Today marks the 123rd anniversary of Yosemite National Park. Ol' Faithful will mark the occasion with a private performance for the deer and the antelope as the park is closed to human visitors today. And for every day in the foreseeable future.
Thanks to the dysfunctional deeds of the rabid right-wingers in Congress, there will be no trips to the National Zoo (hope somebody is feeding the animals), no panda-cam to track the action of the little cubs, no food inspections, no camping in National parks, no access to the Smithsonian Museum (art thief alert!). Shuttered national parks and museums are bad news for the hotels, restaurants, and other attractions that feed off them.
Politico has a better list of the institutions that will be impacted by this toddler temper tantrum, and as you can see -- it's those receiving government benefits, like disabled veterans, low-income families, and children -- who will bear the brunt of the burden these rich white men have placed on their backs:
"The Statue of Liberty in New York, the loop road at Acadia National Park in Maine, Skyline Drive in Virginia, and Philadelphia's Independence National Historical Park, home of Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, will be off limits. At Grand Canyon National Park, people will be turned back from entrance gates and overlooks will be cordoned off along a state road inside the park that will remain open.
"'People who waited a year to get a reservation to go to the bottom of the Grand Canyon all of a sudden will find themselves without an opportunity to take that trip,' said Mike Litterst, a spokesman for the National Park Service.
"The Board of Veterans Appeals will stop issuing rulings, meaning decisions about some disability claims by veterans will wait even longer than usual. Interments at national cemeteries will slow. If a shutdown drags on for weeks, disability and pension payments may be interrupted.
"New patients won't be accepted into clinical research at the National Institutes of Health, including 255 trials for cancer patients; care will continue for current patients. Federal medical research will be curtailed and the government's ability to detect and investigate disease outbreaks will be harmed.
"The government won't be able to do new car safety testing and ratings or handle automobile recall information. Most accident investigators who respond to air crashes, train collisions, pipeline explosions and other accidents will be furloughed."The union representing aviation safety inspectors said it was told by FAA Administrator Michael Huerta that nearly 3,000 inspectors will be off work.
"About half the Defense Department's civilian employees will be furloughed.
"The Federal Housing Administration, which insures about 15 percent of new loans for home purchases, will approve fewer loans for its client base -- borrowers with low to moderate income -- because of reduced staff. The Housing and Urban Development Department won't make additional payments to the nation's 3,300 public housing authorities.
"The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, known as WIC, could shut down. It provides supplemental food, health care referrals and nutrition education for pregnant women, mothers and their children."
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