Horns Up: Rain, snow, sleet or shutdown, you'll get your mail 

While many important federal agencies have closed their doors, we’re happy that the U.S. Postal Service isn’t one of them — mostly because we mailed our rent checks today and would prefer not to get evicted. Moreover, this is a good opportunity to point out how criminally unappreciated the Postal Service is. You can give them any object smaller than, say, a washing machine, and they’ll get it anywhere in the country in less than ten days — and they’ll do it for less money than you spent on your lunch. Yet somehow, every Dec. 23, a line of ungrateful procrastinators snakes out the door of the Post Office screaming to the anonymous hero behind the desk because their hastily bought gift won’t make it to Buffalo by Christmas morning. Show some respect, people. The Postal Service is the best, and we’re glad they’re still open.

Horns Down: Shutdown does not equal snow-day

Across campus Tuesday, it wasn’t hard to overhear half-serious conversations between students about whether or not the UT campus would be shutting down alongside the federal government. But UT-Austin continued about the day almost as usual (the LBJ Presidential Library shut its doors), because, as we hope would be obvious, this public institution belongs to the state of Texas, not the federal government (it’s in the name). However, given the disturbing nature of this political ignorance, maybe the University should consider suspending formal classes and instead gather the student body in front of the tower for a remedial government class. Maybe screen some “Schoolhouse Rock!”? 

Horns Up: Of course they shouldn't be paid

Of Texas’ congressional delegation, Sen. John Cornyn, as well as Reps. Joaquin Castro, Pete Gallego, Randy Neugebauer, and Beto O’Rourke have all announced that they will refuse their $174,000 annual salary during the federal government shutdown. It’s a touching gesture of solidarity with the 800,000 government employees who don’t get to choose whether or not they’ll be paid while our nation’s leaders continue to struggle in their own web of irresponsibility and inability to compromise. Even Sen. Ted Cruz has said that he will donate his pay to charity, after initially stating that he “had no intention to do so.”