Government shuts down, nobody notices

Washington DC - No one in Washington is saying what exactly a government shutdown would entail if lawmakers can’t reach a deal for the 2011 fiscal budget, or at least come up with another continuing resolution so things can operate for another week while they keep negotiating. But if the last shutdown — which spanned 21 days from 1995 into 1996 — is any guide, here’s what might happen initially: 1. No clean-up of toxic waste at Superfund sites. 2. Nobody answering hotlines at the National Institutes of Health. 3.  No work on delinquent child-support or bankruptcy cases. 4. No national parks and federal tourist destinations open for business.  These shutdowns would also affect restaurants, hotels and airlines that depend on visitors to these sites.  More…