Government Shutdown

I don't know about everyone else, but I'm of the opinion that the shutdown of government currently taking place is just another stupid item on a long list of stupid things that the government continues to do.  For years now the fighting between Republicans and Democrats has caused a lack of progress to be made in the United States, and now it's reached a critical point with the shutdown.  I just don't understand how these people can be so stubborn.  Their job is to be the voice and representation of the common people in government, yet it seems to me that all they care about is themselves and proving the other party wrong in whatever issue is at hand, in this case Obamacare.  They make little to no effort at actually working together to solve problems, and once that inevitably fails as it always does, they decide to shut down the whole government, leaving countless federal employees without work or pay.  It's just wrong, especially considering the fact that the members of Congress who caused the shutdown are still receiving pay while the rest of the federal employees aren't.  How is that fair?  The government thinks it can just do whatever it wants and it doesn't care who else gets screwed over in the process.  It seems to me that Republicans are upset about Obamacare going into effect, and they're simply taking their frustration out by shutting down the government.  And the stupid thing is that Obamacare is in effect regardless of the shutdown, so all they've accomplished is putting people out of work for who knows how long.

I haven't really read up on reactions from other countries, but all I can think is how weak does this make us look as a nation?  The two parties can't agree so they shut the government down.  I feel like it shows the rest of the world that we aren't united as a country. America is supposed to be an example to other nations, but this is a horrible example to be setting.  Plus, it might not seem like the shutdown is having an effect on anything right now, but apparently it's estimated that if the shutdown lasts for three-to-four weeks, it could cost the economy approximately $55 billion.  All because a group of people can't work out their differences and act like the adults they're supposed to be.  The members of Congress need to realize they're doing more harm than good and get their act together before the shutdown takes the toll that its been projected to take should it continue.  I hope this whole situation serves as a wake up call and the government gets back on track as soon as possible.