicans then successfully cooperated with House Democrats, just as McCarthy did, this time to oust McCarthy from being Speaker. This makes no sense to this Republican essayist, a military retiree.

I was traveling in Europe with fifteen Americans last month. We were following the political shutdown drama as the October 1st shutdown neared. Anxiety was created because we were all to fly home on October 2, and we were concerned with the likelihood that many employees of the FAA and TSA would not report for work. This would create long lines and unsafe skies, which I want no part of.

It is obvious that the next Speaker of the House will not negotiate with members of both parties prior to the mid-November deadline. Therefore, the government will shutdown, probably for a very long time. I have placed a deposit with an American travel agency for an expensive three-week overseas vacation during January, which, for reasons mentioned above, I am now cancelling. So this is just one example, of millions to come, as to how and why a government shutdown will negatively impact the US economy.