In a February 25 editorial, The Washington Times stated that “a shutdown of the non-essential functions of the federal government ... wouldn't be a bad thing.” The Times further wrote that "[s]pending our way out of a recession has been a failure, and the public is ready for change - even if that means living for a few weeks without government functions that, by definition, we can live without."

From the Times' editorial:

By week's end, we should know whether the House majority has what it takes to stand up for fiscal responsibility against President Obama and Senate Democrats. As the stopgap measure currently funding the federal government runs out Friday, the House is proposing to vote Tuesday on a two-week extension that includes $4 billion in cuts, but Democrats appear insistent on maintaining the current inflated spending levels. Failure to reach a settlement by the weekend would result in a shutdown of the non-essential functions of the federal government. That wouldn't be a bad thing.

[...]

The real danger - the one Mr. Obama is counting on - is that Republicans will misread the lesson of 1995 and reach a compromise that locks in the ruinous levels of spending found in the president's budget submission. Spending our way out of a recession has been a failure, and the public is ready for change - even if that means living for a few weeks without government functions that, by definition, we can live without.