Lockouts

Here's the one big difference between the NFL lockout and the onrushing U.S. default deadline:

The NFL owners and players are rational beings who stand to lose more by missing games than they would gain by stalling the talks. So I have every expectation that we will have a new collective bargaining agreement within the next week, 10 days at the outside.

Nobody knows what the fuck the politicians--Obama, Boehner, Cantor--are, but they certainly aren't behaving like rational beings. They stand to lose a whole lot more than the NFL, in terms of money, prestige and elections, but for whatever reason aren't reacting the same way...

Hey, the U.S. may default on its debt, sparking financial disaster, causing us to lose our credit rating and be utterly humiliated before the entire world, but at least we'll have football to watch!