Let’s consider some of what we have lost from the dysfunctional federal government’s 16-day shutdown:

—According to an estimate from financial services company Standard & Poor’s, the shutdown took $24 billion out of the U.S. economy and reduced fourth-quarter GDP growth from 3 percent to 2.4 percent. Rating agency Fitch put the U.S. on notice last week of a possible downgrade in its bond rating … something that will have ramifications years after this insanity is but a memory;

—We have lost respect (if much remained) for our elected officials in Washington, D.C. A Zogby Analytics poll, conducted on Oct. 9-10, gave Congress only a 13 percent job approval rating, compared with an 85 percent disapproval rating. While President Obama’s ratings were considerably better (45 percent approval rating), he still has a majority of those responding (52 percent) disapproving of his actions;

—Our standing in the world has dropped. While in...