RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:
We have one more view of the shutdown, this one from Patricia Rucker in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.
PATRICIA RUCKER: The shutdown is unfortunate that it had to get to this point, that we didn't have better leadership in Washington, D.C. to avoid something like this, but I think it's a necessary unfortunate tool that needs to be used in order to get reason into this discussion.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
The discussion Patricia Rucker is talking about is over the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare.
RUCKER: My biggest problem with Obamacare has always been that the government should have nothing to do with our health care.
MONTAGNE: Patricia Rucker's husband provides the sole income for their family. He is an essential employee working in Washington, D.C. so far without pay. Patricia Rucker says the shutdown is hurting the family financially.
RUCKER: It's worth going out to eat. We can't afford, you know, that extra trip into town, that's exactly what the government is experiencing, a much larger extent. It's short-term pain but ultimately, makes you are hopefully realize what your priorities are.
INSKEEP: Patricia Rucker in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.