China: Would government shutdown in the US cause the sky to fall?

PJ: For those living paycheck to paycheck (which happens to be a lot of Americans like US armed services personnel that will not receive wages during a shutdown), the sky very well could fall if a government shutdown lasted more than a couple of weeks. Of course for the members of Congress, who will continue to receive their uninterrupted pay, a government shutdown will not personally impact them or their families.

Xinhua

As U.S. government shutdown looms, lawmakers take risk
By Matthew Rusling

WASHINGTON, April 7 (Xinhua) -- Would a government shutdown cause the sky to fall?

In short, no, experts said. At least not in practical terms.

The fight over the budget comes at a time of ballooning U.S. debt and friction between Democrats and Republicans over how to reduce it. If lawmakers fail to agree on a budget by midnight on Friday, a host of government departments could shut down and thousands of federal workers in Washington could be asked to stay home until the issue is sorted out.

Such a scenario, however, may seem harsher than it really is, as essential workers are likely to continue working, experts said, and the country will not grind to a halt. The post office will stay open, although passport services will close amid a few other inconveniences.

Congress, however, could be taking a political risk if Washington does close down, as the public could blame both parties in nearly equal terms. A Gallup poll released Wednesday found that Americans favor a compromise over the budget. By 58 percent to 33 percent, more Americans want government leaders to back a compromise and avert a shutdown rather than hold out for a budget they agree with, according to Gallup.

The Pew Research Center said in a study released on Monday that the public remains divided over who to blame if the government closes shop.

Thirty-nine percent said they would fault Republicans if the two sides cannot agree, whereas 36 percent would blame the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama. Sixteen percent would fault both sides.

Those figures could bode ill for lawmakers' popularity.

"People say they don't like government except when government does things they really like. That is the risk of a government shutdown, that people will realize there are constructive things that public agencies do," said Darrell M. West, director of Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution.

Some services that stop will indeed be regarded as essential to some people, such as national parks, the Smithsonian museums, and IRS tax refunds, he said.

April is a big month for high school visits to Washington, and students and parents will be disappointed when they cannot get into their favorite attractions, he said.

"These are the nitty gritty aspects of government that people like," he said.

John Fortier, fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, said a shutdown is unlikely to last.

"Having lots of government workers furloughed and angry will ultimately prove too politically difficult to sustain very long," he said.

A shutdown, if it occurs, would start over the weekend, when there would be very little visible effect, and it could be resolved by some sort of deal.

So it is possible that a shutdown starts and continues for a short time without real hardship. If it went on for longer than a week, the pressure to resolve it would be enormous, he said.

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