On October 1, 2013 the government shutdown began at midnight. However if you were unable to get to a TV that day you only knew that it was happening but were not quite sure why. I was one of these unaware people who was uninformed about the current situation. When I woke up the next morning I was informed the government was shut down and specific sections were still open but had no idea why. The stories told me that people were going to clean out what they needed from their offices and being sent home without pay for the most part. I was informed that the people who caused this shutdown were still receiving their paychecks though.
All I was seeing everywhere was that the government was shutdown and most people were not getting paid. I saw that memorials and national parks were also closed but still no reason behind it. I wondered how many other people were as lost as I was due to a lack of television the previous day. Finally, I was forced to Google it and search through several articles before I found out what was actually happening and why our government was being shut down. Although, generally day to day I felt unaffected by it, it was shocking to see that no one was really reporting on such a huge event. Especially when news stations report on smaller stories for days, even weeks depending on what it is.
As days have passed though its clear this shut down is having a clear effect on the nation and people’s lives. University of Central Florida sent out an email to all the students participating in Research submissions being effected because of certain agencies being affected. Its clear that there needs to be more information being put out about why this is happening and should be used in schools to show students how the government actually works and affects the country as a whole when it is not functioning. Something this large should have been reported more in detail for several days to keep citizens of the country well informed.