This chart is exactly what’s wrong with America. Is it important to stick to your principles? Yes, it is, but at some point you have to realize that you can’t always get what you want. The Rolling Stones knew it, and most children learn it by the age of 10. It’s unfortunate that some of our country’s leaders have apparently never learned this lesson.

This current issue with the debt ceiling is the perfect example of that. If we don’t get this resolved, it could have serious ramifications for our country and, indeed, the world. Yet, it’s an issue that Republican leaders have tried to politicize. Not only that, they’re unwilling to compromise. John Boehner’s bill to raise the debt ceiling actually included a requirement to amend the constitution. This is probably the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen.

Here’s a great statistic from CNN: since 1962, the debt ceiling has been raised 74 times.

So, why not this time? Why is something that is typically a non-issue suddenly being used to further political ends, at a potential great cost to our country and our world? You’ll have to ask the 240 Republicans in the House (i.e. all of them) who voted against raising the debt ceiling at the end of May.