Ugh what a mess. It's not just that we are lighting money on fire, it's also that the reason for all of it is so pointless. Those poor furloughed workers are having very real damage inflicted upon them. Damage that will take years to recover from if they ever do. It's cruel, its pointless, its stupid. At this point the shutdown has cost more than a wall ever would.

Then of course there's the more disturbing thought that if I were a Russian asset looking to sow chaos and economic instability in the country, a shutdown (and a trade war, and alienating our allies abroad) would do a pretty good job...