October 11, 2013 Issue

Washington, D.C.—Jeffrey Wismer, an AmeriCorps employee furloughed by the government shutdown, just wanted to do his job on October 8. The crisis, which began when Congressional Republicans attempted to block the implementation of President Obama’s health-care legislation, is causing Americans to be deeply unhappy.Gallup reports a record-high 33 percent of Americans are likely to say "dysfunctional government" is the "most important problem facing the country," topping even unemployment or the economy.