It is hard for me to understand how congress fails to remember the basic principle that was no doubt hammered into their heads as they were students in high school.  The fact that "the reason we learn about history is so that we are better prepared for the future because history repeats itself". In recent years, congress has once again tried the philosophy that releasing a federal budget is not necessary and just too much work.  I do not understand how they thought that this was a good idea when only 15 years ago congress tried this, and it led to a governmental shutdown.  When congress fails to publish a budget, it passes a continuing resolution which let's agencies do what they did last year and take the same amount.  This is a lazy process that occurs when congress gives up on compromising.  And once again, in 2013, it led to another governmental shutdown.  If congress doesn't get their act together and start passing a budget, the next time a Democrat is in office, the same incident will occur.  I don't think the government has a spending problem, because most of the things that the federal government finances is mandatory things.  I think the government has a problem with big picture spending.  Every American can decide that one day they are going to treat themselves to a new refrigerator or a new shirt, but at the end of the month, those people have to own up to their spending because they allocate themselves a personal budget.  It is time that the national government has to live to those same standards and the only way it can be held responsible is if they pass a federal budget.