Ok...I admit it. I haven't really given much thought on how the government shutdown would affect me. I have friends who work for the government and I've been concerned about them not getting to work. Not getting paid. I haven't been completely clueless. I put a bill in the mail yesterday and hadn't really thought about it not getting to its destination in a timely manner (although I believe that the USPS is still running...)
The Chronicle of Higher Education even has an article out there: How a Government Shutdown Would Affect Academe, but I did not read it.
But now this $#!^ is real. I was trying to do some research on a couple of my field sites and I couldn't access the maps I needed. This was the message I received when I tried to look up some map information:
The USGS Store will be unavailable for the duration of the government shutdown. We apologize for any inconvenience!
That got my attention. Things that we all take for granted are being affected. People are being affected. Their families are being affected. They're not allowed to go to work. They're not getting paid. While my map viewing activities do not fall into this category, there are some resources, vital to the folks who use them, that are not available during this shutdown. And when that happens, it generally involves the people who need them the most.
I think it is our responsibility to pay attention. To know what's going on even when it doesn't affect us. Even if we feel powerless to do much about it. Let's be honest. Even if I picked a dog in this fight, it's not like I could really do much to help her/him/them (see giving a large monetary donation) "win".
I've started the conversation and the research for you...the rest is up to you.
-- Dawn
