October 17th and a Government Shutdown Don't Mix

The national media continue to express their disdain for logic and arithmetic when they warn that we will face a debt ceiling, in addition to a government shutdown, on October 17th. That one doesn't make sense.

The government shutdown means that much of the spending that would otherwise be going to support the $1.2 trillion discretionary portion of the federal budget are not being made. As a result, the government's borrowing needs will be considerably lower over this period. Depending on ho...