With the start of the nation’s new fiscal year only a few days away, bafflingly, members of Congress seemed content to allow a partial shutdown of the federal government again this week.

The federal agency providing assistance to natural disaster victims believed it would run out of money before the new fiscal year begins Saturday.

Congress seemed content with just standing by while that occurred.

Fortunately on Monday revised estimates show the funding will last through the end of the week after all.

How sad is it that member of Congress were ready to allow aid for people in places affected by hurricanes and tornadoes to simply dry up to gain a miniscule inch of political battleground?

Not too terribly long ago, thousands and thousands of Mississippi and Louisiana residents needed government aid after Katrina. And as bad as it was, the historic flooding of the Mississippi River last summer could have been much, much worse, requiring more aid.

The changes in Washington in recent years seem to cause our nation to become further and further apart and focusing more on our differences than our common ground. If our nation is willing to let emergency aid fall by the wayside, what’s next?

Perhaps it’s time for the nation to consider demanding term limits on Congress. Perhaps then, our representatives in Washington will be forced to come home before all of their common sense is drained out of them.