Don’t hate the player, hate the game.

That’s a phrase common among people behaving in ways that hurt others. Don’t like drug dealers? Don’t hate the player. Don’t like criminals? Don’t hate the player. Don’t like serial cheaters? Don’t hate the player.

No, they say you blame the game that made them that way. It’s a saying that they think absolves them from accountability.

Don’t like politics? That’s the filthiest game of all.

If the ongoing shutdown proves anything, it proves that Washington politicians have sold their souls. Their loyalty is not to the people; it’s to their political party. The shutdown continues because the only consideration is blaming the other side and getting credit when it ends.  And if you’re blaming one or the other, the tactic is working.

There’s a bill proposed in congress that would end these tactics.

The “End Government Shutdowns Act” would provide keep the government operating while budget negotiations continue. It would make government shutdowns like the one we’re now experiencing impossible.

We need the bill. No longer can your pain be their weapon.

It won’t go anywhere because neither side wants it. Currently, Democrats are demanding $1.5 trillion in spending to end the shutdown. In previous shutdowns, Republicans have demanded large government cuts.

Chuck Shumer made a proposal on Friday that’s more of the same. Why? He wants to sound reasonable so you blame the Republicans. Trump, meanwhile, has claimed many things, among which is that the extra funds are for illegal aliens.

But the spending isn’t the real issue. Democrats want to show their base that they’re standing up to Trump. They’ll play the “resistance” card regardless of how much damage it does. Republicans did similar things, albeit with much less conviction, when the Democrats owned both houses of congress and the presidency.

They’ve backed themselves into a corner from which they can’t escape.

To Washington politicians, inflicting pain on the populace is a good thing if you can attach the blame to the other side. Your pain is their gain. The blame and the credit is all that matters now.

That makes you a pawn in their destructive political game. People doing what I do are pawns as well.

My inbox is filled with messages from political operatives, each blaming the other guys for the ongoing shutdown. My career field is caught in the crosshairs. They want us to affix blame so that we can influence you to affix blame.

I hate the game. I’m not fond of the players, either.

Here at the local level, we’re supporting food banks and charities. Instead of pointing fingers, we’re solving problems. Businesses are joining with philanthropical organizations to keep people fed.

And our local politicians are leading the way. Go to meetings. Watch them at work. Their 100% focus is on what’s best for us. Unlike their cohorts in Washington, they answer to us rather than some political puppet masters.

I have no idea which political party our commissioners, councilmembers and school board members belong to. Frankly, that makes me much more confident in them.

Locally, I like the players. And serving the public is the game.