I do not regularly praise TIME Magazine. In fact, I'm known in some quarters for my harsh critiques of both the magazine's content as well as its cover selections.

However, the magazine has hit a home run with its upcoming cover for October 14:



Yes, this image perfectly encapsulates the current government shutdown, in which a fringe band of GOP representatives in the House have effectively held the federal government hostage (with the help of the GOP's spineless leadership).

However, this image also perfectly encapsulates, unintentionally, the extent to which our elected officials truly represent America's citizenry today. For as mainstream pundits yap about which monuments might close, the wealth gap between those who have, and those who have not, is larger than it's ever been.

New Yorkers with two jobs are increasingly becoming homeless. Metropolises are becoming income distribution wastelands. Things are getting worse for so many.

And today, a small collection of lawmakers is focused on shutting down the government, rather than ensure it functions for those who need it most.

The majority is not ruling. In so many ways.

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David Harris-Gershon is author of the memoir What Do You Buy the Children of the Terrorist Who Tried to Kill Your Wife?, now out from Oneworld Publications.

Follow @David_EHG

