Editorial: If governments aren't working, lawmakers shouldn't be paid

The primary reason the federal government remains shut down, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania does not yet have a budget, is that the cost of the impasses do not yet outweigh the perceived benefits to legislators of keeping them going. But there’s a very simple way of adjusting the calculus in favor of getting deals done: forcing legislators to experience the pain they’re imposing on others, by denying them their salaries during the shutdowns.

Sure, both sides at both levels of government claim the shutdown is a matter of principle — Senate Republicans in Harrisburg point to the state’s structural deficit, for instance, while Senate Democrats in Washington point to expiring Obamacare subsidies. While these are certainly part of the motivation for their actions (or inaction), at its ba