Shutdown a barometer of surrendered liberty

How much do people want government in their lives?  Try taking it away for a couple of days and see what happens.  

Tea Party Republicans have managed to keep the government from passing legislation that would fund the government for the next fiscal year.  How is this playing out on social networks and in the media?

What follows is my personal survey, which is to say it is not scientific.  

Facebook

TP Republicans are being called terrorists, children, and inhuman for keeping 30 million people from getting free health care. One poster shows a cup overflowing with a dark liquid, with a caption that reads: We've had enough tea, thank you. Now give us our government back. One person thanked the selfless members of Congress who were diverting their paychecks to furloughed employees. (I'm curious to know exactly how that works.) Others are outraged that our national security is threatened by the @#&#! Republicans. There are few pro-shutdown comments.

Taxpayers

I Googled "shutdown saving taxpayers" and was swarmed with links arguing that the shutdown would cost taxpayers dearly. From MSNBC:

"Even if workers aren't given backpay, as they were in the nineties, the government will still lose out on important sources of revenue, like inspection fines and visa and licensing fees. Plus, there are back costs to re-opening.

"So while Republicans continue to dig in the ongoing budget showdown, they could end up doing the very thing they say they're in Washington to stop: new government bills."

http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/09/30/government-shutdown-bilks-taxpayers/

The Poor

Will the shutdown hurt the poor?

RT - 10 ways govt shutdown will hurt America http://rt.com/usa/us-government-shutdown-effects-550/

Mother Jones - 48 Ways a Government Shutdown Will Screw You Over http://tinyurl.com/k3x3ndq

etc., etc.

The Children

Will the shutdown hurt kids?

"[Governor Mike] Beebe says more than 85,000 meals for Arkansas children would not be provided and 2,000 newborn babies would not receive infant formula through the Department of Health's WIC program." http://www.ktts.com/news/Arkansas-Governor-Says-Government-Shut-Down-Will-Hurt-Children-225878501.html

And let's not forget . . .

Meanwhile, as if to remind us that freedom is dangerous and government is our savior, CNN is running an article about the dangers of legalizing marijuana:

Legalized pot would mean more addiction http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/02/opinion/sabet-war-on-drugs/index.html?eref=mrss_igoogle_cnn

The Dollar Vigilante

Fortunately, Jeff Berwick reminds us sardonically about the effect of the shutdown on roads, national parks, and government websites.

"Roads in national parks throughout the US were immediately shuttered on Monday.

"Within minutes of being held from extortion (tax) funding these roads immediately became impassable. At least when an escalator stops working it just becomes stairs and is still usable, but these roads simply cease to be usable immediately at the start of a government shutdown. . . .

"[National parks] also just cease to exist the moment government is not funded and, for your safety, they are immediately walled off. No child could possibly play on that grass without the government being involved!"

Berwick includes a poster of Matrix star Laurence Fishburne in sunglasses with text-over that reads: What if I told you . . . you can just walk around the "park closed" sign?

And some - in wheelchairs - did just that.

"A number of senior citizens managed to get by the 'closed' sign in Washington to get to a World War II memorial to remember and grieve for all the people and friends of theirs who died because of the US government and the Rothschild-backed World War II."

http://dollarvigilante.com/blog/2013/10/2/government-shutdown-proves-roads-not-possible.html

What will we experience when the government shuts down for real because of unavoidable insolvency?