N.C. conservatives explain support for government shutdown
(CBS News) CASHIERS, N.C. - Conservatives in this community helped elect Republican Mark Meadows to Congress eight months ago. He urged House Speaker John Boehner to shut down the government as a way to repeal Obamacare.
"We elected him, we sent him and we expect him to do the job we elected him for," Realtor Jane Ebberts said.
Ebberts is one of a group of constituents who support the shutdown.
She is worried that if the shutdown continues, it will start to affect her business, but adds: "I'm more concerned about a default, an unbalanced budget, continued spending."
She is willing to risk short-term financial pain now rather than suffer long-term financial gain.
Vic Galef, a retired businessman, believes the shutdown is a good thing.
"Because it hopefully will get people to come to the table," he said. "At the moment I don't see people talking."
Complete coverage: U.S. government shutdown
But they all agree the shutdown has to end by Oct. 17, the deadline for Congress to decide whether to raise the debt ceiling.
"It would be suicide for our nation and our economy as fragile as it is right now for them to go and not up the debt limit," said Ken Fernandez, president of Cashiers's chamber of commerce
And, he was asked, if Oct. 18 comes and the government is still shut down?
"Lord help us," he said.
Fernandez is a Republican, Ebberts and Galef have no party affiliation. But to all of them, this shutdown is about taking a chance for change.
