Taking Responsbility for the Government Shutdown

Our federal government is shut down, thousands are on work furlough, our president is spitting mad, pointing fingers and continuing to blatantly show how under qualified he is to run our nation.
My husband and I are about to sell our calves, which means we will be getting our single livestock related paycheck for the year - the one we pay all our annual bills with. Due to having young rancher loans, my husband has to have the signature of a government worker that has been ordered not to work on his check before he can deposit it. If we cannot deposit that check, we will be unable to make our land, insurance and operating loan payments, along with numerous other smaller payments that are coming due before the end of the year.
We are definitely affected, and I tell you this first so you understand that my opinion is not that of someone who is in no way impacted by this shutdown, but as someone whose home and business are completely in question if things are not rectified in a timely manner.
The thing that makes me maddest is the general public's cry for a fix by Congress, their outrage against the other party, and the general mindset that Congress is solely responsible for this mess and consequently for fixing it.
Who elected Congress? I did, and you did. Without the American voter they would not be in a position to make decisions, or refuse to make decisions. We as citizens are the only reason each and every elected official, at any level of government, has a job/position.
This is our problem. The people responsible for this mess we're in is you and I, for our ignorance, lack of research, and/or refusal to show up and vote. For the general, lazy mindset in this country today that someone should fix it and take care of it for you, and for making Congress the latest responsible party for fixing what we should have fixed as citizens before it ever got to this point.
Now, I'm not saying that every single member of Congress is against working for the people, reaching solid solutions, or that every single American citizen made poor voting decisions. Based on what I've heard and read so far, the members I voted for that were elected are acting in ways I support the majority of the time. I have met with them in person and communicated with them in other ways to let my opinion, as a voting constituent known, in an effort to provide them insight as to what myself and my family, friends and neighbors expect of them.
What this also means is that going forward, we this citizens are responsible for helping to rectify this current mess and prevent a similar one in the future. That is done by knowing the issues, forming an opinion based on facts, communicating with your elected officials on your opinion and reasons for it, following future campaigns, and showing up to vote for the person who will work best on behalf of your community, occupation, religious beliefs, money management viewpoints, etc...
It is not accomplished by whining, spouting opinions that are based on nothing, pointing fingers everywhere but at yourself, and electing government officials on their looks, race or social status instead of on their ability to effectively run our country in a way that will make you proud to be an American.
You better believe that as a citizen of a new state I fully intend to do my research and vote as a well informed citizen in the next election, and continue to do my part to bring a stop to the current nonsense happening daily in our nations capital. I hope you will as well.

Deportation

Yesterday Axel was deported. Well, the process started a few weeks ago, but yesterday he boarded a plane for Germany with a one-way ticket.
Today he would find a way to strangle me if he knew I was writing this, with a photo that includes sheep, but that's just too bad.

Axel was born in Germany, or Austria, he is from right on the boarder somewhere. But for the entire story we need to go back in time even farther.
My grandparents got involved in an ag. exchange program based out of Chicago several decades ago because they knew the guy who started it. The program brought young men from Germany to the U.S. for one to two years to learn about American agriculture.
My family hosted several of these young men and some great friendships were formed. We have some amazing and hilarious stories about our experiences with them.
Axel is the son of one of these original exchange students. Several children of the original students have been to the U.S., either on vacation or to work for a couple years. One man (maybe Axel's father?) requires all of his children to visit America for a period of time.
So, about 10 years ago a young Axel (around 18 at the time) arrived at my grandma's house to work for our family and learn about America. You could barely understand him and as a 14 (or so) year old at the time he was unique, to say the least, to my cousins, siblings and I.
Since then he has become family, that's the easiest way to put it. He's one of us now. He's worked for my uncle for the majority of his time in America. But he also went to college, first in Sheridan, then at the University of Wyoming and has an associates and bachelors degree.
He's worked for a number of other people across the state and knows everyone. He is my grandmother's 5th grandchild and she fusses over him to the point of irritation.
He is everything you think a German would be. Tall, stout, blonde haired, blue eyed and argumentative. He likes to bark orders at people and would run right over you if you allowed it, but he also has a very nice side, so he would probably gruffly apologize afterward. He can also been seen carrying my grandmother's purse, baked goods and dog regularly (obviously he's all bark) Very sharp and opinionated with a face he almost always tries to keep scowling, but he often fails. He eats oatmeal with cold milk (as in uncooked) and yogurt and coffee when he isn't within distance of my grandmother's cooking.
He hates my horse, teases me about my dogs, complains that my grandmother and I are the most stubborn women on the planet and will never see reason. He also started a bible study group while we were in college together, loves his horses and dogs and truck (all of which he had to sell) and gets up at irrationally early hours.
He has always wanted to be a cowboy. This isn't an easy title to get in my family, but he is one today. Since day one he has been thrown into the mix of riding, doctoring, fencing, farming and everything else involved in ranching both in the Black Hills and on the eastern plains of the state. For the last year he has been in charge of several thousand yearlings on the Laramie plains. To me, a winter spent on the Laramie plains qualifies you as a cowboy in most cases. We often say it either qualifies you or cures you from wanting to be one.
He loves America, he pays taxes, is honest, believes in God and is, in my opinion, the perfect candidate for a Greencard.
But he can't get one, and this is at least in part his own fault for not pursuing some options to obtaining one. He made a couple mistakes there. But then I see that these car bombers from Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries that hate America seem to get their Greencards approved by the dozen and it ticks me off.
Here is the type of individual that can positively enhance our country and he is thrown out while at the same time individuals of obviously questionable character are welcomed with seemingly open arms.
I know God is in control and there is a reason for this, but I still find it frustrating.