Shut 'er Down?

I generally stay away from ranting about political stuff, other than those that directly affect my foods and food choices.

I've pondered this "budget debate' all week, and admittedly I am only partially informed. I suspect that is true of most of us, though. At this point I am all in favor of shutting the government down, and in fact... please do away with it all together. Just a bunch of bickering magpies determining MY fate, without as much as a nod to our voiced concerns over many years. Hidden expenditures attached to everything. Taxation without true representation.

I came to the conclusion last night that they should shut down the government, and that was even though I thought my social security checks might end. I have no other income, no assets, and yet I am willing to take the risk of no government and no check. One way or another, I will survive. They have taken away everything but my sense of self and survival. It's time to stop living in fear.

What's the worst that could happen, if I look at it from my local level? Neighbors would still band together to put out fires, and aid those displaced by fire. When those who no longer get free food stamps get hungry, I'm sure there will be some chaos but there will also be the community folks who come together to help feed them, one way or another. They may have to work in a garden in exchange for food instead of being idle, and give up TV. Too bad. When those with a penchant for crime decide it's open season without police departments, I suspect they will find an awful lot of local folks own guns for hunting and know how to use them.

What's the worst that could happen, if I look at it from an international level? Who wants a country with no assets and far too much debt? How much blood can you get from a turnip? Anyone who wanted to take over would have to deal with our assets all owned by foreign countries, along with staggering debts owed to them.

Look at all the displaced, homeless Japanese citizens right now. They are living in untenable situations, yet they ARE living. Of course it's not the same thing surviving weather and nuclear chaos as surviving our raging political chaos, but the end result could be the same.