Beginning of the End for Washington

Unable to agree on a spending bill, the US legislature has orchestrated a partial shutdown for US government operations. A minority group in the US House of Representatives is demanding a delay in implementing a health care law in exchange for its approval of the spending bill. The legislative impasse undermines US citizen confidence in government, and could be a defining moment for young voters who resent the drama, dysfunction and waste. Many view the impasse within the Republican Party as a result of ire over changing demographics, as Caucasian Americans will make up less than half the US population by 2050. And Ron Fournier, writing for National Journal, suggests that neither major political party in the US fully appreciates the coming demographic and political changes: “Millennials don't fit neatly into either the Democratic or Republican parties. They are highly empowered, impatient, and disgusted with politics today.” Options for young voters include rejecting government altogether or supporting a new party that challenges the dysfunction. – YaleGlobal