Govt shutdown exposes system flaws

EXCEPT FOR essential agency operations, the US federal government shut down at midnight on Friday because the White House and Congress could not reach a deal on a government spending bill. Xinhua News Agency comments:

Washington loves to brand itself as the "shining city on the hill", yet the latest government shutdown in the heart of Western democracy has once again exposed its chronic flaws.

The shutdown, the fourth in the past 25 years, is another product of the political battle between the Republicans and Democrats.