Another Game Of Beat The Check To The Bank And Shutdown

I see that the politicians in Washington are playing around with another possible government shut-down this Friday. So, why does the U.S. Congress go through this repeated debacle of playing with the operation of the government and thus play with the quality of life for many American citizens/taxpayers?

The silly explanation that "the Democrats" or "the Republicans" are at fault is of no use in this ridiculous situation.  Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution says that the Congress shall "pay the Debts and provide for the common Defense and general Welfare of the United States" among other responsibilities.

So, why don't the American citizens simply require that Congress do that instead of re-electing the same people to play the same games every few years? If the elected representatives don't do the job they are supposed to do, why don't we replace them?

Tim McDonald