The most mean spirited and absurd budget came out today while the Republicans are threatening to shut down the government. Yes, we know politicians, both parties, are all bought and paid for, corrupt as hell, but a government shut down? This affects real people and the real economy, not just federal workers but all of the Americans who rely on them. All federal workers except emergency services go unpaid, but guess who still collects their paycheck? Why the ones who caused it, our President and our lovely Congress. Yes, Congress collects paychecks while they get us into this mess with their power driven political game of chicken. Literally instead of being able to fiscally manage, politicians are placing bets on who will win in the opinion polls, based on 1995. Below is yet another example of politics versus the economic effects in a very fragile economy.