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Locals Share Their Feelings About The Government Shutdown

For the first time in 17 years, the Federal government shut down, after a game of political ping pong between Republicans and Democrats. Here at home, people are mostly just frustrated.
By Devin Sanchez
NewsWest 9

ODESSA - For the first time in 17 years, the Federal government shut down, after a game of political ping pong between Republicans and Democrats. Here at home, people are mostly just frustrated.

NewsWest 9 called the Department of Interior for a statement on the Big Bend National Park being one of the 401 national parks closed on Tuesday, 19 hours after the shutdown.

All over government websites, notices popped up warning viewers the site may not be monitored, due to the shutdown.

"To me it seems like its really childish," Chris King, an English major at UTPB, said.

"They're a bunch of nuts up there, they need to get it straight," John Rogers, who's studying history, said.

The mail is still running, the passport office is still open. However, the U.S. Marshals are classified as "expected employees," meaning they must show up for work but won't get paid.

"I don't understand why people who work for the government should go without pay because Republicans and Democrats can't decide on anything," King said.

Derek Catsam is a history professor at UTPB. He said here locally, it may take more than a few days before we really start seeing the effects of the shutdown.

"It's going to be a slow roll, it's not like the government is 100% shut down today. It's like a giant carrier ship: it takes a little bit of time to make it stop and change its direction," he said.

That doesn't ease the frustration with both sides of the aisle.

"I voted for Obama because he said he was going to help the average American and that he cared, now I don't care what political party you're with, just help the average man," King said.

"We could be a kinder, more gentle democracy than what is going on today," Rogers added.

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