Rep. Ferris Bueller's time off

We’re a week into the shutdown I assumed wouldn’t happen.

I feel like an ass for expecting anything else from the schmucks who represent Indiana in Congress.

In case you were wondering, Indiana Republicans who serve in the House — Rep. Jackie Walorski, R-2nd District; Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-3rd District; Rep. Todd Rokita, R-4th District; Rep. Susan Brooks, R-5th District; Rep. Larry Buchson, R-8th District; and Rep. Todd Young, R-9th District — are wholeheartedly participating in this act of adolescent rebellion.

All of them refuse to vote on a clean, continuing resolution, which would reopen the government.

“We’re not going to be disrespected,” insisted Stutzman, moodily. “We have to get something out of this. And I don’t even know what that is.”

Quick to join this cool new clique, Rokita insisted Obamacare is “one of the most insidious laws ever created by man.”

Rokita has yet to learn much about world history and what the word “insidious” means.

This is all classic teen angst. So passionate, so misguided and so, so pointless.

It is clear our representatives are unconcerned with the effects of the government shutdown because they are too enamored with martyring themselves in a crusade against Obamacare.

Even Gov. Mike Pence accidentally implied that the shutdown was “worthwhile” if it meant a delay in the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, a stance he has since denied.

Adults who behave like children do not deserve respect.

Tea Party Republicans didn’t get what they wanted when the ACA was passed.

They really didn’t get what they wanted when its constitutionality was upheld this past summer.

So, they thought they’d steal dad’s car and take it for a spin. Now they’ve wrecked our government.

What is insidious is not the ACA’s attempt to insure 25 million Americans, but the idea that it is worth defunding other federal programs in protest of that legislation.

The “deal” the far-right is insisting on amounts to, “stop trying to help millions of Americans or else we will make sure the FDA doesn’t keep your food safe, children don’t get to go to their Head Start classrooms and new mothers can’t feed their infants with WIC assistance.”

That is insidious. That is a hostage situation.

What is “worthwhile” isn’t depriving Americans lifesaving federal programs, but voting against representatives who think it is.

I don’t want to be represented by people who think shutting down the government is a viable option.

I don’t want to be represented by sad teens.

Just to refresh your memory, Walorski, Stutzman, Rokita, Brooks, Buchson and Young are the Indiana representatives suffering from hormonal angst.

The next election is a year away.

I know how to hold a grudge. I hope you do, too.

­— casefarr@indiana.edu
Follow columnist Casey Farrington on Twitter @casefarr.