I say the collective "your" government because I don't get to advocate for things in uniform, especially not where I'm sent. I didn't mean that you particularly voted for Bush or Obama or Boehner or whoever, but it's the people's vote. And frankly, because 2012 was the only chance I've had since 2000 to vote for President. When deployed people aren't very good about making sure you get absentee ballots.
As for the pay issues, if the government is shut down, there is speculation that under the sequester that funds may not be paid to the military (that exception was made in 2011, but has not been talked about in this instance that I've seen). It may be fine, but it may be that while I'm in Afghanistan next week I won't get a paycheck because someone decides that PP is more important than the government. Blame R's, Blame Obama, whatever....the fact seems to my eyes to be that the COngress has (or will have) a budget that's approved except that PP is defunded, and that will likely cause me and a lot of others not to get paid. I'm lucky that I can handle not being paid for a few weeks, but not a lot of my guys making 25k/yr (tax-free, though!) can.