TO UNDERSTAND why some people are incapable of learning from their mistakes, neuroscientists in Albuquerque, New Mexico, scanned the brains of 96 convicts. In repeat offenders, they discovered, an obscure quarter of the brain known as the anterior cingulate cortex was barely active. It would be interesting to carry out the experiment on the 40-odd Republican congressmen, members of the self-styled Freedom Caucus, who are aching for a fight with Barack Obama over the budget. If they have their way, past fights suggest, the result will be a funding crisis leading, from October 1st, to the closure of all non-essential government departments, misery for millions, damage to the economy and a further loss of trust in America’s democratic institutions, starting with the congressmen’s own party.
The opportunity for recidivism arises because the House of Representatives has failed to pass a federal budget for the financial year beginning next month, as it often does. The full budget process, involving the passage of a dozen appropriations bills, has not been completed on time for more than two decades. And there is no prospect of bundling the missing bills...Continue reading
Source: United States http://ift.tt/1Ms6Zcs
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