Crisis du Jour: Fear of Government Shutdown Rises Again

Crisis du Jour: Fear of Government Shutdown Rises Again (DailyNews)

Forget duck season or deer season, or any other time of year carved out for Americans to hit the fields and hunt down their intended prey. Right now, it is finger-pointing season — as in who’s to blame for the looming U.S. government shut down as of Oct. 1. On that date, unless the bipartisan bickering turns into an 11th hour agreement, the U.S. government will run out of time and money to fund itself. While Republicans say this crisis is rooted in the passage of President Obama’s health-care program, Democrats claim the GOP wants the government to shut its doors as a political ploy to lay the groundwork for future elections. Regardless of who or what is really to blame, if the two sides don’t come together within the next week, the wheels of U.S. politics will grind to a halt on Oct. 1. As for the markets, investors will just have to wait to see how they respond. And that’s the worst position we could be in, as independent investors.