Follow TheSource.com’s Government Shutdown Diary as it goes into Day 14

Even though Columbus Day is a national holiday, ending the government shutdown is still priority number one on Capitol Hill today as it reaches day 14. If the Senate leaders cannot come to an agreement by Thursday(Oct. 17), the United States could face its first ever government default.
The National Park Service was one of the first government agencies to be nixed by the shutdown, however, there were a few National landmarks that were allowed to re-open under the premise that their respective state would fit the bill. Mount Rushmore, the Grand Canyon, NYC’s Statue Of Liberty and 401 other national properties were allowed to keep their doors open at the state’s expense.
Even though it is claimed to be totally unrelated to the shutdown, Saturday proved to be the most eye opening event of this government bungle. Millions of Americans were unable to access their EBT(food stamp) cards, forcing some people in places like Mississippi to walk out of supermarkets with their groceries unpaid for. The services were restored yesterday, but it made food stamp recipients wake up to the reality that if one day without food stamps caused that much of an uproar, what if it was off for three days? Or three weeks?
As of now, it boils down to an agreement that must be reached by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and his GOP counterpart Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. For many, this is the last hope to end the shutdown and raise the $16.7 trillion debt ceiling. Let’s see if these two gentlemen can save the country from this looming catastrophe. Stay tuned to TheSource.com for all updates.

-Sha Be Allah(@KingPenStatus)