Everybody knows how government shutdowns work. The government has a conflict and puts everything on lockdown until they can get everything figured out. However, have you ever stopped to think about the negatives of what happens when the government goes onto lockdown?

I was born into a military family. My dad was active duty when my parents had me in 2000, then swapped to the national guard roughly 2 or 3 years after I was born so that he could live in Indiana with us instead of back in Texas where we lived originally. I have multiple family members aside from him in the military (or retired from the military) including great-uncles, grandparents, an uncle, and an aunt. Because of these family members, I know how the world works with the military and how often the government takes advantage of them. Their insurance is garbage, their pay can be unreasonably subpar, and they can get put on leave faster than you can blink your eyes. This brings me to my first point in this article.