[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="Government shutdown, as imagined in a now-viral image."][/caption]Billy Moore of the Times Union's Capital Confidential crew, reporting from Washington, has a great take on what this week will mean in the nation's capital, where people are wagering on whether the government ends up shut down or not by the time midnight rolls around this coming Friday, March 4. "In the four months since the November election, congressional partisans have been positioning each other to shoulder the blame for a government shutdown. By the end of this week, either an agreement will be reached on how to extend government funding for a few more weeks or the shutdown will begin of less than essential services.


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He notes that security and armed forces won't be affected but "most federal employees would be furloughed and government services closed" depending on whether the President and Senate accept $100 billion in immediate cuts for the current year being proposed by House Republicans. And that's before next year's figures get discussed... or other current matters including patent reform and repeal of a reporting requirement for small businesses, and highway funds. "The essence of the spending fight is that Republicans want to cut and Democrats want a deal that protects government services," Moore says, voicing his opinion. "The public agrees with Republicans generally and with Democrats on the specifics." He suspects there will be a band aid solution of several weeks, pushing the real decisions down the line.