Many Americans have long suspected most members of Congress were basically spoiled children who act out when they don’t get their way. On Tuesday those suspicions were confirmed when tax dollars were wasted listening to Dr. Seuss.

Sen. Ted Cruz, a Tea Party Republican from Texas, showed the mentality of many of his peers in Washington by giving a 21-hour speech that included quotes from popular television shows, ruminations on the Revolutionary War and reading his daughters a bedtime story of Seuss’ “Green Eggs and Ham.”

Cruz was protesting “Obamacare,” another futile attempt that was nothing more than political grandstanding.

This is exactly what is wrong with our federal government today.

In the end, the Senate moved forward with the procedural vote to begin the passage of a funding bill that would avert the looming government shut down.

Cruz even voted for it after wasting all that time.

So nearly an entire day was wasted, much as the more than 40 votes in the House to repeal Obamacare have been.

All the efforts to de-fund the health care legislation have been nothing more than political theater because the Senate and President Obama have said they will not support any legislation that does this.

Anyone who believes that Cruz’s antics were good for the country is simply deluding themself. Actions like this are what has turned the Tea Party from a legitimate political movement focused on better government into a national punch line.

All this did was waste time before the inevitable outcome of the Senate approving a stopgap measure to prevent a government shutdown, which is a fancy way of saying the government will kick the proverbial can down the road once again rather solving anything.

Both political parties are embarrassing our nation. Refusing to compromise leaves huge issues unresolved and our country on the verge of a backward economic slide.

It is time for both parties to put the children’s books away and start acting like the adults they were elected to be.