Government Shutdown Looms, and Neither Side is Willing to Compromise.

With Government shutdown less than 24 hours away, the House and the Senate continue to battle back and forth over a spending bill, and neither seem willing to compromise. The main source of controversy? President Obama's signature healthcare act. While the Republican-controlled House has stated that it wants to avoid a shutdown, it only intends to do so by presenting a spending bill that will delay Obamacare for another year and grant provisions against contraceptive coverage. Senator Majority Leader, Harry Reid, has made it clear that "anti-Obamacare provisions" will not be accepted in the bill. Senator Ted Cruz seems to believe the House of Representatives is compromising, stating, "For all of us who want to see it repealed, simply delaying it...[is] compromise." Although the House seems to be budging more so than the Senate, it is evident that both the House and the Senate need to relearn the definition of compromise. Either side seems unconcerned with the Shutdown, and accusations of using it as a threat roar from both directions. The voice of reason in all of this is Senator Rand Paul, who proposed a conference committee to determine a short term spending bill that will avoid Government shutdown. Although a conference committee has never been held under these circumstances before, it is a small step towards compromise and reaching middle ground. However, the voice of reason has been shut out amidst all of the controversy, and both sides continue the stalemate over the funding bill.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/09/29/reid-senate-will-reject-house-bill/

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/09/29/sen-paul-wants-to-reconcile-in-conference-committee/