Who says: Government Services aren't important?
Fools, ignorant of how the Economy works, that's who.
The federal government shutdown that began Oct. 1 will not disrupt air traffic control or cut into flight service or notam-distribution operations. But pilots could feel the bite of a prolonged shutdown in delayed medical certification, slower processing of pilot certificates, unrepaired navaids, and numerous other FAA functions as a result of staff furloughs.
[...]
Federal courts. So far they have stayed open during the shutdown, essentially by searching under the couch cushions for money. Federal courts have announced that they can stay open until Oct. 17 or 18 by using a combination of fee-income and previous appropriations not tied to a specific fiscal year. After that, they'll have to close, stalling any federal trials.
WIC. Unlike most means-tested entitlement programs, the Women, Infants and Children program, which provides nutritional assistance to pregnant women and newborn babies, is funded through the discretionary budget. That means it gets no money if the government is shut down. So far, it's been able to operate by using reserve funds, and the Department of Agriculture has said it will be able to do so through October. The future after that is uncertain.
[...]
Amtrak. [...] But it's not clear how long a company that lost $1.2 billion last year and relies on heavy subsidies by the Department of Transportation can keep running fully operational.
Mortgage-loan approvals. A lengthy federal government shutdown could also disrupt the housing market — particularly with large-scale mortgage approvals. [...]
[...] the Government shutdown has closed a service needed to process some of these temporary work visas.
As a result, there are workers who may be forced to leave the country when their visas expire. Others are currently unable to return to the US without the proper documentation.
The Alaska crab season is set to open Oct. 15. But the crab fishermen and women can’t set out for their catch until they get permits from the National Marine Fisheries Service, which is closed due to the federal government shutdown.
D.C. Public Schools teachers may have to work without pay if the federal government shutdown continues past the end of the month.
The ongoing government shutdown has forced the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to furlough the team that investigates vehicle defects. The government shutdown also means that there's no one at NHTSA working on new regulations, like the ones that will set guidelines for event data recorders and backup cameras.
Mike Reed, a contractor at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, is so concerned about the government shutdown that he's already paid a visit to his local unemployment agency.
[...]
"It's not like we're completely out of a job, it's just we can't go to the job." [...]
Kind of looks like
the Republican-led We-are-American-Deadbeats crusade ... is going
Nowhere Fast. Does it not?
File: Transportation ship stranded.jpg -- From Wikimedia Commons
As should, their re-election funding sources, too.
Fair is fair. Or at least it used to be.