Can I just raise my debt ceiling?

I have only tuned into the whole "debt ceiling" crisis in the past two weeks.

About 5 days ago, I had to look up the definition of the "debt ceiling" in order to understand the nature of the current government (or American, or possible world) financial crisis.  I had to consult 3 different articles/sites with explanations in order to actually comprehend it. It's possible that I remain a bit foggy on the details but understand enough to get the weight of the situation.

I'm embarrassed to admit to you that when I tried to write to my representatives in Congress, I wrote to the wrong ones at first--the ones that are in, for example, the PENNSYLVANIA Senate, not the UNITED STATES Senate.  I was wondering why the names didn't jump right out at me.

Luckily (and also embarrassingly), about 30 seconds after I sent one message, a secretary or whoever reads email first from PA STATE SENATE called me to tell me that I had the wrong people.  She was nice enough to point me in the right direction but I felt so stupid.  But she was super helpful and maybe she was thinking, "Well, at least this dumb ass is trying".  That's what I hope anyway!

I find it remarkable that the U.S. Government can just "raise" the debt ceiling and thus, avert a crisis.
(I know, I know, it's not that simple but sometimes news reporters make it seem that way)

Are our lovely elected officials really going to let this crisis come to pass?

As a family who has had it's share of financial ups and downs, the thought of another force making such a negative impact on the economic status of our country really, really scares me.  We are walking a budget tightrope ourselves right now.  And just because we do it often doesn't mean we like it!  We're just doing our very best.  The fact that our house isn't in foreclosure tells me that we have learned something about balancing a budget...or at times, what I like to call "creative finance" which involves figuring out what bills needs to be paid, which offer a grace period that we need to work with & how to prioritize things when the debt-to-income ratio is unfavorable.

If a dum-dum like me can figure this out, certainly the smarties on Capitol Hill and in the White House can do that too.   Right?

My husband thinks that this is all for drama and a last minute deal will be made.  I usually think that way about government stuff too but this time, for some reason, I feel less sure about that.  I think there are too many people who want to see Obama take the fall for a problem that did not originate with him.

One thing I learned about economics is that the consequences of policies made by one administration aren't necessarily felt during that same 4 year period.  It takes time.  And the responsibility should be shared by the powers that be when it comes to figuring out a solution.

And even if you could blame just one person for the current situation, is it really worth it to run that person down just to make a point?  What about the rest of us?