Last week I spent some time on assignment for The New York Times in Lakewood, Washington, a city whose economic vitality depends on its connection to Joint base Lewis-McChord, located just across the highway. The federal government shutdown has made life difficult for the thousands of civilian workers who work on base, either because they were not working or were not sure if they would receive paychecks for work already done. After I made my visit, conditions did improve when Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel elected to recall most of the civilian workers that were either furloughed or unsure if they would receive their hard earned paychecks. Even still, reactions have been muted, as life in Lakewood was already difficult and the future is still not totally secure.

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